Holder: West Indies hasn’t put things in place to develop the next crop to replace Pollard, Narine and Russell

The off-season for Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025 saw a merry-go-round of transfers, with multiple big-name West Indies players moving franchises. Among those moving was Jason Holder, who moved over to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, having played all his CPL cricket until this year for his native Barbados franchise in its iterations as Barbados Tridents and Barbados Royals.

The Patriots’ fortunes have been mixed, winning four of its ten games, but the move has been a personal success for Holder. The lanky all-rounder is his side’s second-highest run-scorer and wicket-taker, and capped off the team’s final group stage match with an all-round showing to steal a one-run victory over his former side, Barbados Royals.

Holder was phlegmatic about the season, noting, “Obviously results haven’t gone in our favour as a team, but I think I’ve learned so much being with this new franchise. I really enjoy the franchise, I enjoy the people involved in the franchise and I think one or two different results with some close games that we’ve had and it’d be a totally different season for us, but I’ve definitely understood the shortcomings of what we’ve got.”

“I understand where the franchise is at and I think for me in the future, I think I have a clear direction as to where I would like to personally take the franchise going forward,” Holder further added.

The 2025 season also saw Holder take up captaincy of the team, a challenging position given that he is a genuine all-rounder for the side. Holder is no stranger to captaincy, having been named Windies skipper at just 23, and is clear on how he views captaincy. “I’m a player first and then a captain after. I don’t bat or bowl with captaincy in my mind. More or less, it’s me trying to make the best decisions for the interest of the team, and then outside of that is me performing my role for the team,” he said.

One of the aspirations for franchise leagues is to become a stage for the most promising players in the region to shine, and the CPL is no different. The league introduced the Breakout League for upcoming players in 2025, and teams were offered the option of playing a fifth overseas player if they included a player from the Breakout League in their eleven.

Holder, however, believes that while the CPL has done a good job of offering a platform to younger players, efforts to develop them need to extend well beyond the CPL, asking, “What are we doing to have specific camps and specific skill work based on T20 cricket alone to enhance the talent? It’s one thing to create opportunities for players to play in a competition, but what are we doing to ensure that when they’re playing a competition, they’re up to standard, that we continue to produce the next Sunil Narine, or we continue to produce the next Kieran Pollard?”

For Holder, the situation presenting itself to the West Indies as it comes at the end of a legendary generation featuring legends like Pollard, Narine, and Andre Russell is reminiscent of the situation it faced in the 1970s with the likes of Clive Lloyd, and Viv Richards. “We’re at the end of the era now with that last cohort of players, but we haven’t quite put things in place to develop this next crop,” he said.

He also has a clear vision for what growth would look like within the CPL. “I would love to see more players challenging for at least normal slots in an XI within a team, and not necessarily having to rely on the Breakout slot. I think that would help our cricket to get a lot better.”

He further added, “I think the onus is on Cricket West Indies to put more things in place to continue to develop T20 skills within the Caribbean. So, what would have happened after the 70s when we were dominant in cricket doesn’t happen now when the likes of Pollard and Narine finish.”

Another challenge for skill development is the ever-increasing allure of franchise cricket across the world. While this is decidedly not a new problem for West Indies cricket, the recent retirement of Nicholas Pooran, 29, from international cricket is a stark reminder of the pull the world outside international cricket has for young cricketers now.

Holder has voiced concern over whether West Indies cricket can replace the likes of Narine (L) and Russell (R) in the years to come.
| Photo Credit:
DEEPAK KR

Holder recognised Pooran as a player whose game is built around the shortest form of the game, though he has the ability to play longer forms. This is something that could become increasingly common for young players entering the game now.

“I think within the Caribbean, if we had more skill-based specific camps, setups, organisations, then it would be so hard for players to say, ‘well, I only want to play T20 cricket, I only want to play Test cricket,’ because you’d be in an environment where you’re enhancing all your skills, for whatever format there is out there,” Holder said

“Players might fall more into T20 cricket, some players might fall more into ODI cricket, some players might be able to cross and play ODI cricket and Test cricket, but what I’m saying is that the skill-based stuff, which is what I think we’re lacking in the Caribbean, would be basically highlighted and worked on. Then players would be more driven to get their skills up to certain levels if they come into an environment and realise that certain players are ahead of them. They have no choice but to enhance their skills or get up to speed with their peers.”

“We’ve got to create environments that harness, but also create environments that really, really encourage development. And I think that’s what we lack here in the Caribbean, and it makes it a lot more challenging for us,” Holder opined.

However, Holder notes that the incentives to do this kind of development are sparing for players with financial incentives from T20 leagues, while Minor League cricket in the U.S. is also an attractive option for players from the Caribbean.

The allure of globe-trotting is thus one that remains for players. It is one that Holder recognised, having increasingly had to navigate it himself. Holder is a veteran of 69 Tests, 138 ODIs, and 75 T20Is, but no longer has a central contract, and lacks the financial security that comes with it.

In 2025 alone, Holder has turned out for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League and LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket along with the CPL, while he is also set to appear for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 later in the year.

“I’ve got to sit down and map out, you know, where my potential earning opportunities are and then try to marry that up with international commitment. It’s still my priority to play international cricket, but Cricket West Indies does not give me any security,” Holder explained.

“I’m basically a freelance cricketer. So, I’ve just got to look for my own living. Decisions that I may make now, I definitely wouldn’t have made when I was a bit younger, but now I’m at a different stage in my career where I’ve got to look out for myself, and look to make a decent living and ensure that I’m setting myself up for the future,” the all-rounder added.

West Indies’ Jason Holder reacts after his match-winning knock against Pakistan in a T20I match last month.
| Photo Credit:
AP

However, Holder has far from turned his back on playing for West Indies. He made a return to the T20I side for series’ against England, Ireland, Australia, and Pakistan, and was the team’s top wicket-taker in the latter two. He also delivered a match-winning knock with the bat to push his side over the line in the second T20I against Pakistan.

He is also not turning his back on red-ball cricket either. He has not featured for the Test side since its tour of South Africa in August 2024, but turned out for Barbados in first-class cricket as recently as March.

“My first priority is obviously to represent West Indies,” Holder said.

“I love playing for the West Indies and it’s always been at the forefront of my mind, but for whatever reason, I haven’t been able to play Test cricket in recent times. I’ve been available, but I guess it’s now a point where I’m just sitting in the wings. We’ll see what happens next.”

The interaction was organised by FanCode, the official broadcaster of the tournament in India

Published on Sep 15, 2025