West Indies morale high at start of NZ series

The West Indies are not dwelling on their
August win over England as they enter a two-Test series against New Zealand,
but captain Jason Holder will use it for motivation if necessary.

Holder described his side as being “in a pretty good
place” as they go into the first Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington
on Friday looking for their first away win over New Zealand since 1995. 

While New Zealand have been starved of Test cricket since
hosting South Africa in March, the Calypso cricketers are riding high after a
1-0 win against Zimbabwe following a dramatic victory at Headingley during a
2-1 Test series loss to England. 

“We’re in a pretty good place at this point in time.
We’ve built up quite nicely this past year. We’re still not the finished
product, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Holder said on Thursday.

The West Indies’ five-wicket upset win over third-ranked
England in August – when rising star Shai Hope became the first player to score
a century in each innings of a Test at the famous Leeds ground – boosted the
morale of the eighth-ranked side.

“It’s done a lot. It was significant,” Holder
said. 

“But for me, that’s gone. That’s buried in the past for
me. We can obviously call on it at times when we’re down if need be but I just
tell the guys that’s gone and we need to create our future and pretty much live
in the present.” 

Holder does not have good memories of his last visit to
Wellington when the West Indies were beaten by an innings and 73 runs four
years ago. 

On a typical green Basin Reserve wicket, Holder won the toss
and elected to bowl only to see New Zealand post 441 and then roll the West
Indies for 193 and 175. 

With the pitch again its customary green colour, Holder is
still prepared to bowl first if he wins the toss. 

“I could definitely see the reason why people come here
and want to bowl first,” he said after surveying the wicket. 

“I don’t think there would be too many batsmen in world
cricket who would turn up and see that much grass on a pitch and be really into
it. 

“But we can be asked to bat tomorrow if I happen to
lose the toss so we’ve got to have an open mind towards it.”