Holder steers away from controversy

DUBAI, UAE (CMC):

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder says he is determined to avoid controversial off-the-field issues and focus on his main job of leading the Caribbean side.

Responding to questions from media here on the decision by Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite to decline central contracts, Holder reiterated that he was powerless over such administrative matters and was more preoccupied with galvanising West Indies' performances on the field.

All three players are members of the Test squad which finally won their first game in 19 months and first on foreign soil in four years when they beat Pakistan by five wickets in the third and final Test in Sharjah on Thursday.

"As I've said about all the negative things around West Indies cricket, those things are basically beyond my control," said Holder who celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday.

"I can't control who signs contracts, I can't control who's here with me. All I can control is my destiny on the cricket field when I step over that line, and that goes for everybody in the dressing room."

The West Indies Cricket Board disclosed this week that the trio of Bravo, Samuels and Brathwaite had opted against retainer contracts for the year-long period ending September next year.

LEADER OF BATTING GROUP

Bravo is the leader of the Windies batting group, averaging 40 from 49 Tests, while Samuels is the side's most senior player, with 71 Tests and 187 one-day internationals (ODI).

Brathwaite, the newly appointed Twenty20 skipper, is also a member of both the Test and ODI set-ups.

Their decision immediately raised question marks about their respectively futures, but Holder said, ultimately, it was up to each player to take responsibility for their performances and careers.

"Us players we have to be responsible for our own individual actions [and] take our own personal pride on to the cricket field and control cricket," he pointed out.