Florida [US], August 3 (ANI): Following his side’s win over Pakistan in the second T20I, which helped them secure their third win in their 20 recently-completed T20Is, West Indies veteran Jason Holder spoke that while there is indeed inconsistency in their results, he has a “burning desire to make a change” and he loves playing for Windies.
Holder starred with the bat and ball during a thrilling second T20I, which saw WI secure a win thanks to a boundary from him in the last ball of the innings. While he leapt over Dwayne Bravo to become WI’s leading wicket-taker with 81 scalps with a spell of 4/19, he also played a cameo of 16* in 10 balls, with a four and a six.
After a loss in the first T20I, WI have bounced back to level the series of three matches at 1-1. The match was going to be tough for the Windies, as Rovman Powell joined Brandon King, Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer on the injury list, just after Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran called time on international cricket in recent times. Before this series, they had faced a 5-0 loss to Australia at home.
The 33-year-old has been in international cricket for 12 years, with almost 6,000 international runs and over 400 wickets to his name. His participation in T20 leagues all over the world and a recent rehabilitation for an injured shoulder have added plenty of stress to his body. But that did not stop him from taking four wickets and two catches and playing an important cameo, needing 36 in 18 balls, with seven wickets gone.
Speaking after the match, on what was his focus, Holder said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, “Just getting over the line, to be honest. As I said before, it has been a tough couple of weeks for us. We just needed a win. We brought it down to the very end, unfortunately. But fortunately, we still got over the line.”
Holder said that he loves playing for the Windies and wants to leave his side in a better spot than when he came.
“I still think there is a lot of work to be done. We have not done justice to our potential over the last couple of weeks, maybe the last couple of years. We have had a fair bit of criticism, which at times is warranted, but we know that winning can be a lot better. We’ve just got to put it together more often than not,” he added.
“I think lack of consistency has definitely plagued us, but we have seen that over the years that we can do it. For me, it is just to have that burning desire to make a change, to make a difference. So I keep putting in my best effort when I get a chance with the West Indies,” he added.
Chasing a target of 134, the West Indies looked in all sorts of trouble as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. At one point, the West Indies were 98/7 in 16.5 overs, but Holder held his nerve in a tense final over and took his team home.
With eight required off the last six balls and two needed off the final delivery, Shaheen Shah Afridi steamed in, but Holder stood tall and cracked him for a boundary to seal the deal for the hosts. They secured a nail-biting win, setting up a series decider on Monday.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz was the pick of the bowlers. He returned excellent figures of 3/14 from his four overs, making life difficult for the Caribbean batters.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first, but their innings followed a similar script. They too struggled for momentum, losing wickets in clusters. At 53/4 in 9.2 overs, they looked in deep trouble, but young Hasan Nawaz gave them a glimmer of hope with a quickfire 40 off 23 balls, including four towering sixes and a solitary boundary. Despite Nawaz’s efforts, Pakistan could only manage 133/9 in their 20 overs.
Holder was outstanding with the ball.
With the series now level, all eyes turn to the decider on Monday.
Brief scores: Pakistan 133/9 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 40, Salman Agha 38; Jason Holder 4/19) vs West Indies 135/8 in 20 overs (Gudakesh Motie 28, Shai Hope 21; Mohammad Nawaz 3/14). (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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