Jason Holder – The quiet giant of West Indies cricket

Aakash Saini

Jason Holder [Source: @vipinverse/x]Jason Holder [Source: @vipinverse/x]

Jason Holder has long been a steadying presence in West Indies cricket. Making his international debut in 2013, the all-rounder was appointed as team’s ODI captain the following year at the age of 23. Holder soon took charge of the West Indies Test team as well, demonstrating maturity beyond his years and quickly earning respect for his calm leadership and all-round performances.

As a Test cricketer for nearly a decade, Jason Holder remained steadfast in prioritising red-ball cricket, even during a phase when many of his West Indies contemporaries and players from other nations chased lucrative T20 league contracts. Here, we explore how Holder’s skills and quiet leadership have made him one of the most dependable and underrated all-rounders of the 21st century.

A pillar in Maroon and White: Jason Holder’s Test career at a glance

Jason Holder received his maiden Test cap back in June 2014 in the series-deciding third match of West Indies’ home series against New Zealand at Bridgetown. He marked his debut with a disciplined bowling effort, going wicketless in the first innings but delivering four maidens and picking up two huge wickets in the second innings in another tight spell. With the bat, the lanky middle-order batter scored a gritty 52 on a challenging Day 5 surface.

While West Indies fell short by 53 runs in the match to concede the series, Jason Holder’s resilience hinted at the influential figure he would soon become for his team. His earlier performances also established him as a leading candidate for captaincy, and he was appointed as West Indies Test skipper the following year for a tour of Sri Lanka.

With defeats in his first six series as captain, captain Holder found some success against Zimbabwe away from home in 2017. However, the pinnacle of his captaincy career arrived in early 2019 when West Indies clinched a series against age-old rivals England, their first in a decade. The seasoned all-rounder himself stood tall as a batter, scoring an epic 202* in the first Test to lay out an early foundation.

Jason Holder Test captaincy record

Criterion
Stats
Matches led37
Won11
Lost21
Draws5

As a player, Jason Holder tirelessly delivered with both bat and ball in each of his 10 years with the West Indies Test team between 2014 and 2024. For scoring 336 runs in six matches at an average of 37.33, all while harvesting 33 wickets in 2018, the Barbados-born cricketer became the number one ranked ICC Test all-rounder in January 2019, a year where he was also named the ‘Test Player of the Year’ by Cricket West Indies.

One of only two West Indies cricketers in history to achieve the Test all-round double of 2,500 runs and 150 wickets, Jason Holder joined an elite echelon of Caribbean players who sustained excellence with both bat and ball.

Jason Holder Test stats

Criterion
Stats
Matches69
Runs3,073
Average29.83
50s/100s3/14
Wickets162
Bowling average30.39
4w/5w4/8

While Jason Holder has not been a part of the West Indies Test setup since August 2024, his impact on the team and the legacy he leaves behind remain undeniable. His decade-long contributions with both bat and ball, combined with his calm leadership, has already set a benchmark for future generations of West Indies cricketers.