Sharjah: West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder said that Friday's three-run win over Bangladesh in the ICC T20 World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium means a lot for his team. He added that with the team in a do-or-die situation, it was a good start to win their remaining matches in the Super 12 stage.
In a must-win match for both teams in Group 1, West Indies came out on top thanks to a late knock from Nicholas Pooran and bowlers defending 143 on a slow pitch. It was also the first victory in the tournament for the defending champions.
"This win means a lot to the team. We're obviously in a do-or-die situation, having to win the last remaining games. So it's good to start this one-off. It was a close encounter. Nevertheless, we got over the line," said Holder in the post-match press conference.
Holder, who made his first appearance in the tournament, played a late cameo of 15 off just five balls, including two big sixes. With the ball, he took out opener Mohammad Naim while conceding 22 runs in his four overs. The all-rounder believed that getting 18 runs in the final over of the innings off Mustafizur Rahman was a turning point in the match.
"You could sit back in hindsight and say a few things. The last over was obviously very important for our momentum. We were able to get three 6s, as I said, which helped us get up to a respectable total. I felt like 140 was a very good total. I think with our bowling attack we could defend that, and it proved to be enough. So, credit to our batters for getting us up to 140, and then also credit to the way we stuck at it and held our nerve."