The West Indian Cricket team has been far from the heights of their predecessors in recent test cricket history.
Currently 7th in the World Test Championship standings, the Windies have won only 7 of their last 20 test matches since the beginning of 2021.
All-rounder Jason Holder has raised concern that the limited test schedule and lack of time and opportunities are the reasons for the lack of consistent results, highlighting that it does not allow players to settle and achieve milestones.
Holder voiced that the selectors need to back the current squad, attesting that chopping and changing will lead to 'worse results'.
"We have been a little bit slow, we've been a little bit inconsistent but I think we just need to support people,"
"You see the talent that we have in the dressing room. We've got Test hundreds from No. 1 down to down to No. 8, with the exception of Raymon [Reifer], who has just come in.
"We've got to have that patience and build a strong core group of players. The more we chop and change in cricket, the worse results we will probably get because we need to give people opportunity. The urge for me and everybody else within the group is just to keep getting the opportunities and taking them with both hands."
"Once you have the support and good people around you then you will get the results. Sometimes we just get too critical, too fast, of people and we don't give them enough time to actually show what they're made of.
“It's hard in losing sides and sides that haven't had success. But more often than not, I think you need to stick behind your players, keep a strong pool of players together and back them."
Holder went on to say that only Australia, England and India have a busy schedule and which is why they are the best of the longest format. From June-July this year until 2027, the Windies will only play 26 Test matches, which is fewer than South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, India, and England which would stop them from forming a cohesive team.
Holder brought up the cases of England's Joe Root, who has 129 caps since making his test debut in December 2012, and West Indies' test captain and opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who has played 83 times since making his test debut in May 2011.
Jason Holder speaks about the importance of Test cricket in growing the game and the need for more Test matches 👇#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/xR9fpOorP5
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 9, 2023
“We average six to eight test matches over the last three years. This year we've got six, next year around six. You have to be in the 11 for every single game to get anywhere close to 100 tests,”
“It just shows you the amount of cricket England plays in comparison to us,”
“It's beyond our control. We've just got to deal with what's in front of us and try to make the most of it.”
