Holder proud but disappointed after daring fight back in losing battle
MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC) — West Indies Captain Jason Holder says he is proud with the fighting spirit displayed by his team which lost to Australia by 117 runs on the fourth day of the second Test here yesterday.
However, Holder says he was disappointed that his side was not able to put up a better fight in a losing cause which cost them the series two-nil with a third Test ahead.
West Indies delivered a better all-round batting display but were overpowered by the Australians who also convincingly won the first Test by an innings and 212 runs in Hobart.
“I am proud of the way the guys showed some fight in this game. I am still disappointed that they did not put up a better fight, but you know, still credit to the ways the guys played, especially Darren Bravo in the first innings and Denesh Ramdin in the second innings,” said Holder during the post-match news conference.
“It hurts, you know. You are playing for your country, you lose games. It is not a nice feeling, especially knowing what we have been through. It is just disappointing.”
All seven frontline batsmen got starts as Windies showed determination before they were bowled out for 282 in their second innings after Australia’s overnight declaration on 179 for three.
Faced with a 460-run deficit, Holder and Denesh Ramdin scored 68 and 59, respectively, to spearhead the resistance, adding 100 runs for the sixth wicket.
However, West Indies’ dogged determination expired when the partnership ended and they lost their final four wickets for 32 runs in 10 overs.
“Our bowlers still need to be a lot more disciplined than we are at the moment,” said Holder.
“We need to find ways to control the game a lot more.”
Australia piled up a huge first-innings score of 551 for three declared with four frontline batsmen getting centuries and a second innings score of 179 for three.
“Although the pitches have been very good for batting, we still have to find ways to contain them,” said the 24-year-old skipper.
“We have been allowing them to score on both sides of the wicket and we have not been able to control them. That’s one area we really need to tighten up on.”
The third Test is due to start in Sydney on January 3.
