West Indies Allrounder Wants Players to Reject Territorial Mindset After World Cup Disaster: “We’ve Got to Come Together as a Region”

After the West Indies squad was denied entry to the ODI World Cup in India, all-rounder Jason Holder made a plea to his fellow cricketers to reject “territorial” attitude and unite “as a region” for the sake of the game.

For the first time since the 50-over World Cup’s establishment in 1975, the two-time defending champions will not participate.

After losing to Scotland by seven wickets in a World Cup Qualifier Super Six match on Saturday, the Caribbean squad was eliminated.

Scotland successfully chased down the goal with more than six overs remaining after West Indies scored 181 runs.

“It’s (cricket) not a personal or regional activity. As a region, we must band together. and really, really consider how we want to go ahead as a team and make it happen,” one of the greatest all-rounders in the world stated during the news conference after the game on Saturday.

On Saturday, Holder grabbed a wicket and scored 45.

The team’s governing body, Cricket West Indies (CWI), is made up of six associations: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Windward Islands.

The towering 31-year-old batsman stated that his squad was well aware of the significance of the match against Scotland and had a great opportunity to win, but ultimately fell short.

“We were aware of the risks involved and yet had a chance to qualify. We had a great chance to play Scotland and defeat them, but we failed to take advantage of it.

“This is certainly the worst I’ve ever felt about the squad. However, there are still a number of advantages. I was quite pleased with Nicholas Pooran’s performance throughout this whole tournament. And it’s encouraging to see some of the younger men have a chance to perform on a large platform,” he said.

No temporary band-aid solution, according to Holder, can improve West Indies cricket; instead, fundamental reforms are required.

We must take our time with it; there is no fast remedy. As I previously said, grassroots development is crucial because it allows us to quickly put plans into motion and hone our skills. We should be able to observe the results of that crop in the coming years.

Holder said that the West Indies squad has seen a “fluctuation” in performance during the previous several years, indicating that he foresaw this day coming.

We need to recognize where we are and put our collective hands on the deck to bring about a turnaround since there have been too many oscillations between excellent and terrible performances (in the recent years).

“We must also consider the lower levels (age-group and domestic cricket) and make every effort to raise them as well. As a result, these young men (senior level) will arrive with a solid foundation. We must all raise our hands and be counted individually.

“We just weren’t good enough players. Maybe during the last couple of years, we haven’t played well enough,” he said.