West Indies' revenues tend to come from tours by India, England: Jason Holder

The tour of the West Indies to England during the summer of 2020 had aided in safeguarding the finances of English cricket. During a time of general uncertainty on the manner in which the sport would sustain itself, the three-Test tour came as a much-needed relief. 

Former West Indian skipper, Jason Holder, reiterated the point he had made at the end of that tour to reciprocate the favour to help cricket's "smaller countries" boost themselves in the realm of the game.

"I think it's a fair way of putting it. We've obviously had the English coming over for the last three years consecutively. And that has definitely boosted, not only our economy within the Caribbean, but it adds a massive boost to our survival in international cricket," stated Holder, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

He also admitted that the major chunk of the influx of money to the board came via tours of England and India, which he cited as the main reason to bring ardent supporters filling the venues with their presence and love for the side.

"We rely heavily on series between England and India, our revenues tend to come from those two teams. It's our biggest series within any calendar year, and, yeah, it's one that really brings the fans down to the Caribbean and creates a really fun atmosphere. So, it's great to have them and to see the fans packing the stadiums as well. There's always a good banter between the West Indian public and English public. So, we're thankful that we've been able to have them so many times in as many years. And long may it continue," mentioned Holder.

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Both teams are in a transitionary phase, expect a keen contest: Holder

Ahead of the eight-match white-ball series, Holder conceded that he was intrigued by the build-up to the series considering that both the sides were in a period entailing transition.

"I'm looking forward to the contest. Both teams are in a transitionary phase, so it's going to be keenly contested. England have obviously got a point to prove, and they'll be trying a few different combinations to see what works. And likewise, with the West Indies, we've got a lot of youngsters within our cohort, and it is important for them to just gain experience, gain confidence and gain knowledge. I think these series will go a long way to developing our base at a rapid rate," noted Holder.

Holder also indicated that the senior players in the opposition camp will have an influential effect in steering the youngsters in their arsenal in terms of adapting to the alien conditions of the Caribbean.

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"The English have been frequenting the Caribbean as much they possibly can. They've got a young side, but the majority of their senior players have been to the Caribbean multiple times, and they'll be able to guide the younger players within this squad as to how to get around the conditions in the Caribbean," added Holder.