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Holding doubts WI can repeat of their T20 feat against India
Michael holding doubts if Chris Gayle's team can intimidate India with its short-pitched deliveries in the absence of an injured Fidel Edwards.
Kingston:
West Indies great Michael holding doubts if Chris Gayle's team can intimidate India with its short-pitched deliveries in the absence of an injured Fidel Edwards, who successfully did the job in the World Twenty20 in England.
Edwards is nursing a lower back injury which he sustained in England and has been left out of the 13-man squad for the first two one-dayers in Jamaica.
"Everyone realises that Fidel is the quickest. He can intimidate and will be crucial to use bouncers as a strategy," Holding said.
"Without him, though, it will be tough to bowl that kind of short-pitched intimidatory bowling," he was quoted as saying by a cricket website.
"Jerome Taylor has not been all that fit in recent times. Since the first Test against England in Jamaica, he has not been 100 per cent," he added.
Indians, who had a cakewalk against minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, fell prey to the short balls bowled by the West Indies in the World Twenty20 Super Eight match.
Holding also said he did not expect promising youngsters Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy to be dropped for the first two matches against India.
"There aren't too many bowlers in the Caribbean to say that they should be in the team. But I have been surprised by the exclusion of Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy. They are two young promising cricketers who I thought could be given more opportunities," Holding said.
"Lendl didn't have a bad tour of England. He is a young cricketer and should be encouraged and nurtured. I can't see any reason why he has been left out especially when I see there are players in the team who didn't play a game in England and have been in the squad for quite some time.
"ODIs are not something you can predict easily. West Indies have been doing well in the shorter format and I hope they do well against India," he said.
Edwards is nursing a lower back injury which he sustained in England and has been left out of the 13-man squad for the first two one-dayers in Jamaica.
"Everyone realises that Fidel is the quickest. He can intimidate and will be crucial to use bouncers as a strategy," Holding said.
"Without him, though, it will be tough to bowl that kind of short-pitched intimidatory bowling," he was quoted as saying by a cricket website.
"Jerome Taylor has not been all that fit in recent times. Since the first Test against England in Jamaica, he has not been 100 per cent," he added.
Indians, who had a cakewalk against minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, fell prey to the short balls bowled by the West Indies in the World Twenty20 Super Eight match.
Holding also said he did not expect promising youngsters Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy to be dropped for the first two matches against India.
"There aren't too many bowlers in the Caribbean to say that they should be in the team. But I have been surprised by the exclusion of Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy. They are two young promising cricketers who I thought could be given more opportunities," Holding said.
"Lendl didn't have a bad tour of England. He is a young cricketer and should be encouraged and nurtured. I can't see any reason why he has been left out especially when I see there are players in the team who didn't play a game in England and have been in the squad for quite some time.
"ODIs are not something you can predict easily. West Indies have been doing well in the shorter format and I hope they do well against India," he said.
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