England Vs West Indies 2017: Jason Holder Credits Self Belief As Factor Behind Epic Win 

The game of cricket is indeed a funny one, as barely 10 days ago, people lambasted the West Indies for their callous approach to the game in Birmingham in the series opener. Capitulating within three days in what was the first pink ball Test of England, the harshest possible adjectives were used to describe the performance laid out by the visitors.

Fast forward to the fifth evening of the second Test, and it seems impossible that this is the very same side. Thanks to some sheer class by Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite in both innings, the Jason Holder led side created history at Leeds, as West Indies chased down a mammoth 322 on the fifth day to register their first win in England in more than a decade.

It took tremendous grit and conviction for the visitors to come up with such an emphatic performance as Hope, scoring twin centuries in the game, battled all adversities to bring glory to his team. Post the win, skipper Jason Holder exhibited a lot of calm and termed self-belief as a major factor behind the epic performance.

“”Yeah, thought we could win,” said Holder. “Always believed in this group. We have done some outstanding things. In the team chats, I told the guys to believe. Nobody moved from the seats. It was a bit nerve-racking but Blackwood plays that way. Shai Hope was outstanding. He said he’s never scored a Test century but comes here and scores two. Must not forget Brathwaite.”

“It’s about delivering on the big stage and what better than to come here in England and win. Windies have been through hard times in recent times. I want to thank everyone for the support. We will have to work on dropped catches and have to work on the consistency of our bowling. Special mention to our bowling coach; his mom passed away a few days ago,” the all-rounder added.

Man of the Match Shai Hope admitted that working hard as a team was a decisive factor.

“Elated. We worked very hard as a team. I had no doubts. I made my way into Test cricket through First-Class cricket. We fought hard. I think we all know who Jermaine is. He’s one of those characters who gets the game going. Scored the runs and made it easy for me. Every time you’re on the field, you’re trying to improve.”