I am just trying to be little bit more unpredictable, says Jason Holder
Senior West Indies pacer Jason Holder on Sunday credited his top bowling form in the ongoing T20 World Cup to his efforts to make himself less predictable and bowl more yorkers. The 34-year-old Holder, who has taken seven wickets in three matches in this tournament, set up West Indies’ easy nine-wicket win over Nepal with impressive figures of 4/27.
The West Indies restricted Nepal to 133 for 8 and then chased down the modest target with 28 balls to spare to notch their third win on the trot and qualify for the Super 8s. “I try to change the angles, for me, it’s just trying to not be too predictable. I’m also just varying the positions at the crease and trying to execute a few more yorkers,” Holder said at the post-match presentation.
“So for me, it’s just trying to be a little bit more unpredictable and then at times, you know, understanding when I could change the angle to a particular player,” he said. Asked about his death bowling and bowling yorkers from round the wicket, he said, “Yeah, it’s something I’ve been practising now for a little while, I’ve just been happy that I’ve been comfortable enough in the game to go round the wicket at times.”
Holder had figures of 3/30 against Scotland in their opening match in Kolkata, which West Indies won and then went wicket-less in their 30-run victory over England in which he contributed 33 with the bat. Regarding Sunday’s match, he said, “It was a different game, obviously a day game. I thought the ball did a little bit more. Probably held in the surface a little bit more upfront. And it became a little bit more difficult to hit through the line of the ball.
“We were able to get a little bit of movement as well too which was key. And I thought our bowlers bowled a really tight line to them as well upfront, which was very, very key in terms of our execution. “So, credit not only to me, but I mean, to Matthew (Forde) as well, I thought Matthew bowled an outstanding spell upfront to set the tone for us. And then we were able to adjust from there.”
The former captain is also a leader of the West Indies’ bowling unit. “I think one of my key roles is obviously just to help the guys as much as possible, especially when we’re under pressure. For me, I just try to share as much information as possible. “I don’t know it all, but I have played enough cricket that I can give a few more insights, a few suggestions. Our bowlers have been very receptive to it, credit to everyone.
“We’ve really sat and spoken about a few things at length, which has really helped us in our planning and preparation.” Captain Shai Hope, who top-scored with 61 not out in West Indies’ successful run chase, was pleased with the win and the entry to the Super 8s. “One step, one hurdle that we’ve crossed. I am glad that I got an opportunity to decide what we wanted to do. We wanted to limit the flow of runs and keep taking wickets.
“Good to contribute to wins. It’s about continuing how we’ve been playing. Hopefully we can carry through that. “You must given him (Forde) credit, he’e been hitting his areas. He really exploits the movement. Complete cricket from us.” Nepal captain Rohit Paudel acknowledged the failure of his team’s batting unit, except for Dipendra Singh Airee, who made a fine 58.
“It was a challenge especially the way Akeal, Forde and Holder bowled in the powerplay. As a batting unit, we need to step up. We are missing on the batting partnerships. We are not stretching it. “He (Airee) took his time and played really well. When he got his opportunity, he cashed in. We need to learn from him. Keeping the outside noise outside is very important. When the team is losing, it’s very important to keep everyone positive.”
