Holder, Windies keen to build on strong start

NAPIER, New Zealand – Jason Holder said West Indies are eager to build on the momentum they gained from their victory in the first One-day International against New Zealand.

The lanky Windies fast bowler was speaking ahead of the second ODI, a day/night fixture which takes place on Sunday (9 p.m. Saturday East Caribbean Time – 8 p.m. Saturday Jamaica Time) at McLean Park here.

The visitors lead the five-match series 1-0, after a two-wicket victory in a low-scoring contest in a day/night affair at Eden Park in the New Zealand Super City of Auckland.

“It was a good start to the series for us, exactly what we wanted, the momentum going into the next few games,” said Holder.

“Obviously, the result were not what we wanted coming out of the preceding Test series and so the captains have changed, the mood has changed, so we are in a different spirit and heading forward.”

“We have a really good team spirit going right now. It is very important that we find ways to keep it going and keep improving. We are looking towards the 2015 World Cup, so it all starts here and every series we play until then.”

Holder collected two wickets in the first ODI and made a significant impact with the new ball alongside Ravi Rampaul and was keen to continue in this vein.

“The early over were very crucial in the game,” he said. “We felt there was a bit in the pitch early on so we tried to make full use of it. I didn’t get the wickets up front, but Ravi got two early scalps, so my job was to keep it tight. I came back for my second spell and got a couple wickets so I'm enjoying the dynamic between Ravi and myself.”

The McLean Park pitch looked to be a belter on the eve of the match and Holder recognised the short square boundaries could be a challenge in trying to keep a lid on the New Zealanders’ batting.