Decision of Hetmyer, Bravo, Paul to pull out of England tour unfortunate, says Michael Holding
New Delhi/UNI The former West Indian pacer Michael Holding feels the decision of Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo and Keemo Paul to pull out of the Test tour to England is unfortunate but understandable given the health scare due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Cricket West Indies had announced a 15-member squad for next month’s three-match Test series against England where the likes of Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul had decided to opt out of the tour, citing adverse effects if they travel England at this point in time.
Holding termed it as 'unfortunate' and felt that the West Indies will miss the talent of the trio in the upcoming tour.
"I think it's unfortunate as far as West Indies cricket is concerned. I'm not going to tell anyone that they should be going to England because Covid-19 is around, someone may get sick or even worse, ' said Holding during an interview on his Youtube channel.
'But at the same time I think it's unfortunate for the West Indies team because these guys have quite a bit of talent, and they'll be missed,' he added.
The cricketer turned commentator particularly singled out Darren Bravo,saying that the England series would have been a great opportunity for him, having only recently been drafted back into the international fold after a two-year-long dispute with the board.
"I'm sorry that Bravo, in particular, isn't going because Bravo, I think, needs to resuscitate his career," Holding said. "He started off so brilliantly, everybody thought he was going to be another great West Indian batsman. He hasn't really fulfilled that,' he said.
'I think the more cricket he can play now, especially for the West Indies, the better chance he has of getting back on track and showing everyone the great player that he could be,' he added.
West Indies will play three Test matches against England at two bio-secure centers in Southampton and Manchester, starting July 08.
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