By Neto Baptiste
Legendary former fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose believes all-rounder Jason Holder is still the right man to lead the regional squad.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Sir Curtly said given the options available to the former world champions, the Barbadian is currently the best suited for the role.
“When you look at the resources it is a very short list so what are your options? You have Jason Holder, you got Craig Brathwaite who is his deputy and who are the others who lead or have led before? Hetmyer led the under-19s so maybe he is one to look at in the future once he can cement himself and get going but there is nobody really. The list is very short so we can’t just give a guy captaincy … because, we need to be very careful. I think Jason should just continue for now and then we see what happens,” he said.
Sir Curtly, who had a short stint as the regional team’s bowling consultant spanning 2013 to 2016, believes Holder’s captaincy has actually improved, stating, though, there are some components of his leadership which are still lacking.
“I think he has improved from when he started, so let’s be real; but my thing with Jason Holder is that I think is he may not be aggressive enough as a leader. I think he is a little too laid back because when you’re captain you’re a leader and people should recognize right away that he’s the leader. When you look at the West Indies team you’re not sure who the leader is, so Jason needs to, maybe, be more authoritative or just have some kind of presence so you know that he is the man in charge,” he said.
Asked if the pressure could affect Holder’s game, Sir Curtly said the player is tough mentally and should be able to move past the challenges of leading the struggling Windies.
“He’s a strong minded person. He’s a little stronger than he looks in terms of his mind and I don’t think the criticisms and stuff are going to do his cricket any harm because he’s been criticized from ever since and he keeps putting out, getting wickets and scoring runs, so his cricket has really improved. I don’t think criticisms and the negative thought about him is going to really affect his cricket,” he said.
The Windies, under Holder’s leadership, won only two matches at the recent ICC Cricket World Cup, finishing second from bottom in the prestigious tournament.