World Cup 2019: West Indies eyeing perfect game against India, says Jason Holder
Boxed into a tight corner and set to face-off against India at Old Trafford, West Indies skipper Jason Holder said his side was eyeing a perfect game on Wednesday.
Published : Jun 26, 2019 20:55 IST
When it comes to the West Indies, hope floats and then it turns sour. Having commenced its World Cup campaign on a winning note against Pakistan, the men from the Caribbean islands subsequently lost to Australia, England, Bangladesh and New Zealand while the game involving South Africa was washed out. Boxed into a tight corner and set to face-off against India at Old Trafford, the West Indies skipper Jason Holder spoke to the media here on Wednesday.
Talking about the big clash against India, Holder said: "Everybody's upbeat and playing India is always a big game. We need to finish the campaign as best as we can and our objective is to win all three games. We have shown glimpses here and there about what we can produce but we just haven't brought it together and it has hurt us. So it’s time now for a perfect game."
The Windies come into Wednesday's clash on the back of three successive losses, and Holder said his side would look to learn from those defeats. "It's been two crushing defeats (against Bangladesh and New Zealand) and we felt them drastically over the last couple of days. I think it's important for everybody to just draw on their own resources and look at themselves in the mirror and make sure that learning takes place. There's no point to drop our heads," he said.
The skipper lauded praise on his batsmen, but felt they had to take a cue from New Zealand's Kane Williamson's performance and try to bat deeper into the innings. "Shai (Hope) has done a reasonable job. Hety (Shimron Hetmyer) has shown glimpses of brilliance, as well as Nicholas (Pooran). It's up to them to take it deeper. They have got to be the rock and soul for our team and they have got to set up games and learn to close them out. A guy who has done that through the tournament is Kane Williamson. He sets it up, goes big and bats down to the very end," he said.
On his sides bowling unit, he said: "Length bowling has worked pretty well in this tournament. And guys who have also been able to execute yorkers have had success as well. I guess it depends on the venue and how the conditions play."