ICC World Cup 2019: Jason Holder confident about Chris Gayle playing the mega event

Windies cricket is witnessing a steep decline at the moment. Their standards are nowhere near to what they were one or two decades back. Although the team is trying hard to find its feet, it isn’t coming off well for them. Moreover, the absence of the senior-most and experienced players is only making things worse. Skipper Jason Holder, while talking about Chris Gayle, said that he was “tapering off” a bit.

Gayle earlier decided to make himself unavailable for the ODI series against India. He set his priorities higher for the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) over his national duties. However, Holder hoped that his absence will give an opportunity to some of the newer players.

Jason Holder feels it is good to test the reserves before World Cup 2019

“Chris is an all-star and I think it’s clear he’s probably at the back end of his career now. He’s probably tapering off a bit. I just saw him play his last List-A game for Jamaica, scoring a hundred against my home team, which is great to see. I enjoy having Chris around. I think he’s one of the most entertaining players in the world but his absence gives another player opportunity,” the skipper said.

The Windies side will be playing 13 ODIs before the World Cup next year. Jason Holder felt that it is a good time to test the other players. Also, he was confident that Gayle would play the mega-tournament if he is fit enough, “We have a limited time leading up to the World Cup and it’s a good option to see what we have in the tank, in terms of our pool of players, when one door closes another one opens and hopefully it’s an opportunity to see another young guy coming through.”

“He’s definitely going to play the World Cup once his body holds up and he’s fit,” Holder said.

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