Jason Holder decided to keep some of the captaincy secrets to his ownself and not share them with first-timer Ben Stokes, but did say that the England team is in "capable hands" despite regular skipper Joe Root's absence for the first Test in Southampton, beginning Wednesday (July 8).
Root had to leave the England squad in order to be with his wife as she gives birth to their second child, which paved way for his deputy Stokes to step into the leader's shoes.
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Holder, whose battle with another talented Test all-rounder in Stokes is being talked up ahead of the series, said he'll save whatever captaincy advice he has to share with his English counterpart for after the tour has ended.
"I'll leave my advice to Stokesy until after the series," Holder told a conference call. "England are in capable hands. He is an excellent cricketer and a great competitor and I am sure the guys in the dressing room look up to him too."
Holder's captaincy has been given credit for reviving West Indies as a competitive side in Test cricket. It is under him that the Calypso Kings regained the Wisden Trophy last year when they defeated England 2-1 in a historic result, brought about through pace and hostility.
"My captaincy has been made a lot easier by my players, particularly the senior guys like Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Kraigg Brathwaite, just to name a few," he said.
"These guys have helped tremendously on and off the park and they've made the job a lot easier. I've really enjoyed leading this team. It is a very talented group."
West Indies hasn't won a Test series in England, a country they once dominated in, since 1988. In the recent past, however, Holder's side can take confidence from its home series win, as well as the triumph in Headingley three years ago in a narrow 2-1 loss.
"If you look at the calibre of players we've got - Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope have had success here in England and that is just to name a few. I am more than confident that these guys will do well in this series," said Holder, who himself will be key to his team's chances.
The 28-year-old is just another 102 runs short of becoming only the third West Indian after Garry Sobers and Carl Hooper to score 2,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test cricket.
"I wasn't aware of the stat until probably a day or two ago but it feels good to know I'm in quite elite company," said Holder, adding Sobers has been a source of inspiration for him.
"He (Sobers) is one of the most positive individuals I've ever spoken to. He just sees things from a different light and I guess that's why he was so great."
"He's never shy of giving information or advice and he's one of those guys that would put his arm around you and nurture the next generation," Holder concluded.
(Inputs from AFP)
