Jason Holder targets century for West Indies to go with wickets

Jason Holder trained his sights on scoring his first century in England following a sublime six-wicket haul on day two of the first Test in Southampton that has put West Indies firmly in the ascendancy.

Holder’s six for 42 – a sixth five‑wicket haul in his last 10 Tests, including four victims in the space of 23 balls – rolled England for 204 in 67.3 overs, before the tourists reached 57 for one by the time bad light ended proceedings early.

It was a sparkling performance from the softly spoken West Indies captain, who had hinted before the match at a lack of credit for his recent rise to No 1 in the all-rounder rankings. Having arrived on tour with two personal goals, he now has one to go.

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Holder said: “I enjoyed today’s spell, I must say. I enjoyed the surface, the conditions and I hadn’t got five on my last trip here.

“One of the things I have always strived to do is to score a hundred in England and get a five-wicket haul. I’ve ticked one box, now it’s time to knuckle down and get a hundred.

“I really want to make some runs. I have done a good job so far but my Test is far from over.

I have a massive contribution to make with the bat. That’s where my focus will be channelled. I don’t get caught up with it.”

Holder, whose spell after lunch included the removal of his fellow all-rounder and captain, Ben Stokes, for a top score of 43, credited his fast-bowling colleagues for hunting as a pack, not least Shannon Gabriel, who claimed four for 62.

On his own approach to English conditions, Holder explained: “On the last tour Jimmy Anderson was on 499 wickets – he was bowling to Devendra Bishoo and I was in next. He took everything away from Bishoo. I was waiting for the inswinger and he never showed it.

“I said to myself: ‘If he’s that good and has got these results he’s got over the years, then maybe he must be doing something right.’

“I watched clips of Glenn McGrath [the former Australia bowler] as well, because I think our styles are similar. We’re not as quick, so I look at being consistent.

“Patience is something I lacked before. It’s about having the weapons, putting that in the batsman’s mind and then knowing when to deliver them.”

Holder had led the way on day one, too, when players on both sides took a knee before the first ball of the series to denote the global Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd in America six weeks ago.

Jofra Archer, the only black cricketer in the England team, was also asked about this in Sky’s Big Brother-style diary room on the second morning and shared his belief that the rise of smartphone technology is highlighting the issue of racism in society.

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“It was nice to be supported,” said Archer, who himself reported racial abuse from a spectator in New Zealand last November.

“This year has been an eye-opener. Not to a lot of people in the black community, but to everyone else. Obviously we knew what was going on.

“We live in a time now where everything is being recorded. A lot of people might not know that was happening up until this year. Any support around the matters going on is much appreciated, really.”

Archer, playing his eighth Test, also shared his surprise at being selected ahead of the more seasoned Stuart Broad, saying: “I still don’t know how I got the nod over him, I’m still a bit confused by it. [But] I’m glad to be given the opportunity.”

Mark Wood, who was similarly preferred to Broad and showed encouraging pace in his first spell, added: “I was a little bit surprised I was playing. It was a great confidence boost and it’s for me to try and repay that faith over the game.”