– family time during holidays will help refresh players

By Clifton Ross

WEST Indies Test Captain, Jason Holder, has admitted that life inside the Bubble since summer has been mentally tiring for players, adding that his side will be keen on regrouping ahead of the 2021 season. The Caribbean side lost the three T20 series, 2-nil, with the 3rd being washed out. They then suffered a 2-nil defeat in the recently concluded Test series, bringing a dismal end to their assignment in this Covid-stricken year. Despite the loss, however, there were some brilliant individual performers like centurion, Jermaine Blackwood, and young Joshua DaSilva, who had a half-century in the second game, being among the bright stars following the end of the Test series. Holder told the media, following the match, that he was indeed feeling the brunt of isolated cricket , which he has been a part of multiple Bubbles since cricket restarted under new guidelines, back in July.

“It has been a tough year, not just for the team but, I know for me personally it has been tough. I haven’t seen home in six months now. I have been going non-stop. We have had pay cuts. It is a situation where you are still looking to make a living, still looking to make use of every opportunity you get”, Holder explained. Adding to the challenges of life in a biosecure environment, the Barbados all-rounder admitted that as a player you will need to have some sense of discipline, not only physically, but mentally; as things aren’t always rosey for players. ” Going from bubble to bubble and being isolated into a room sometimes, as I have said before, the room just gets smaller and smaller by the second. I know a few of the guys have got tired minds because we’ve been on the road for a little while”. He explained.

With the holidays right around the corner and the New Zealand series being the final of 2020 for the West Indies, Holder added that spending time with family after months of isolation will most certainly help to further refresh the players as they prepare for 2021. “It would be good for the guys to get home for Christmas, spend some time with their families. Hopefully, some of them get there in time for Christmas, because I think you’ve got to do a quarantine; some players have to do a quarantine going back home. It will be a much-needed rest for some players to just refresh and come back”. Holder ended.