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The BCCI has planned a Test series at home in November against West Indies, ahead of the scheduled South Africa tour, thus ensuring Sachin Tendulkar plays his landmark 200th Test at home

Amol Karhadkar01-Sep-2013

Other tours approved by the BCCI

• Tour to New Zealand in January-February 2014, comprising two Tests and five ODIs

• Tour to England between July and September 2014, comprising five Tests, five ODIs and one T20

The BCCI has planned a Test series at home in November against West Indies, ahead of the scheduled South Africa tour, thus giving Sachin Tendulkar the opportunity to play his landmark 200th Test at home; he will perhaps bid farewell to the game at the end of the Test series.Tendulkar, who is two Tests short of becoming the first cricketer to feature in 200 Tests, was expected to put an end to his 24-year sojourn at the highest level at the end of the South Africa Test series. The Tests series against West Indies, which will comprise at least two Tests likely to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai in November, offers him a perfect stage to sign off in his hometown.Following the injury to his left hand while playing for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a league match during IPL 2013, which effectively advanced his IPL retirement, doubts had arisen over the 40-year-old’s participation in the South Africa tour. However, after undergoing a surgery on his injured hand, Tendulkar has been included in the Mumbai Indians’ squad for the Champions League Twenty20.Besides achieving the 200-Test landmark, Tendulkar would also be keen to sign off on a high. The veteran batsman has not been able to score a century in his last 38 Test innings, since his memorable knock of 146 in Cape Town in January 2011. The closest he came to a three figures in Tests since then was against West Indies in November 2011, when he edged one to slips six runs short of what would have been his 100th international hundred at the Wankhede Stadium, his home ground.The BCCI claimed to have received an email from the West Indies Cricket Board confirming its interest in the series, and accordingly placed the proposal before the working committee. The plan for the West Indies series was announced after the BCCI’s working committee meeting on Sunday. Though the BCCI did not specify the number of matches that will be played, ESPNcricinfo understands that the WICB have been offered two options. “The tour could see either two Tests and three ODIs, or three Tests,” a BCCI official said.As important as the series is from the Tendulkar angle, the BCCI was also concerned about a possible dip in its revenues for the current financial year since, after the limited-overs series against Australia in October, India weren’t scheduled to play at home for the rest of the financial year. “That would have meant lesser gross revenue, and profits as a result, than the last year’s,” an insider said. “And it is something that none of the stakeholders in Indian cricket would want.”

JP Duminy is set to regain his Test place after 11 months as South Africa embark on a two-Test series against Pakistan

Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2013JP Duminy is set to regain his Test place after 11 months as South Africa embark on a two-Test series against Pakistan. Duminy spent six months recovering from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and after a successful one-day return, has been given a vote of confidence from the national coach to make a Test comeback as well.”How we’ve worked is that when a player has a spot and he gets injured, once he is fit again, he will regain his spot. I think that’s only fair,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach said ahead of the squad’s departure. “I very much see JP being in the starting XI.”Duminy had previously spent two years out of the Test team following a loss of form after creating a stir with a 50 and unbeaten 166 against Australia in his first two matches. He returned against New Zealand in March 2012 and scored a century and also played an important role in South Africa’s win against England at Lord’s last June which gave them the Test mace.He could play no part in their victory over Australia because of his injury. Faf du Plessis took his spot and impressed with a match-saving century in Adelaide. That would mean the likely loser from Duminy’s return would be Dean Elgar, who replaced Jacques Rudolph and, apart from a century against New Zealand, has not made the spot his own.Following an extensive rehabilitation period, Duminy returned to action during the Champions Trophy in June this year. He scored an unbeaten 150 before the tournament during a warm-up against the Netherlands, had a lean run through the competition but had one innings of 97 in the ODI series in Sri Lanka, which South Africa lost 4-1. He has also become a significant contributor with the ball, sending down 36.2 overs of offspin in the five matches.Duminy’s potential as an allrounder is what South Africa are hoping to use to their advantage in the UAE. “With JP back in the mix, whether we need to play a second spinner still needs to be debated,” Domingo said.Conditions are expected to be conducive to turn – given that was how Pakistan got the better of the last No.1 side to tour the UAE, England – and South Africa have included two specialist spinners in their squad. Robin Peterson is the incumbent but they have also brought back Pakistani-born legspinner Imran Tahir, who played 11 Tests but was dropped after conceding 260 runs without taking a wicket in Adelaide.Peterson has had some success, most notably with five wickets in a match against Pakistan in Cape Town, but Tahir’s attacking ability were thought to create a tough contest between the two for a spot. Domingo confirmed he would allow Peterson to start before turning to Tahir. “At the moment, I still feel Robbie is the guy. He has made some contributions,” he said. “You are always going to take two spinners to the subcontinent but Imran has to do something special to knock the door down.”The rest of the line-up will retain its familiar look with Graeme Smith fully recovered from ankle surgery to lead the team and open the batting. Domingo indicated he would continue with the seven batsmen and three seamers strategy that was used under Gary Kirsten. “I would be a fool to go in there and make drastic changes,” he said. “There might be one change in terms of personnel but the balance of the side will stay pretty much the same.”That one change would be Duminy’s return but Elgar need not despair yet. There is a chance he will feature in the series after all because South Africa may have to do without Hashim Amla for the second Test. The No.3 batsman and his wife, Sumayya, are expecting their second child to be born “some time after the first Test” according to team manager Mohammad Moosajee.Amla will leave Dubai as soon as the match is done and “depending on when the baby arrives”, a decision will be made on his availability for the second match. There is a four-day turnaround between games and if Amla does not make it back in time, Elgar, who has batted in the top-order for most of his career, could assume the spot.Everyone else in the South African squad is fit. Dale Steyn has recovered from the assortment of injuries that plagued him at the Champions Trophy. Rory Kleinveldt’s toe laceration has healed and Wayne Parnell’s heart issue has also been sorted out.

Bermuda batsman David Hemp feels that the team’s thumping win over Suriname may be the spark that launches the team to victory in their rematch against USA on Thursday

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis07-May-2015Bermuda batsman David Hemp has said the thumping win over Suriname may be the spark that launches the team to victory in their rematch against USA on Thursday to keep alive hopes of finishing in the top two at the ICC Americas Division One T20 in Indianapolis. Bermuda came close to beating USA on the opening day before Fahad Babar stole the match with a thrilling assault in the 19th over, but Hemp says the team is prepared for the rematch.”For us we look at USA and we came close, so that’s a game that we feel … well we feel we can win all three,” Hemp told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously we’ve got to play well to do that but if we don’t believe we can do that we might as well not rock up in a day’s time. We believe we can go forward from here and build on that but we still are going to have to play well and that’s the key to it all.””We felt a little bit hard done by in the first game. We felt we did enough to win that against the USA but one of their players played exceptionally well to bat through and pinch the game at the end. I mean that’s Twenty20. So that was a little bit disappointing.”Bermuda were in a hole following losses to USA and Canada in the first two days of the competition but turned things around on Tuesday with an 87-run win over Suriname. Hemp scored an unbeaten 72 before Bermuda bowled out their opponents for 55. Though Bermuda remained two points behind USA in the standings, the margin of victory over Suriname lifted Bermuda’s net run rate ahead of USA’s.If they can beat USA on Thursday, the teams would be equal on points but Bermuda would hold an edge over USA toward finishing second due to the net run rate tiebreaker. Despite starting the tournament at 0-2, Hemp says the team is not feeling any added pressure to pull off three wins.”For me, Twenty20, the nature of the game is that any side is in it. If you look at past World Cups, your top international sides have lost to Associate countries and that’s similar here. You’ve got to keep believing that you can turn situations around and the game of Twenty20 cricket can change in an over. That’s why you’re never out of the game. Just like the USA game with us, 30 off three and winning it within two overs, so the game can change.”Bermuda have never beaten USA in an ICC T20 tournament match. The closest they came was their very first encounter during the 2010 ICC Americas championship in Bermuda, which USA won by two wickets off the last ball chasing a target of 138. After Sunday’s result, USA held a 6-0 record in the format against Bermuda.

Jason Holder accepted that his team had to step up if they were to challenge Australia in the first Test at Dominica and he also felt that the pitch would get tougher to bat on as the match progressed

Daniel Brettig in Roseau 04-Jun-20152:08

‘Not an easy scoring ground’ – Holder

West Indies allrounder Jason Holder conceded the hosts had to summon more fighting performances than that dished up on day one in Dominica if they are to challenge Australia in the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy series.Holder made 21 and claimed the wicket of Shaun Marsh in the evening session, but it was telling that his middling day was deemed most noteworthy for speaking to the assembled press. Even if three Australian wickets were plucked in the final session, to be bowled out for 148 set the West Indians back considerably after the encouraging signs shown in a shared series against England.”We had a pretty decent series against England but that’s behind us, at this present time we’re playing Australia and they’re the No. 2 ranked side on the world, so we need to be better than we were in the England series,” Holder said. “We can’t forget what we did in the England series, we did a lot of good things there and it’s important we carry on in that same vein and not lapse and go back into a mode we don’t want to get back into.”We always expect a very good challenge from Australia. They’re in your face all the time and that’s the traditional Australian cricket. We just need to stand up and fight. We showed a lot of fight in the last series and we’ve shown fight in the past, it’s within each and every individual to show some fight. We didn’t show enough today, but I’m very confident we’ll rebound in this series.”Holder denied that the dropping of Shivnarine Chanderpaul had distracted the young team ahead of this match, amid talk that some of Roseau’s usual spectators had chosen not to attend in protest at the omission of the 40-year-old, plus the snub of the Windward Islands’ Tyron Theophile.”I wouldn’t say it changed the dynamics at all,” Holder insisted. “Obviously Shiv has had a very good career and it’s beyond me, the decision for him to be left out, I can’t really answer those questions, I just think we really need to pull together as a side. We have a very young side and we have some very good players.”We just need to work with what we have, and I have full confidence the team we have now is the best team. We just need to have that belief and keep going forward together.”In assessing the pitch, Holder said he had been impressed by Josh Hazlewood but also felt the surface was likely to get more challenging with each day as its variable pace and bounce became more exaggerated in addition to taking spin. “Watching from the pavilion I found it a little two-paced, I felt Josh Hazlewood bowled really well, put the ball in the right areas and got a little bit of movement as well,” Holder said.”When I went in to bat I found it a little bit slow and once you bowl straight wicket to wicket it became hard to score. If you can keep batsmen guessing and making them play on these types of wickets with the variable bounce, it’s in your favour as a bowler.”

Durham needed only 43 minutes to wrap up a six-wicket win over Worcestershire at New Road which takes them top of the Championship Division One table

ECB/PA27-May-2015
ScorecardMichael Richardson saw Durham home after Paul Collingwood’s 127 paved the way to victory•Getty Images

Durham needed only 43 minutes to wrap up a six-wicket win over Worcestershire at New Road which takes them top of the Championship Division One table. The result was largely influenced by Paul Collingwood’s highest Championship score for 10 years, and although the captain was out for 127 in the third over of the final day, Durham knocked off the remaining 48 runs with a minimum of fuss.Having been watched by his parents in reaching 111 not out on his 39th birthday, Collingwood was in celebratory mode when taking 13 runs off four balls from Joe Leach on the fourth morning. A cover drive for four completed a century partnership with Michael Richardson and this was followed by a six, which landed alongside the pavilion, and then another crisp off-side shot for three.However, Collingwood was caught behind in the next over from Charlie Morris, sparring at a lifting delivery outside the off stump.In a throwback to his best years, Collingwood brought authority and calmness to what could have become a tricky run-chase. In all he faced 183 balls, picking off 17 fours and two sixes while breaking the back of the task in stands of 108 with Keaton Jennings and 112 with Richardson.For Richardson, who took over the gloves from regular wicketkeeper Philip Mustard, it was a particularly good match, with seven catches and a third half-century of the summer after dropping one place in the order as a concession to the additional workload. Up until Collingwood’s departure he had not added even a single, but thereafter he comfortably assumed the leading role and moved up to an unbeaten 66 after scoring 25 of the last 32 runs with Gordon Muchall.Worcestershire’s fourth defeat in five games since winning promotion would have been a sobering experience and, not for the first time, they competed strongly for two-thirds of the match but failed to carry their performance through.Collingwood admitted Durham were looking “down and out” after losing nine wickets for 103 in the first innings, and to win from there made this one of the best victories of his time as captain. “We had to show a lot of spirit,” he said. “Full credit to Worcestershire, they pushed us really hard. I said in the dressing room that we needed some big performances. Thankfully the boys did that.”With his side now at the top of the table, having recovered from away defeats to Middlesex and Warwickshire, Collingwood added: “We are delighted with the position we are in but we need to continue improving. We are not really playing our best cricket but we are managing to get over the line.”Director of cricket Steve Rhodes was left to analyse another match that slipped away from Worcestershire. “Well, there have been a few this year,” he said. “Why is that? Is it because we are not recognising those key moments? I don’t think that is it because we talk about it a lot when we get chances in the breaks.”But ultimately some credit goes to Durham. That fightback for the 10th wicket [in the first innings] was crucial in that match. We missed a chance or two in that little period and then it became tough. This was possibly the best position we have been in to win a game apart from against Somerset.”

Darren Sammy, the St Lucia Zouks captain, has been ruled for four weeks and will miss the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League after he fractured his left hand while batting in the match against Jamaica Tallawahs

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2015Darren Sammy, the St Lucia Zouks captain, has been ruled out for four weeks and will miss the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League after he fractured his left hand while batting in the match against Jamaica Tallawahs. Sammy took a blow from a delivery by Andre Russell, and had to retire hurt.Kevin Pietersen will replace him as Zouks captain and Keron Cottoy, who has played just three T20s, has been called up to the squad as a replacement.”It’s a real shame for Darren, he’s one of the biggest names in the CPL and a great leader for the Zouks,” Tom Moody, CPL director of cricket, said. “We wish him a speedy recovery, and knowing the kind of guy he is, I’m sure he’ll continue to be an inspirational part of the squad for the rest of the tournament even though he won’t actually be out in the middle.”Sammy, who led Zouks to three wins this season, scored 81 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 124.61 and also picked up six wickets at an economy-rate of 8.5.

Two one-sided matches, with the teams batting first folding for identical scores and losing by big margins, have given the third ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium the status of a final

The Preview by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong14-Jul-2015

Match facts

Wednesday, July 15
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)1:51

Are South Africa missing AB de Villiers?

Big picture

Two one-sided matches, with the teams batting first folding for similar scores and losing by big margins, have given the third ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium the status of a final. After their seven-wicket win in the second game, Bangladesh could not have found a better time to discover a way to beat South Africa.Sunday at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was only the second time Bangladesh defeated South Africa at the international stage. It was a clinical performance from the home bowlers, who teamed up well under Mashrafe Mortaza to bowl out South Africa under 200. The visitors had dished out a similar meal in the first ODI when Kagiso Rabada took a hat-trick in his six-for on ODI debut.With both teams getting bowled out in the 160s in the first two games, the pitch in Mirpur was questioned. Some players said it was two-paced, but it was actually not any different from how it usually is. In Chittagong, however, the wicket is likely to be flatter and better for batting, which would mean a lot of the onus will be on the side batting first.South Africa chased well in the first game but looked slightly directionless in the second, partly due to AB de Villiers’ absence. The visitors had eight partnerships between 16 and 29 on Sunday, but none of them kicked on to define the innings. Three batsmen – Faf du Plessis, David Miller and JP Duminy – got out softly in their attempt to chip the bowler.Bangladesh had their own batting troubles, but Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah calmly guiding them to the win that gave Mashrafe and Chandika Hathurusingha momentary relief. The decider could go either way as the visitors have lost some of the momentum and lustre from the first three games on this tour.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WLLWW
South Africa: LWLWW

Players to watch

Soumya Sarkar batted with ease after battling an initial rough period in the second ODI. With constant talk about his irregularity in converting good starts, he will have a big role to play in the decider.Hashim Amla has not had a longer fifty-less streak in ODIs in the last seven years than his current run of six games. Wednesday could be the occasion to break the streak.

Team news

The win on Sunday could keep Bangladesh unchanged, but a more positive mentality could bring the discussion of an extra bowler into the fray.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Litton Das, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSouth Africa do not have a spare batsman, so their current top seven will have to make amends for Sunday’s failure. They are likely to trust the same bowling attack.South Africa (possible): 1 Hashim Amla (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

There is not much a difference between the pitches across Bangladesh, so the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium will be expected to favour batsmen and spinners. The average score batting first is 260-plus. There is a 50% chance of shower on match day.

Stats and trivia

• Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and bowling coach Charl Langeveldt played South Africa’s only game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
• Hometown boy Tamim Iqbal has the most runs (391) at this ground, while Shakib Al Hasan has the most wickets (27).

Quotes

“This (decider) is big no doubt because we haven’t achieved such things before. Whenever you go to achieve something you haven’t then it will obviously seem big. We haven’t beaten South Africa in a series before so this is a big deal.”

Rob Key has summoned some late-season batting form as he shows no inclination of stepping back as a confident young Kent side gathers momentum

ECB/PA09-Sep-2015
ScorecardRob Key is still going strong•PA Photos

Kent had the edge after the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Glamorgan in Cardiff produced 14 wickets and 374 runs.The visitors totalled 309 after winning the toss and choosing to bat in the Division Two contest, before restricting the hosts to 65 for 4 in reply.Kent were given a rousing start by Rob Key and Sean Dickson, who put on 122 for the second wicket, after Michael Hogan had dismissed Daniel Bell-Drummond with the eighth ball of the morning.Dickson, who was born in South Africa but has an English mother, was offered a contract by Kent after some impressive performances for the second team – and he scored 56 with an array of attacking strokes before being dismissed in the final over before lunch.Key, who made a career-best unbeaten 270 in Cardiff six years ago, was in sight of a second century in successive games, but was out for 94 when he edged David Lloyd to wicketkeeper Mark Wallace.Key and Sam Northeast strengthened Kent’s position with a stand of 85 for the third wicket, before Northeast, who had previously been dropped twice in an over, edged Hogan to Wallace.The visitors were in a commanding position at 212 for 2 – but they then lost their last eight wickets for 97.Most of those runs were scored by Darren Stevens, who struck a six and 10 fours in a belligerent innings of 64 off 61 balls but received little support – four of the last five batsmen failed to score.Hogan started the Kent collapse after tea when he took a wicket in his first three overs, part of a spell of 3 for 5 in 14 balls.After their strong start Kent would have been disappointed with their total of 309 – but their bowlers soon made inroads by dismissing Glamorgan’s openers in the first two overs.With Jacques Rudolph in South Africa on paternity leave, and Will Bragg dropped, Glamorgan opened the innings with James Kettleborough, who has not played championship cricket since May, and Jeremy Lawlor – making his championship debut.Matt Coles squared up Kettleborough with his fourth ball, then Lawlor was bowled by Matthew Hunn playing down the wrong line.When Colin Ingram and Lloyd were dismissed in the closing overs, Glamorgan had slumped to 65 for 4.It left Kent satisfied with their day’s work on a good pitch prepared by assistant groundsman Robin Saxton, who is now temporarily in charge after Keith Exton left the club last month.

In the aftermath of the comical controversy, in which Ishant Sharma was left out of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad as he didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages, coach Ajay Jadeja has admitted there is a need to “communicate better with the media.”

Gaurav Kalra26-Sep-201510:19

‘We are here to win Ranji trophy’ – Jadeja

In the aftermath of the comical controversy, in which Ishant Sharma was left out of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad as he didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages, the team’s newly appointed coach Ajay Jadeja has admitted there is a need to “communicate better with the media.” After the issue generated headlines, Ishant was included in the squad though he only made himself available from the second game of the season, leading to another round of embarrassing headlines for the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA).”I think we need to get better at communicating with the media and putting out clearer statements and making life easier for the media, so that they can have the right story and have one person talk about it,” Jadeja told ESPNcricinfo. “For the players, there should not be pressure on them to reply to the media or even for the selectors. We need to get better at communication, but every story that I have read says the same thing. The headlines keep changing, the stories say the same thing – that when he is ready, he will walk in. I don’t think anyone who has played the game or been around the game would question that. Which team in India would not like Ishant to play for them if he is available?”Jadeja, 44, comes into the role of head coach at a tricky time for Delhi cricket. Reports of rampant factionalism have dogged the early part of the season. Veteran players, such as Virender Sehwag and Mithun Manhas, have moved on to other associations, while some, like Rajat Bhatia, have been dropped altogether. Jadeja, who came through age-group cricket in Delhi and has played for the state in the past, recognises the challenges that await him.”Since it (Delhi) is the capital, it is always in the news, mostly not for the right reasons but fortunately till now I was given an offer to work with the team a few days ago,” he said. “I must confess that I haven’t faced a problem till now. The team has been picked by three selectors who are chosen by the government. I have been gratified by the association. I heard that there were three teams that were first put out but at the moment, things are looking good and that is what we hope.”File photo – In the absence of senior players like Virender Sehwag, Delhi’s responsibilities will rest on their captain Gautam Gambhir•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the absence of this core group of senior players, Delhi have named a young squad. Jadeja, who has been a player-coach in his stints at Haryana and Rajasthan, is excited about the opportunity to shape young careers.”For any coach, when you have young players coming in, their mindset or game plans are not set. It is easier to mould someone who is young and does not have set ideas,” he said. “I think it becomes easier for a coach when you have someone who is 18, 19 or 20, and not too experienced. It is easier to chat and talk to them because they are open to ideas whereas all of us who get old and are coming towards the end of our careers, have made up our mind that this is our limit, this is the way I play and I don’t want to tread a new path and I know what I am doing.”Jadeja also expects to forge a strong working relationship with captain Gautam Gambhir, the only player of international pedigree available for Delhi at the start of the season. While conceding that they have few shared interests outside cricket, Jadeja insisted having two individuals not afraid to “voice their opinion” at the helm will be a positive for the team.”He has always been the man who leads the team and he will be the man who leads this Delhi team as well because, whether it be KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] or the time he led India, he likes to lead from the front,” Jadeja said. “I would be sitting on the backseat with a hat on top and, if needed, I’ll guide him, but he is the man in charge.”Whether we win the Ranji Trophy at the end of the season remains to be seen but the only aim of anybody who walks into that dressing room is to win the Ranji Trophy because we are not here to participate, we are here to win. That is what I, my captain and each of us believe and that is why we are going to the ground every morning and trying to do the best we can.”

Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara has come out in support of Jason Holder as captain of the Test team, calling the decision an “excellent choice”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2015Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara has come out in support of Jason Holder as captain of the Test team, welcoming his appointment as an “excellent choice”.Holder, 23, is West Indies’ second-youngest Test captain, and has played just eight Tests. He also took over the ODI captaincy last December at a similarly inexperienced stage in his 50-over career, with only 21 matches behind him, but Lara believed that if backed properly by the WICB, Holder could thrive in the role for years to come.”I saw the young man while working during the World Cup in Australia, and the pressure that he came under, personally with his bowling and even as a captain, and the way he handled it,” Lara told . “He is very eloquent and big in stature and he reminds me of another version of a Clive Lloyd.”I have a lot of belief in the fact that he can do well if he gets the support from the players but more importantly from his employers, the West Indies Cricket Board.”West Indies endured a difficult World Cup, which they exited at the quarter-final stage, but Holder showed evidence of his leadership skills during the tournament, shouldering the responsibility of bowling in difficult situations – such as the final over against a rampaging AB de Villiers – and batting with maturity.In the home Tests that followed, the same qualities came to the fore, particularly with the bat, as shown by a match-saving century against England in Antigua, and an unbeaten 82 against Australia in Jamaica.Lara, who himself led West Indies in 47 Tests, felt that Holder had already showed his mettle through such tests, and that having several young players in the team could only bode well for the future.”I still believe we are still in the same mind-set as we were 10, 15, 20 years ago which is not good for West Indies cricket,” Lara said. “I hope they can change that a bit, and the likes of [chief selector] Lloyd being around and some younger faces being around, lends to the fact that there might be something on the horizon.”