Simmons: Holder still in West Indies' T20I plans

Jason Holder was left out of the T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand, but recent performances in the Caribbean Premier League and Indian Premier League have strengthened his case for a place in the squad.

Phil Simmons, in a media interaction, confirmed that Holder was "always in consideration" and wasn’t picked considering the jam-packed schedule.

"Jason always has a chance to play T20 cricket," Simmons said. "Let me just clear it up here. This is an odd tour here. The T20 series finishes a day or two days before the first Test match and [Holder] being captain of the Test team, a decision was taken by us as a selection panel that Jason will not be considered for that part.

"Seeing that he is coming from IPL, he will have one chance to play in the four-day game before the Test match. But Jason is always in consideration for T20s. He had two good years at the CPL and now he is having a good tournament at the IPL."

Holder last played a T20I for West Indies in December 2019. This year, he led the Barbados Tridents in the CPL and returned 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.63 while also making useful runs at a handy strike-rate of 140.14.

In the IPL, he has produced impact performances with bat and ball, notably playing an all-round role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator clash on Friday. After picking up 3/25 with the ball, Holder made 24* in 20 balls including two fours in the final over to seal the game for Hyderabad.

West Indies begin their tour with the T20Is, starting at Eden Park on 27 November. Holder will lead the team in the two-match Test series to follow.