West Indies captain Jason Holder has expressed optimism about the chances of his team in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. In an exclusive interview with Cricket West Indies' YouTube channel, the skipper of the touring team suggested that his side has improved and matured a lot since their last tour of the country.
"I think we are in with a really good chance. Cricket is played on a day. We've beaten a lot of top sides in the last couple of years. I think this side has been building, heading in the right direction. So, for me, this tour is really important.
"Last time we played here, we were pretty much outplayed. But its pretty much the same guys that we've had for the last couple of years. A lot of these guys are familiar with the conditions now. They would like to make amends for the last time's performance. So, I think we stand a really good chance. We just need to be disciplined and execute our plans," Holder said while summing up his team's prospects.
The West Indies side has been in New Zealand for quite some time and has played two practice matches. In both those games, the team's batsmen showed good form. This has especially pleased their captain.
"It's really good to see the batsmen spend some time in the middle... Regardless of the conditions (in the practice games), the wicket was quite placid and quite good for batting, you still have to do the job and spend time in the centre. So, it was really good to see people like Kraigg (Brathwaite) get scores, Darren Bravo get scores, (Shamarh) Brooks got a score...mainly all of our top six batters got starts... Positive signs heading into the Test match... I am really confident that the guys can transform some of those performances in the Test.
There is some uncertainty regarding the middle order of West Indies with both Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo coming back into the team. From their last Test outing in Engalnd, only one spot, that of the dropped Shai Hope, has opened up. Also, the make of the bowling attack isn't certain. Rahkeem Cornwall is the only frontline spinner in the squad while there are five fast bowlers. Holder said the composition of the team will be decided after they have a look at the wicket.
The Windies captain is especially pleased with the performance of opener Braithwaite. The latter scored his highest first-class score in first-class cricket during the second practice match against New Zealand A.
"I was remarking to one of the coaches in our staff that the innings I saw in Queenstown, the double hundred, was one of the most fluent innings of him that I have seen, ever. For me, his balance looks really good and he is striking the ball really well," Holder observed.
One worrying sign for the West Indies was the lack of form for the bowlers. But the skipper of the side asserted that he is not worried about his bowlers.
"Not worried at all! Our bowlers have reallly carried the mantle for this team for the last 5-10 years. It's more or less for us to continue that trend. Our bowlers know what is expected of them.... What I have seen of the bowlers in the warm up games is discipline and what we need going into this series is discipline."
The first Test begins at Seddon Park in Hamilton on December 3.
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