WELLINGTON, New Zealand (CMC) — Captain Jason Holder says he wants “clear minds” from his players for the decisive second Test which started here yesterday, especially in the wake of the shambolic first Test defeat last week.
Speaking on the eve of the contest at the Basin Reserve, the 29-year-old all-rounder stressed the importance of turning the page on the innings and 134-run debacle in Hamilton, and producing their best cricket over the next five days.
And he argued that “clouded mindsets” would only be inimical to the Windies’ chances of winning the Test and levelling the series.
“We’ve got to be confident. There’s no point coming into this game if we’re not confident,” Holder told reporters here.
“We’ve all got a part to play and we’ve all got a role to play. And more or less, we’ve just got to slow it down. We’ve got to be a little bit more patient, a little bit more clearer than we were in the first Test match, and just make sure that we head into this game with a good frame of mind.
“I think that was one of the main things that I stressed to the guys — even although we may have had our personal views on where we went wrong in the last game, it is to more or less have a clear mind going into this second [Test].
“I don’t think it would help us much if players came into this game with clouded mindsets so [we have to] be clear and I always tell the guys to enjoy the moment. You’ve just got to enjoy what you’re doing too.”
With just a short turnaround between games, West Indies have had precious little time to regroup following the heavy defeat, but Holder said there had been numerous candid conversations about the Seddon Park performance and the improvements that were needed.
Pointing to the batting department, Holder said it was one of the main areas of concerns, especially against the backdrop of totals of 138 and 247 in the last Test.
“[There have been] quite a few discussions we’ve had over the last couple days and we hope that the discussions will bring some results into fruition here in this Test match,” Holder explained.
“It is obviously very important for us. We kind of let ourselves down in that first Test match and we all were disappointed by that performance but we’ve got to keep going.
“There’s this last Test match to play and so much to play for. There’s our personal pride to level the series and then obviously the points in the World Test Championship.
“I can’t really fault the preparation over the last couple weeks, months and even the last couple years we’ve been together. It’s just a matter for us to start delivering.”
He added: “I think our bowlers have held their hands up most of the time over the years . Yes, New Zealand scored 500-odd — it happens — but it hasn’t been a regular occurrence for us. But definitely the batters need to stand up.”
However, Holder defended the quality of his West Indies side, contending the recent defeat was not an accurate reflection of their ability.
“We’ve seen it, the world has seen it, this group has done some outstanding things over the last couple years,” Holder argued.
“We’ve had a few of those performances [defeats] before too but you look at the ability and what this team can produce and it’s there. We’ve done it before and the guys have just got to remember that they’ve done it before.”