Windies goal now is to become No.1 team: Jason Holder

Not many had given them a chance against an in-form England in the just-concluded three-Test series, even if it was played at home. But the Caribbeans, despite their recent misery, maintained their traditional godo show against England and beat them 2-1 in the series. This is the first time since 2012 that the Windies won a Test series against a team other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, both of which are ranked below them in the ICC’s table.

Led by all-rounder Jason Holder, the Windies made a brilliant start to the series by bowling England out for 77 in the first Test and winning it by 381 runs. Holder himself slammed an unbeaten double hundred in the same game and the Caribbeans thumped England by 10 wickets in the second game to bag the series. England pulled one back by winning the third and final Test by 232 runs but that win couldn’t help their ranking and it took a severe beating as the Three Lions slumped to No.5 in the rankings. The Windies remained at No.8 though.

Holder, who missed the final Test in Gros Islet after facing a ban because of slow over-rate in the second match in North Sound, was ecstatic over the win against a high-ranked team and said the Windies needed to keep improving in all the three facets of the game and be more ‘clinical and consistent’.

“Our bowlers have done an outstanding job. It is up to our batsmen to contribute more. We need to continue to build and not rest on our laurels. Our number goal is to be the number one team in the world, so there is a lot to improve on,” Holder, who ended up as the highest scorer in the series despite missing a Test, was quoted as saying by agencies, as per Times of India (TOI).

Windies will now take on No.1 ranked England in ODIs

The Caribbeans, who lost the third Test inside four days, will now play England in a five-ODI series as a crucial preparation for their World Cup campaign starting in a few months. In the 50-over format, England are ranked No.1 while the Windies are even below their Test rankings, by one place.

The Windies had dominated the cricketing world in the 1970s and 1980s and won two consecutive World Cups in 1975 and 1979 but slumped from their top position over the years.

[interaction id=”5c5e67811179bb3d2c18142b”]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.