Name: Jason Holder
Jason Omar Holder is a Barbadian cricketer and the former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is a right arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder who features in all three cricketing formats. In January 2019, he was ranked as the number one all rounder in the world according to the official ICC Test rankings. In August 2019, Cricket West Indies named him as the Test Player of the Year and on 14 April 2021, Holder was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Holder is the first West Indian male cricketer to take a hat-trick in a T20I, and the fifth, to achieve both 2000 runs and 100 wickets in one day internationals. He is also the second West Indian, after Sir Garfield Sobers, to attain both 2500 runs and 150 wickets in test match cricket. Holder was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2016 T20 World Cup.
A couple of days after making his international debut in 2013, Holder was signed up by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL auction, at his base price of $20,000. In 2014, Sunrisers bought him. He was also given a batting promotion by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who sent him to bat ahead of all-rounders Karn Sharma and Parvez Rasool. In 2016 year auction, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him. Holder scored 22 runs at 5.50 and took 2 wickets at 51.50 in all those four matches he played. In 2020, he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2020 as a replacement for injured Mitchell Marsh. Northamptonshire County Cricket Club signed Holder for the 2019 County Season.
The 29-year-old was relieved of his white-ball captaincy in 2019 and this year, Kraigg Brathwaite replaced him as the Test captain. In July 2020, he was named in the Barbados Royals formerly known as Barbados Tridents squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. In the 2022 IPL Auction, Holder was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for ?8.75 crores. He was bought by Rajasthan Royals to play in the IPL 2023 season for INR. 5.75 Crore in the IPL auction held on 23 December 2022.
Holder made his ODI debut on 1 February 2013 against Australia. His first notable performance in the ODI format was in the first match against Pakistan in July 2013 where he picked up 4 for 13, although the performance was overshadowed by a seven wicket haul by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, as West Indies were bowled out for 98.
After good performances in ODIs, Holder was selected for the Test squad in June 2014. He made his Test debut on 26 June 2014 against New Zealand. He did not take any wickets in the first innings, but bowled economically with four maidens. In the second innings, Holder took his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Ross Taylor for 16 runs. He completed the match with 2 for 50. Holder also scored 90 runs in the match, including his maiden Test fifty. However, West Indies lost the match by 53 runs.
He was made the captain of the national team in ODI format by the West Indies Cricket Board selectors, after they sacked previous captain Dwayne Bravo. At 23 years, 72 days, he became the youngest ever West Indian captain. On 4 September 2015 he was named as the captain of the Test side for the tour to Sri Lanka. He became the second youngest test captain of all time for the West Indies and 15th youngest of all time for any Test Nation. He led his team to quarter finals of the 2015 World Cup where they lost to New Zealand.
In September 2015 Holder was appointed as the Windies' new captain. At first under his captaincy, the Caribbean side regularly lacked experienced players such as Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels. Their absence was due to an ongoing dispute between both the players and the West Indies Cricket Board.
On 2 July 2017, Holder took his maiden ODI five-wicket haul (5/27), in a low scoring game against India. West Indies batted first and only scored 189 runs. To stay alive in the series, West Indies had to win the match. Holder handled his bowlers and himself very well in the match, and the West Indies won the match by 11 runs. For his good captaincy and impressive bowling performance, Holder was awarded the man of the match award.
On 15 March 2018, Holder became the fastest player for the West Indies, in terms of matches, to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODIs (74). In October 2018, Cricket West Indies (CWI) awarded him a contract across all formats of cricket for the 2018–19 season.
In January 2019, Holder scored his first double century in first-class cricket in his team's second innings of the First Test at home against England at the Kensington Oval, his home ground. The West Indies went on to win the match by 381 runs, their greatest victory at home in terms of runs, and Holder was named man of the match. He occupied the top spot in the all-rounders rankings announced following the match, the first West Indies player since Garfield Sobers in 1974.
In April 2019, he was named as the captain of the West Indies' squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In June 2020, Holder was named as the captain of the West Indies' Test squad, for their series against England. The Test series was originally scheduled to start in May 2020, but was moved back to July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 21 March 2021, Holder claimed 5 for 27 against Sri Lanka upon the opening day of the first test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. On 14 April 2021, Holder was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.
On 1 March 2023 Holder picked up his 150th test wicket, becoming only the second West Indian, after Garfield Sobers, to attain both 2500 runs and 150 wickets in test match cricket.