Holders West Indies: Preliminaries
Wed, Aug 14, '19
Our baptism will invite submergence via the hands of the best. Still lacking in diverse areas–we are a work in progress. Yet, we have a team and a leader. Fortunately, this method of initiation does afford the opportunity to settle our best foot on familiar patches of soil. Yes, the Indians are on our shores and as sure as stumps in the earth attract waters from the heavens; the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championships are afoot.
Jason Holder’s West Indies will be the first West Indies team to contest the tournament; this, in an era where the silhouette of a team has suddenly been illuminated (via a 2-1 series victory over England)—dragging cricketing minds to the conclusion of a sturdy foundation. An era which will require the walls be erected under beaming lights, the watchful eyes of john public and sure scrutiny—pressure. The Championship at this, a tumultuous time in WINDIES Cricket, shall erode this foundation of ours or fast-track a coveted empire.
Fact: The West Indies are ranked 8th in the ICC Test Rankings.
Exhibit ‘A’: Caribbean fans have been made to suffer many an embarrassing defeat.
Leading: Yet, there is more hope when our workmen—who are greater in vertical inches—are tasked with employing red leather, than there is when the material is of a non-colour.
Assumption: Maybe because there was a sense of stability and eventual structure to West Indies’ ultimate approach to Test cricket.
Eight members of the 15-man squad which Holder first captained—on the tour of Sri Lanka 2015, (including Holder himself), were also named in the last squad he captained to battle England in early 2019. While, seven members of WINDIES’ last Test squad have been involved in a minimum of ten of the thirteen series for which Holder’s tenure has spanned, with nine members in our last Test squad (including debutants from as late as 2017) partaking in a minimum of seven.
This is a three-part series assessing the evolution of the squads assembled in the Holder Era of West Indies Test Cricket; ‘Preliminaries’, ‘Faded’, ‘You’ll find them here’.
Preliminaries
On the 4th of September 2015, Jason Holder was appointed the new West Indies Test captain, taking over the reins from Denesh Ramdin. This, subsequent to being named WINDIES’ One-Day International captain, in December of the previous year. There is the belief that the command and authority displayed during the 2015 Cricket World Cup by the then 23-year-old, accentuated by his match-saving Test century against England in Antigua; fueled the fire that kept the idea the West Indies were entertaining–concerning the all-rounder leading the Caribbean side in two formats–alive.
Holder, at the time, only had eight Test caps under his belt, but then chairman of West Indies selectors Clive Lloyd stated, “He is a young man that all of the selectors, people in the Caribbean and worldwide believe has several of the qualities that can take our team forward.”
On his first mission as Test captain, Holder was tasked with the 2015 tour of Sri Lanka, for which he was presented with the following team:
Jason Holder (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajendra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels and Jomel Warrican.
And so, it began. Holder’s Era bowled off with Shai Hope as an opening batsman, Marlon Samuels being reported for a suspect bowling action (later cleared in February of 2017) and Jermaine Blackwood showing promise—resulting in a 2-0 series defeat away from home.
There were five players who were involved in this era long enough to jog the memory, but not long enough to have an impact thereon; Jerome Taylor, Denesh Ramdin, Carlos Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika and Darren Bravo.
While, Taylor was included for the first two series under Holder (West Indies in Sri Lanka and West Indies in Australia), he announced his retirement prior to third—India’s tour of the Caribbean in 2016. The Jamaican made an attempt at coming out of retirement for Pakistan’s tour of the Caribbean in 2017, but with the emergence of Joseph and company, he was not selected.
Following his sacking as captain, Denesh Ramdin was only involved in an additional two series—West Indies in Sri Lanka and West Indies in Australia. Ramdin was dropped prior to India’s 2016 summer tour of the Caribbean, despite scores of 59 and 62 against Australia in the previous series. There was the feeling, however, that his form of 201 runs in 15 innings (in which he never got up to the 30-run mark), at an average of 13.40, prior to the Australia series, was the Trinidadian’s downfall.
Yes, Brathwaite might have survived the initial two seasons of Holder’s reign; but the all-rounder never made a mark. Brathwaite, though part of the squads in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (versus Pakistan), never featured in any of the games. In fact, his most significant contribution was 51 not-out in an innings and 92-run defeat to India, in the first Test of the Indian series in the Caribbean.
Rajendra Chandrika was named in West Indies’ squad for Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in 2015. Only two of his five caps were attained under Holder’s leadership. His final cap came just over a year after his debut against India at Sabina Park on July 30, 2016.
Finally, Darren Bravo was involved in the first four series for which Holder was captain. Bravo falls into this particular category as, though he was indeed in the thick of things at the beginning, he had no part to play in Holder’s West Indies developing a core, nor did he contribute to the formation of this team’s identity. This, as his last involvement for the West Indies in Tests, prior to his recall in 2019, was in the UAE against Pakistan in 2016.
We will pick up on Friday with ‘Faded’, remembering those who were once core members, helping the formation of our identity, yet could not hold on to their place in the team.
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