World Cup qualifiers : Jason Holder excited as Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels return to West Indies squad
Jason Holder seemed delighted after Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels made themselves available for the World Cup qualifying tournament, which is scheduled from March 4 in Zimbabwe. Holder also admitted that he knows what is at stake for West Indies cricket and hopes to turn things around.
After failing to earn a direct entry into the 2019 World Cup, the two-time World Cup winners will now have to go through the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe so that they can be part of the 2019 edition. With key players like Darren Bravo, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard opting out of the qualifiers, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels' availability have relieved a lot of pressure from the management. This decision was welcomed by the West Indies captain Jason Holder, who has praised the experienced duo of Gayle and Samuels for their decision.
"I must commend Chris and Marlon, who have come here with the motivation to do well for the Windies and give themselves a chance to play another World Cup," said Jason Holder, reported Daily Star.
"We've got a well-balanced side, quality side with experience. Hopefully, we could gel together and make things happen in this tournament. As I said to the group, it may be an opportunity for guys to finish their careers well, it's also an opportunity for guys to make a spark in their careers by playing in the World Cup," added the West Indian captain.
If West Indies qualify for the 2019 World Cup, they might give themselves a chance to become only the second team after Australia to win the world championship thrice.
"We know what is at stake.It is an opportunity for us to grab some momentum heading into next year's World Cup, get some games under our belt, just finalize some combinations, get things straightened, and hopefully turn (around) our cricket in terms of the ODI format,” concluded Holder.