"I don't remember being in a West Indies dressing room where we have had that" - Jason Holder on the lack of support from the national cricket board
West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder spoke about the challenges that come with captaining the national team. The 30-year-old led the Caribbean across all three formats, primarily in the ODI and Test arena until 2019.
The war between senior players and the West Indies cricket board has arguably set cricket back in more than one way. The financial troubles that the board have faced are also well documented.
Holder noted that managing to lead a group of several nations is a challenge which is next to impossible to accomplish if support is not given from the top. While speaking on Brad Hogg's YouTube channel, he said:
"Captaining the West Indies national team is a big challenge. Personally, I've found that unless you get strong support in and around the management and from a board level, it is next to impossible. I don't remember being in a West Indies dressing room where we have had that."
Holder added:
"There's always been a breakdown from maybe a team or board perspective, you never quite get a 100 percent buying from everyone. I think we have got systematic flaws that obviously need to be addressed."
He concluded:
"To the cricket board's defence, I don't think financially, they have the resources to not only create but also sustain."
West Indies endured a poor T20 World Cup campaign under Kieron Pollard's captaincy. Holder was initially not included in the squad, but was later added as an injury replacement. The Caribbean failed to claim their third World Cup title and finished in dismal fourth place in their Super 12 group.
They were also whitewashed by Pakistan in the recently concluded T20I series.
Mentally challenging and draining being stuck in a bio-bubble: West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder
Jason Holder also outlined the perils of moving from one bio-bubble to another over the course of the last eight months. The all-rounder has not visited home with his national duties and franchise cricket putting a pretty tight schedule on the calendar. Holder added:
"It has been mentally challenging and draining being stuck in a bio-bubble where you literally have no freedom and no ways to unwind. It's challenging just being able to stay focused because you tend to drift, particularly when things are not going too well."
The West Indies cricketer went on to say:
"It is what it is, I'm grateful to be still playing and working, I guess that is a positive way to look at it."
West Indies have a tight schedule in 2022 with a home series against England and preparations for the T20 World Cup being their prime focus.