Holder pens contract with Worcestershire

LONDON (CMC):

WEST INDIES all-rounder Jason Holder has joined newly-promoted Worcestershire for the opening five matches of the Division One county campaign.

The 32-year-old, a former West Indies Test and One-Day captain, will feature in the opener against Warwickshire at Edgbaston next Friday, and will also be available for fixtures against Durham, Somerset, Nottinghamshire and Kent.

Holder has featured in the last two games of the West Indies Championship for his native Barbados Pride, scoring 110 runs from three innings in two games and taking 11 wickets with his medium pace.

“I always enjoy my time in England and I’m looking forward to helping Worcestershire get off to a good start to life in Division One of the County Championship,” said Holder, whose only previous county stint came in 2019 when he turned out in two games for Northamptonshire.

“I know Worcestershire have had strong links with the West Indies in terms of players playing for them over many years and I hope I can make my mark over the five games.

“When you get promoted, if you can make a decent start it gives you that confidence and belief to build upon for the rest of the season.

“You speak to people on the circuit and they said Worcestershire have a tight-knit but friendly dressing room and I’m looking forward to playing my part on and off the field.”

SECOND-PLACE FINISH

Worcestershire finished second to Durham in Division Two last season to earn promotion and chief executive Ashley Giles said Holder would be “a big presence” in navigating the difficulties of Division One.

“I’m absolutely delighted. When someone of Jason’s experience and quality becomes available, even for a short window, we just had to jump at it,” Giles said.

“We know on the field as a cricketer he is a world-class all-rounder but off the field a world-class individual as well.

“We are also aware that starting the season well is going to be important to us and having him in our line-up can only help that.

“Just having someone of his quality when you take to the field gives you a big lift.”

He continued: “You are back in Division One, you know it’s going to be tough, and you can only be better if you’ve got Jason Holder in that line-up. He has a big presence.”

Holder has scored 2,797 runs at an average of 29 and taken 157 wickets at 29 from 64 Tests.

He raised eyebrows last December when he snubbed Cricket West Indies’ offer of a central contract and then also opted out of the two-Test tour of Australia in January, CWI saying he had “expressed a preference to explore T20 franchise opportunities in January.”

Holder featured in the ILT20 and the Bangladesh Premier League at the start of the year but went unsold in the Indian Premier League.