England Vs West Indies 2017 – Jason Holder Upbeat Despite Series Loss
Dec 31, 2018 at 2:03 PM
For the West Indies, the series in England can be termed as an absolute success, as the side didn’t just compete well, but even won a Test; they’re first in the nation for more than 15 years. For a side that was so heavily ridiculed after the loss at Birmingham in the pink ball Test, it was a heartening effort to see Jason Holder’s boys do so well in the last two games.
The third Test though slipped away from the West Indies as a belligerent James Anderson was just too hot to handle for them. After getting his record 500th scalp, Anderson took off as he rattled the Windies with career best figures of 7-42. Needing just over 100 to seal the series, England got to the target with 9ninewickets to spare, as they took the series 2-1.
Despite the loss, skipper Jason Holder held no regrets. The tall pacer, who personally endured a terrific outing at the home of cricket, mentioned that the improvement put forward by the side was noteworthy.
“No regrets. We put up a good fight after the first innings,” said Holder. “The second innings we didn’t bat as well as we’d have liked. Credit goes to the way Shai Hope played, not just this game for all series. Credit must go to James Anderson. He’s a world class player. Congratulations to him on reaching 500 wickets.”
Applauding Ben Stokes for his superb display, Holder said:
“He’s been a competitor over the years. Credit to Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad too. A series in Zimbabwe in a couple of months, so want to keep going. I still think we have to be a lot more consistent with the ball – build more pressure by bowling more maidens – and we have to fight a little bit harder with the bat to get ourselves stuck in,” he said.
“And then we have to take our chances when fielding. We let ourselves down with a number of chances in the field. It’s very good to see Shai come here and do well, and wishing him the best. Hopefully, other guys around him can do the same.”