‘We need confidence’

LAUDERHILL, Florida (CMC):

DESPITE A 2-1 T20 series defeat against Pakistan, West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder remains optimistic about his team’s ability to turn things around.

With the ODI series on the horizon, Holder has called for greater self-belief within the squad, insisting that a few key improvements could put the Caribbean side back on track.

The T20 series exposed some batting frailties, with Sherfane Rutherford and Jewel Andrew topping the Windies’ run charts with just 71 runs each across three matches, paling in comparison to Pakistan’s Saim Ayub, who amassed 130.

On the bowling front, Holder was a bright spot, claiming six wickets, though he was outshone by Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz, who took seven.

Speaking after the series loss, Holder acknowledged the team’s struggles but emphasised that a shift in mindset could spark a revival.

“I think it’s a combination of a few things,” Holder said.

“We’ve not played well in the last couple of weeks. We haven’t had momentum, we haven’t had luck. But having said that, I think we can turn things around. We need confidence. When we play, we probably lack a little bit of that, and I think that goes along with momentum.”

The experienced all-rounder believes a strong start in the ODIs could set the tone for a much-needed resurgence.

“If we can get some momentum going now, even into the ODIs, it would put us in good stead. It’s not rocket science, we haven’t played well, and we know we need to improve. But I still think we’re doing a lot of things well. We just need to put together a complete game, be more confident, and more expressive.”

Holder dismissed suggestions that the West Indies lack the firepower to compete, pointing to injuries as a key factor in their recent struggles.

“We lost some key players due to injury who would have been playing here. There are a lot of factors that haven’t gone our way. But we’ve got the adequate personnel to beat Pakistan, it’s just about making the most of what we have.”