West Indies can become global force again, says Holding

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Trio including Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope from three different islands in the Caribbean are the reason Michael Holding can see “light at the end of the tunnel” for West Indies cricket, which he feels can once again become a global force if the young talent is nurtured properly.

“I see light at the end of the tunnel because I see talent,” Holding said on the Mason & Guest podcast, aired on Tuesday.

“It is a matter now if we can garner that talent, if we can produce the best of that talent, and then produce, of course, a good team. Because individual talent isn’t gonna go as far as a good team with a good team spirit and a good management structure around that team.”

Holding said the reason he was confident about Pooran, Hetmyer and Hope being the flag-bearers of a bright West Indies future was that they could be picked in most teams around the world right now. “Most people can look at teams and look at people and say, ‘Yeah, that guy looks as if he knows what he is doing.’ And I can call three names immediately that I think have a lot of talent in the batting department. Pooran, Hetmyer, Hope.

“And there are others, but I am picking those three because those three I think are the most talented in the last two-three years. It’s now about making sure that these guys exhibit the right discipline to get the best out of themselves. And I’m absolutely sure that there are other youngsters around the Caribbean that can come around that nucleus and give us a good team.”

Part of Clive Lloyd’s world-beating West Indies side in the 1970s and 80s, Ho­l­ding watched Caribbean cr­i­c­ket’s subsequent downfall in the first decade of the 21st century, especially in Tests.

Among Pooran, Hetmyer and Hope, only Pooran, 24, is yet to play Test cricket but has already shown the potential to be one of the better finishers in limited-overs cricket. Hetmyer, who is the youngest among the three at 23, has featured in 16 Tests. Although he does not have a century in Test cricket, he has also been singled out by Lloyd as one to watch out for.

Hope, who is 26, is the most experienced of the three, having played 31 Tests and scored two centuries, both of which came in West Indies’ historic series-levelling victory at Headingley in 2017. Hope’s twin centuries in that Test made him the youngest West Indies player to achieve the feat, beating Gordon Greenidge’s record.

Holding emphasised that cricket administrators across the Caribbean islands needed to make sure they were “not just looking to build cricketers, but we must look beyond that”.

Holding suggested Cricket West Indies could look at helping the young talent become psychologically adept by inviting former players and mentors from other walks of life. “The focus now is not so much about representing the millions of people; the focus now is more about representing yourself and the immediate people around you. So as I said, it’s up to us, the older folk, whether you are a board member or a respected person around the Caribbean, to help in that regard. That is why I was suggesting the talks by well-respected people around the Caribbean to talk to these kids because that’s a very important part of building the team and team psyche.”