England have leveled the three-Test series with a 113-run win over West Indies in the second Test and the captain Jason Holder is disappointed with the loss.
Speaking in the post-match conference following the defeat, Holder stated “It is disappointing to lose a Test match,” but reckoned “I think England played a really good game.”
The number one ranked all-rounder highlighted the performance of Ben Stokes who scored 254 runs in the two innings while taking three vital wickets at important junctures of the game.
Holder posited “I think yesterday’s period with the second new ball was where probably let us down,” while relating “I feel if we batted into the day we could have stretched the game deep into the day and probably give ourselves a chance to win but that period yesterday evening let us down.”
With his side losing six wickets for less than 50 runs, Holder suggested that it was poor batting but also good bowling.
“Probably a bit of both I think you need to give credit where credit is due, I think the England bowlers really challenged our batters, you know they stuck to the task and held their line and lengths pretty consistently,” he said.
Holder was critical of the batsmen’s approach, noting “too many of our batters got caught on the crease and I think it is something we really need to pay a little bit more attention to. I think on a surface like this you really got to commit forward or back and get into a really good position whether you want to play or leave so I guess there is a few things to ponder over the next couple of days and hopefully we can get it right.”
The captain expressed his desire to see those half centuries turned into big scores while calling on his top order to show a bit more grit and determination rather than rolling over just after a difficult period.
“I think in the short term we just got to understand the scenarios a bit better, I think the English bowlers tend to bowl some long spells, we fight through the decent periods but maybe a little bit more grit, maybe a little bit more determination to get through one and two challenging spells. I think when we found ourselves in challenging spells we succumbed to it more or less in the back end of a really good challenging spell so it’s more or less sticking to the game plan, trusting your defence a little bit longer and getting through those tough spells,” he stated.
