T20 World Cup 2021: "West Indies should play Jason Holder right away"

Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar believes West Indies should include all-rounder Jason Holder in the starting lineup for their T20 World Cup game against Bangladesh on Friday. The 43-year-old reckons the former skipper could be the X-factor that West Indies lacked in their first two games.

Holder, who initially was part of the travel reserves, was added to the main squad in place of injured left-arm seamer Obed McCoy. The addition of the all-rounder was approved by the ICC on October 27.

While speaking with ESPNcricinfo, Ajit Agarkar opined that Jason Holder can bring consistency to the West Indian team, who are currently floundering at the foot of the Group 1 points table. Agarkar feels Holder can replace Ravi Rampaul, who has underperformed thus far.

"West Indies should play Jason Holder right away. Because when you look at their batting, despite having strong names, they are underperforming hugely. Holder can replace Ravi Rampaul," Agarkar said.

"Another problem West Indies are facing is that they are lacking an X-factor in their bowling department. At least Jason brings you that consistency. He's a stable batter as well, who will definitely help his side."

Holder, who has 199 West Indies caps, including 27 in the T20I format, produced decent performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021.

Catch the latest ICC T20 World Cup 2021 live score here every day!

West Indies should drop Hetymer or Pooran in place of Roston Chase: Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar also believes the defending champions should look to include Roston Chase in the side. According to Agarkar, the off-spinning all-rounder could play a key role in West Indies' batting line-up.

Agarkar feels that Chase, being a right-hander, can add variety to the West Indian batting unit, which is comprised of multiple lefties.

"West Indies should drop Hetymer/Pooran and play Roston Chase. He can play that consolidating role in the batting line-up and also has a power game as well. He, being a right-hander, can get into the mix of so many left-handers in the team," said Agarkar.

Agarkar also expressed his disappointment at the dismal batting form of Nicholas Pooran. After a mediocre IPL, Pooran has continued his poor run of form in the T20 World Cup as well. The left-hander has managed to score just 13 for his side in two matches thus far.

"Nicholas Pooran has been a huge disappointment. The way he's playing, it doesn't seem like he's learning from his failures on how to score runs. We can just hope that he proves to be successful one day, because of the sheer abilities he has," Agarkar added.

Kieran Pollard and co. lost their first two matches of the tournament to England and South Africa respectively. The next game against Bangladesh is a must-win for the two-time World T20 champions. The match will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.