Mind game

West Indies captain Jason Holder said Thursday there was all to play for in the decisive second Test at the Basin Reserve and urged his side to enter the contest with “clear minds”, and not be jaded by the events over the last week.

The Caribbean side suffered a heavy innings and 134-run defeat before lunch on last Sunday’s fourth day of the first Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton following two shocking batting collapses, to fall 1-0 behind in the two-match series.

And with the second Test bowling off Friday (6 pm, Thursday, Eastern Caribbean time), Holder said it was important West Indies were in the right frame of the night, if they were to steal a share of the series in Wellington.

“We’ve got to be confident. There’s no point coming into this game if we’re not confident,” the Barbadian all-rounder told a media conference on Thursday.

“We’ve all got a part to play and we’ve all got a role to play. And more or less, we’ve just got to slow it down. We’ve got to be a little bit more patient, a little bit more clearer than we were in the first Test match, and just make sure that we head into this game with a good frame of mind.

“I think that was one of the main things that I stressed to the guys – even although we may have had our personal views on where we went wrong in the last game, it is to more or less have a clear mind going into this second [Test].

“I don’t think it would help us much if players came into this game with clouded mindsets so [we have to] be clear and I always tell the guys to enjoy the moment. You’ve just got to enjoy what you’re doing too.”

West Indies never quite got out of first gear in the opening Test, failing to compete with the hosts in all departments.

Opting to bowl first on a grassy pitch, they were powerless to stop New Zealand piling up 519 for seven declared. In reply, they managed only 138 and 247 and were nearly bowled out twice on the third day.

Despite the performance, Holder said there was much at stake in the final Test and he expected his players to be motivated and up for the challenge.

“It is obviously very important for us. We kind of let ourselves down in that first Test match and we all were disappointed by that performance but we’ve got to keep going,” Holder stressed.

“There’s this last Test match to play and so much to play for. There’s our personal pride to level the series and then obviously the points in the World Test Championship.

“I can’t really fault the preparation over the last couple weeks, months and even the last couple years we’ve been together. It’s just a matter for us to start delivering.”

West Indies suffered crucial blows ahead of the encounter with seamer Kemar Roach, the experienced member of the pace attack, forced to return home to Barbados due to the death of his father and first choice wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, also leaving the tour and returning to Barbados for “personal reasons”.

And while Holder confirmed that 22-year-old Trinidadian Joshua Da Silva would make his Test debut as Dowrich’s replacement, he said they had not yet settled on the bowling lineup especially having not yet seen the pitch at the Basin Reserve..

There is intense speculation that 22-year-old Barbadian Chemar Holder will replace Roach in the Windies four-pronged seam attack.

“Joshua Da Silva will come in for sure, definitely. He’s probably going to make his debut tomorrow,” said the 29-year-old Holder.

“But as it relates to the combinations in terms of bowling, we’ll just determine that tomorrow.”

West Indies have won just twice in seven outings at the Basin Reserve but their last success there was 25 years ago.

In their last tour here three years ago, West Indies endured a chastening innings and 67-run defeat inside four days at the venue.

(BT)