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Momentum with us after Test triumph: Jason Holder

West Indies are the underdogs but Holder feels it isn't a bad tag to carry into the series.

Jason Holder, the West Indies captain. (AFP Image)

West Indies captain Jason Holder believes the high of winning the Test series 2-1 against England holds them in good stead ahead of the five match series between the two countries starting Wednesday. West Indies, ranked ninth in the world, are clearly the underdogs against the No. 1-ranked England but Holder feels it isn’t a bad tag to carry into the series.

“We’re pretty confident coming into the game. We’ve obviously had some momentum from winning the Test series, and some good experience in the dressing room,” Holder said. “We start this series as underdogs again, but that is not a bad tag to have – obviously less pressure on us and more pressure on them. We just have to go out there and play the cricket we want to play and execute the plans.”

The first of the five ODIs take place in Barbados and the availability of Chris Gayle promises to boost West Indies’ chances against England. In fact, Gayle himself is eager to do well since this marks the last instance of the batsman performing in front of his home crowd, in wake of his decision to retire from ODI cricket at the conclusion of the World Cup.

“We pack a pretty heavy punch when we’re stacking up our team,” Holder said. “A guy like Chris Gayle is coming back into the team, and we have Carlos Brathwaite at the back end. We all know what these guys can produce. I’m really excited by the challenge.”

Holder, who was banned from the third Test, watched from the sidelines as West Indies lost the match at Str. Lucia. An eager Holder is keen to get back in action as this is West Indies’ final ODI series before they head to the World Cup in England.

“It was tough watching the Test in St Lucia, but I’m very hungry to get back on the park and looking forward to the challenge of carrying the team forward,” Holder said. “We’ve selected a side for the first two matches, and I don’t want to pre-empt selection, but it’s still possible for anyone to come in. We’ve had a lot of injuries and that may open the door.”

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