‘Gave Me Renewed Energy’: Jason Holder on WI Win Against Australia Inspiring Him To Return To Test Format

Jason Holder eyes Test comeback as West Indies aim to end England drought, spoil Anderson's farewell at Lord's.

New Delhi: West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder stated that the Caribbean side’s win against Australia in January rekindled his desire to feature in the Test format.

West Indies will aim to clinch their first Test win in England since 1988 in their upcoming two-match red-ball series, which will kick off on Wednesday at the Lord’s.

The Caribbean side will back themselves to spoil James Anderson’s farewell Test after breaching Australia’s fortress, The Gabba, earlier this year.

Holder was one of the notable players missing out on the West Indies squad on their Australia tour. In his absence, Kraigg Brathwaite led the side, and the team bounced back in the second Test to end the two-match series 1-1.

With Shamar Jospeh’s seven-wicket haul, the West Indies defied all odds and sealed their first Test win in Australia since 1997.

“I was so happy for the boys when they did what they did in Australia. It gave me a renewed energy to come back to the group and be a part of something special again. I have missed Test cricket, and I am looking forward to it,” Holder said, as quoted from Sky Sports.

Holder went on to emphasise the importance of building on their historic win in Australia. With the quality and pool of players that the West Indies currently possess, Holder is confident about his side scripting history yet again.

“It’s important [to build on Australia]. I think the guys took a lot from that. We are coming out to win this series. We have some special talent in the dressing room. It’s just about playing solid cricket and having belief. We have been doing some really positive things for the last couple of months, and as a young side the main thing is to keep learning,” he said.

“We won one Test last time and are looking to take it further, and two would be a lot better on this trip. There is no better time for us to beat England than now. I think that would be a great feat and nothing this team is short of,” he added.

England have already announced their playing XI for the first Test and confirmed that Jamie Smith will make his debut for the Three Lions.

England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt) 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Shoaib Bashir, 11 James Anderson.