Holder: We know what's at stake

WEST Indies captain Jason Holder said his team is upbeat ahead of the third Test match against England, a match which would decide the series. The match bowls off in Manchester, England, at 6 am TT time, on Friday.

The series is squared 1-1 after West Indies won the first Test by four wickets, at Southampton, before England levelled the series with a 113-run victory, at Manchester, in the second Test with one match remaining.

"We are feeling pretty good. The spirit in the dressing room is still very, very high. We still have a really good opportunity here to win this series and everybody is upbeat for the occasion and we know what's at stake," Holder told journalists on Zoom, on Thursday.

A victory for the West Indies in the third Test would end a drought of 32 years in which the regional team has not won a Test series in England. A draw in the third Test would be enough for West Indies to retain the Wisden Trophy after the Holder-led team won the three-match Test series 2-1 in the Caribbean last year.

"It has been really good to see what the guys have been producing. I am really proud of the guys so far in this tournament. We have done really well and it is just a matter of pushing it to the next level."

Holder, who said the Test team has done well over the last two or three years, said, "We are really slowly, but surely getting our feet wet in terms of what this team can produce and I have full confidence in this team and this team could turn things around for West Indies cricket."

The players got only three days rest between matches with England making a number of changes to their bowling attack between the first and second Test. West Indies chose the same starting XI after winning the first Test.

Discussing the intense schedule, Holder said, "Having the Test matches in a short turnaround such as it has been has been tough. No doubt both teams will be feeling it, but we've got enough motivation to keep pushing. We've got a chance to win this series. We have been playing some pretty decent cricket, so it is just a matter of just writing the wrongs that we had in the last game and just making sure that we hit the ground running and start this Test match really well."

Holder said he is uncertain if there would be changes for the third Test as he would like to assess the wicket shortly before the match starts. He did confirm that if there are changes to the starting XI it would be someone from the 15-man squad and not one of the ten reserves. The only reason a reserve would join the squad is because of injury.

The Windies captain said the team must improve in certain areas.

"Definitely our fielding...that was the main issue that I had in the last game. I think we were pretty competitive on the other two fronts. Yes, we would love our batters to convert a few more starts. We are yet to get a hundred so far on this tour, so it is a perfect opportunity for a batter to step up and get a hundred." A change is possible at the top of the order as Shai Hope and John Campbell have been struggling for runs.

Holder also said a strong first-innings score would help his team's chances.

SQUADS

West Indies

Jason Holder (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach

England

Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood