Promising pacer fulfilling boyhood dreams

Chemar Holder has described his emotions as excited and relieved when he received the telephone call informing him of his selection in the West Indies 14-man squad to tour England. The historic three-match Test series is scheduled to take place  from July 8 to 24 in bio-secure conditions at the Hampshire Ageas Bowl and the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester respectively.

The young fast bowler was selected to the senior regional squad after taking 36 wickets at 18,91 for Barbados Pride in this year’s edition of the West Indies Championships before the tournament was cancelled due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic. At the time of the cancellation of the tournament, Holder was the leading fast bowler in the competition

“I was relieved and excited when I got the telephone call informing me I was selected in the West Indies squad for the Test series in England, it was a wish fulfilled. I had always aspired to play cricket for the West Indies from the time I was a child. I was really excited when I was called up as a last minute replacement for the West Indies Under-19 team when Obed McCoy got injured at the 2016 World Cup in Bangladesh. But my excitement was mild in comparison to how I felt when I got the news that I was in the squad selected to go to England. It is the desire of most West Indians to play cricket for the West Indies,” Holder said.

Holder, 22, is a relative of former West Indies cricketer Dwayne Smith who played ten Test matches and scored a century on his Test debut against South Africa at Cape Town in 2004. The promising pacer said his family including his uncles Wayne and Ian Holder who played cricket for YMPC and Pickwick respectively were his early influences in the sport.

“ I was brought up in a house which was full of cricket fans. Several members of my of family including my uncles Wayne and Ian Holder played cricket, the others who did not play the game were passionate supporters of it. There were always discussions about cricket in my house when I was a child. Any time the West Indies played I watched the matches on television. Wayne who is also a cricket commentator carried me to watch first-class matches at Kensington Oval. If Wayne was not available to take me to the Oval, I went with some other member of my family who was going to the match.

“My passion for cricket was strong from an early age. Each time I went to the Oval, my love for the game grew along with my desire to play for the West Indies. I received strong support from family. After I began to play the game competitively at the domestic level, my mother (Cheryl Holder) and my father (Mark Crichlow) encouraged me to pursue my ambition to be a cricketer. My mother and father came and watched me play whenever they got the opportunity. Their support continued when I began to play for Barbados Pride, my cousin Ayana (Holder) is another family member who gives me tremendous support,” Holder told Barbados TODAY.

Holder is looking forward to the series against England even though it will be contested in a bio-secure environment behind closed doors without spectators.

‘It will be kind of strange playing a Test series behind closed doors without fans cheering for the two teams. But COVID-19 has forced everyone to make adjustments to their life. Hopefully, playing behind closed doors in bio-secure conditions will be a temporary measure and Test cricket will  be played in its normal manner in the not too distant future. Until then we got to accept that if International cricket is going to be played, it will be done behind closed doors,” Holder said.

Holder, a resident of Rock Gap, Spooners Hill, St Michael and a past student of St Leonard’s Boys School, expressed his gratitude to everyone that has contributed to his development, including the coaches at Passage Road United, Barbados Youth, the Combined Campuses and Colleges and his alma mater.

“I just want to say thanks to all of the coaches and everyone who helped and guided me through my journey up to this stage. Some of them are still continuing to play a role in my development. It is good to have people around me that have taken the time to guide me and who celebrate with me whenever I achieve one of my goals,” Holder said.

Holder and the other Barbadian members of the squad left Barbados today along with bowling coach Roddy Estwick and batting coach Floyd Reifer on a private charter for Antigua where they will join the other members of the squad before departing for the United Kingdom.