Guys are up for the challenge against Ireland; look forward to winning solidly: WI’s Jason Holder

Hobart: West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder insisted that despite the permutations and combinations around what the final look of a tense Group B table would be, his side are up for the challenge against Ireland and are eager to winning their last first round match in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in a solid fashion to get into Super 12.

West Indies’ didn’t have an ideal start to their run in T20 World Cup, losing by 42 runs to Scotland, leading to their head coach Phil Simmons lashing out at the unprofessionalism with the bat. With everything on line against Zimbabwe on Wednesday, West Indies rode on brilliance from him and Alzarri Joseph to get a 31-run win at the Bellerive Oval.

“Well, I think we still have to wait and see what happens in terms of the two games. Once we win, we can still finish first, depending on what happens in the other game. So it’s hard to put a result on things without letting things transpire. We’ve got one solid game to play against Ireland, and that’s what we intend to do.

“I think we’ve shown a lot of good attributes in the last game, and we brought a very, very good flavour and attitude. I think we were so much more clear yesterday what we’re looking to do, and it showed. Looking forward to this game against Ireland. I think it’s a big game, and we like big games, so I’m sure the guys are really up for it, and we’re looking forward to winning this game solidly,” said Holder in the pre-match press conference.

Holder, who crossed the 50 T20I wickets mark with his spell of 3/12, was refereed by Joseph as the father figure of the team. Asked about Joseph’s career-best figures of 4/14 in his four overs against Zimbabwe, Holder lavished elaborate praise on the young pacer.

“Alzarri should be proud of his progression. I see him as a leader. I think he’s leading this attack at his young age and he’s showing his great attributes as a leader. His performances don’t surprise me because of the work he’s put in, his discipline, his dedication towards the cause and his businessman-like attitude is just really great to see for a young player.”

“Yesterday I told him just to lead it, and those were my simple words to him: Just lead the attack. Lead it, start us or get us onto that right page, and he did that. Got us the first breakthrough, and I think from there really set the tone. I see him as an impact player. He’s got pace. He’s got skill, as well, too.”

“When he puts ball in hand, I really expect big things from him. Now he’s really matured into an all-format bowler. He’s one of our only all-format bowlers at the moment, and it’s great to see his progression, and the sky’s the limit for him. I just hope he stays fit and healthy and that he can fulfill his dreams.”

Holder signed off by saying that the sheer emotions from players after getting a crucial win against Zimbabwe came out due to the high importance of Wednesday’s match on their progression in the tournament.

“We were all pumped up for the game. We knew what was at stake and the importance of the match. For us, this is just a way of us driving ourselves into the right direction. We spoke a lot about attitude and it was important we brought the correct attitude into the game.”

“It’s just basically us just showing our passion and love that we brought through the years playing this sport, and it was important that we just brought the right energy towards the game yesterday.”

–IANS