Windies batting has improved, says Holder
LONDON (CMC): CAPTAIN JASON Holder has leapt to the defence of his batting unit after West Indies slumped to a nine-wicket defeat at Lord’s to concede the threeTest series, 2-1, here yesterday.
Resuming the third day on 93 for three, the Windies were dismissed for 177, with only the inform Shai Hope getting among the runs with 62.
At Headingley when West Indies stunned England in the second Test by five wickets, Hope was again the main runscorer with 147 and 118 not out, while opener Kraigg Brathwaite got 134 and 95.
Jermaine Blackwood was the only other Windies batsman in the series to score a half-century, but Holder said that the batting element of the side continued to be a work in progress.
SHAPED UP WELL
“I think a lot of your batsmen shaped up pretty well but didn’t carry on. We got drawn in, trapped on the crease a lot of times, and taken across to off stump and [got out] nicked behind,” the all-rounder explained.
“It’s something that happens to lots of people when they come here playing in England and it was a first tour for many of us. Hopefully, we can learn from this.”
Holder said that despite the ups and downs of the series, the young side had shown definite improvement all-round.
“I think we’ve shown improvement. When we sit down and critique each series, we try to look for improvement, and we’ve definitely shown improvement, especially in our bowling,” he contended.
“We’re improving in our consistency there. Our batters are still finding their way, still relatively inexperienced, but Shai really showed what he can do. He obviously struggled early on in his Test career, and to have a series like he’s had now is remarkable.”