Barbados Today

COLOMBO –– West Indies head into the second One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Colombo in a few hours time without their captain Jason Holder.

Holder has received a one-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Since it was Holder’s second transgression of the year –– he had been found guilty of a minor over-rate offence in the fifth ODI against South Africa in January –– he will now miss West Indies’ second match of the ongoing series.

Holder was also fined 40 per cent of his match fees, while his teammates were docked 20 per cent of theirs. The fine and suspension was imposed by the match referee David Boon, who ruled that West Indies were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. Holder pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

Holder slammed a 13-ball 36 in the first ODI to give West Indies some much-needed impetus, but his team narrowly lost the match by one wicket.

His suspension means another captain at the helm and tour management has made the curious decision to name Marlon Samuels as skipper.

Samuels’ form with the bat has been woeful and suggestions have been made that he be dropped.

He has also ruled himself out of bowling on the tour. Samuels was cited for a suspect bowling action during the Test series and has since disqualified himself from bowling by allowing the 14-day grace period to have his action tested to elapse.

Samuels also looked out of his depth while captaining the Antigua Hawksbill franchise in the Caribbean Premier League and in 2013 basically ceded the reins of captaincy to former Aussie captain, Ricky Ponting.