West Indies captain Jason Holder appreciated Carlos Brathwaite’s sensible knock in his team’s close 5-run defeat in the World Cup 2019 match against New Zealand on Saturday, 22nd June. 

At Old Trafford, Brathwaite brilliantly brought the Caribbeans out of danger from their middle-order collapse and was also on the verge to help the team cross the line against the Black Caps, but was caught by Trent Boult off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham for 101 at long-on with one hit required to win the match here. 

Brathwaite, who smacked 9 fours and 5 sixes in his 82-ball century on Saturday, is well known for his hard-hitting ability, having helped Windies to clinch the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016 with his quartet of sixes, and he once again was looking to do the same in the ongoing World Cup, but unfortunately, lost his wicket.  

After the match, Holder heaped praise on the all-rounder, saying he puts in a really good effort into his preparation and never shies away from his responsibilities.  

Holder told the media, “His work ethic is really good. He's not one to shy away from his responsibilities. And he puts in a really good effort into his preparation. That's one thing that I credit him for. The knock that he played is not surprising to me.” 

The skipper was also disappointed with the middle-order collapse which led them a narrow defeat against the Blackcaps, saying, “We let ourselves down in the middle, no doubt. We were always up with the run rate. It wasn't a case where we needed to keep going, per se. We just needed to keep our wickets intact. Set it up in there, a really good foundation.  

He added, “And we weren't able to do that in the middle overs. But we fought back well. And Carlos and the other guys at the lower half really gave us a chance. But as I said, you can look back and pinpoint one or two areas when you lose a great game. Having said that, I still think we played a really good game.” 

The all-rounder also hailed his team's efforts against the Kiwis, saying: “We fought right to the very end. We came right back into the game when pretty much everyone thought the game was over. And credit to the lower half. The guys really put it in their hands today and took responsibility. Top-notch by Carlos. He was outstanding. He gave us a chance, gave us hope. Just unfortunate at the very end that we weren't able to get a win.” 

Holder signed off by saying, “It’s just a little disappointing, obviously, not being able to cross the line, after coming so close. But I'm proud of the guys. I guess everybody could sit here and agree that we'd love to see that a little bit more often. But that's the general feeling within the entire group. I think as a team we just need to be a lot more consistent.” 

(With Cricketnext Inputs)