T20 World Cup 2021: Jason Holder replaces injured Obed McCoy in West Indies squad

All-rounder Jason Holder has replaced Obed McCoy in the West Indies 15-man squad for the remainder of the 2021 T20 World Cup due to the latter picking up an injury, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Wednesday.

Holder was named as one of the reserves by the West Indies ahead of the tournament. His inclusion in the main squad has been approved by the ICC Event Technical Committee after a formal request was made by the team.

The 24-year-old left-arm pacer McCoy suffered an injury to his right leg during West Indies' opening match against England.

Holder will be available to play the Windies' next match against Bangladesh on Friday.

Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies' chief selector for their men's team, was quoted as saying in a statement:

“Jason Holder has been in the UAE for a while now and will fit quite well into the team unit. He is an experienced and knowledgeable cricketer who we know will be eager and excited to grab the opportunity.”

On Obed McCoy, Harper said:

“McCoy did really well in the T20Is earlier this year and adapted well in the opening match against England. He was a key member of the bowling unit and it’s unfortunate he won’t be able to take any further part in the tournament. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the field ready to go again in the near future.”

Jason Holder has represented West Indies in 27 T20 Internationals (T20Is) and was recently a key player for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season.

West Indies on the verge of being knocked out of 2021 T20 World Cup

Defending champions West Indies have had a torrid start to the tournament, suffering crushing defeats to England and South Africa in their first two Super 12 stage matches.

They now need to win their remaining three fixtures and hope for other results to go their way if they are to stand a chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

Their batting has been their biggest issue, with the team failing to set a competitive total in both their matches.

In the first match against England, they were bowled out for 55 in a shocking performance. Against South Africa, they showed some improvement, but their 143-run total was not good enough as the Proteas chased down the target with more than an over to spare.

West Indies will face Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka in their remaining fixtures.