In assessing the cricketing career of David Anthony Jerome Holford, his leadership qualities will always stand out.
The former Barbados captain and West Indies allrounder died at his home on Monday at the age of 82 following a lengthy illness.
A leg-spin bowler and lower middle-order batter, Holford played 24 Test matches between 1966 and 1977. He scored 768 runs including one century and three half-centuries at an average of 22.58 and took 51 wickets (ave: 39.39) with a best haul of five for 23 in a winning cause against India at Kensington Oval in 1976.
His century (105 not out), in only his second Test, was a match-saving effort against England at Lord’s in 1966 as he added an unbroken 274 for the sixth wicket with his cousin and captain Garry Sobers (now the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers), who made an unbeaten 163.
The Barbados Pride were crowned champions of the West Indies Championship after topping the six-team table at the end of the fifth and final round of play at the Diego Martin Complex on Saturday.
Coming into the final day’s play of their match against Windward Islands Volcanoes, the Bajans led the Leewards Islands Hurricanes on points. Resuming the day on 109-1 the Pride batted out the final day without much event. Barbados captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 109 off 219 balls and ended the season as the leading runscorer in the tournament. Brathwaite shared in a 95-run partnership with Roston Chase, who made 59 as the team ended on 285-6.
Elsewhere, Guyana Harpy Eagles opener Tevin Imlach put together a resolute half-century, in a predictable draw, as the heavily rain-affected West Indies Championship fixture against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force came to an end at Port of Spain.
Jamaica and West Indies batsman Brandon King says he is hoping that he can continue to ride the purple patch he is currently in, following his Man of the Match performance against the Netherlands which saw the West Indies win the second One Day International (ODI) by five wickets in Amstelveen yesterday.
King stroked a career-best unbeaten 91 from 90 balls to guide the West Indies to 217 for five in 45.3 overs, chasing 215 for victory. The right-hander hit nine fours and three sixes, as he and Keacy Carty, 43 not out, guided the team home to seal an unassailable two-nil lead in the three-match series.
For King, the comfort level that he is feeling at the crease is continuing to bring success, as he is yet to be dismissed in the last three innings he has played.
“As cricketers, you know, when times are good, you have to try and cash in and make sure you get as many runs as possible. I feel good out there, so I am just trying to capitalize on that good form,” said King.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — West Indies will welcome Bangladesh, India and New Zealand for an assortment of Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals, highlighting a frantic summer schedule for the hosts.
Bangladesh will tour the region from June 16 to July 16 for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, followed by India which will feature in three ODIs and five T20Is from July 23 to August 7 — with two T20s carded for the United States.
New Zealand then clashes with West Indies in a three-match T20I and ODI series from August 10-21, to round out 30 match days of cricket across three months.
“We are delighted to announce the match schedule for the men’s international calendar at home for the rest of the year,” said Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave.
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran has praised the team for doing a lot of the right things on the current tour of The Netherlands after securing an unassailable 2-0 series lead on Thursday.
On the back of another strong performance from Brandon King, who scored an unbeaten 91, led the Windies to a 5 wicket win at Amstelveen. For the second game in a row the regional team chased down a figure just above 200, but the pursuit was not without its difficulties.
“We came to Amsterdam to get victories and to be successful and I feel like we are doing a lot of the right things,” Pooran said following the match.
