Jason Holder's Career-Best Haul Puts West Indies in control against England
West Indies captain Jason Holder took a career-best haul of 6 for 42 to roll England for 204 at the Ageas Bowl, before their top order saw them through to the close one wicket down.
Holder came into this series with an injury cloud over his head, having bowled only five overs across West Indies' two intra-squad warm-up games while nursing an ankle complaint. He admitted that he felt "a little sore, a little stiff" after play on the second day, but that pain will be lessened thanks to the knowledge that he has put his team into the driving seat in this series.
Holder had no hesitation in answering "discipline" when asked at the toss what he was looking for from his bowlers, and followed that message himself after Kemar Roach had set the tone. Shannon Gabriel was given license to attack, snaring another three wickets to add to that of Dom Sibley on the first day, and while Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Dom Bess offered some resistance with the bat, England's total of 204 looked a little light after a dogged start from West Indies.
While it would prove to be Holder's day, it was Gabriel who made the early breakthroughs after Rory Burns and Joe Denly had come through the first half hour. Denly was the first to go, his stumps splattered as a vicious nip-backer burst through a hefty gap between bat and pad and crashed into the top of off. Then, after hanging the ball outside Burns' off stump from round the wicket, Gabriel fired one in full at his pads, striking him in front of leg stump. Richard Kettleborough concluded it was missing leg stump, but Holder disagreed and was vindicated by a successful review
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