"I don't think anything (mental) is taken into consideration when it comes to scheduling" - Jason Holder

Former West Indies Test skipper Jason Holder has opened up about concerns regarding the scheduling of international cricket in the post-COVID era.

In an exclusive interview with news9live.com, Holder admitted the mental health of cricketers is not being taken into account by administrators while scheduling international fixtures.

He also admitted that the lure of playing in a lucrative league like the Indian Premier League is too much for a player to turn down. He also asserted that he has played almost every single series for the West Indies ever since cricket resumed last year. Holder said:

"I don't think anything (mental) is taken into consideration when it comes to scheduling. You know, there's just too much cricket being played. We were indoors due to COVID-19 lockdown for two or three months and the calendar got disrupted, but too much cricket isn't healthy. And then when you get an opportunity to play IPL, which, by every means, is a big financial area for many of us, it's hard to turn that down."

Holder added:

"I have committed 100% to international cricket where I've played every single series, in every single format. So for me to have the option to play the IPL where you can make some very good money, it's hard to turn that down as well. So the management just has to come into a fair assessment."

Holder reckoned that administrators around the world need to have an honest conversation with multi-format players regarding their workload management. He noted:

"I don't see why England, Australia, India, all these other countries cannot manage their players. It's not to say that we've got many players across all three formats, we've only got literally two players present. So it should be a case where you can manage those two players and just have open discussions with them and come back refreshed again."

Recently, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun called on administrators to better manage their scheduling after the Virat Kohli-led unit crashed from the league stage of the T20 World Cup.

"That was a very tough period" - Jason Holder on losing Test captaincy

Holder also opened up about the 'very tough' period he endured earlier this year after being stripped of leadership duties from the Test format.

The world No.1-ranked Test all-rounder was removed from the captaincy following a historic series win for the West Indies in Bangladesh under the leadership of Kraigg Brathwaite.

For Holder, the manner in which he was removed and the absence of any explanation given to him by the selectors and the management, is something that left a sour taste in his mouth. He said:

"That was a very tough period. Trying to understand why the explanation is given was not what I was expecting. And to me it was crap. Until this day, and I've probably lost relationships based on how that whole scenario played out."

He added:

"The most disappointing thing is is how it was done, in my opinion. But I just think there are ways to do it. You know, I've never been praised. I've never had discussions with anybody of any power about my captaincy. And then suddenly, I was taken off from duties without any explanation," he added.

Holder is currently with the national side in Sri Lanka to take part in a two-match Test series, which starts on November 21.