'Jason Holder has done nothing to prove to his critics'

India's young guns kept their cool as they defended a small total that they had posted in the deciding one-dayer. Picking the right combination did the trick again as the IPL experienced bowlers bowled a terrific last couple of overs to deny Zimbabwe a series win. For full member teams it's vital that they don't get overconfident and lose to associate member teams for those teams are only waiting to tell the world that one swallow makes a summer when it's evident that the clouds are still hovering over their cricket.

So Sri Lanka's thrashing and that's the only word to describe it will have hopefully silenced all those from Ireland who are clamouring for a full membership status. Most, if not all the Ireland players play in the English County Championships and so come together only for an international and don't necessarily play in the Irish domestic game. They believe that just because they are playing county cricket they will be good at the international level too.

The beauty of being in the United Kingdom is whenever England finds that there is a player from Ireland, Scotland who can fit into their side then he is picked for England since there is no need for any qualification. Ireland's Boyd Rankin was picked in the England side that toured Australia few years back where he got so nervous that he started vomiting on his Test debut. That was the end of his cricket for England and now he is back playing for Ireland without even so much as a qualifying process again. The irony will be that if his form improves he could play for England in the summer so in one season he can switch countries when others have to qualify by residence for four years at least to play for a country other than the one where they were born or where they played under-19 cricket.

In West Indies they continue to pick players who do not merit a place in the team and are hoping that the others will carry the team to a win. Marlon Samuels has been batting brilliantly but with a skipper who bats at number nine and bowls only a part of his full quota of overs it's like playing with 10 players.

Jason Holder may be a personable young man but over the past couple of years has done nothing to prove to his critics that he deserves a place in the West Indies team. When there is no respect for the skipper other players play more for themselves and so keep doing enough to keep their places in the team, never mind if the team loses.

Marlon Samuels and MDKJ Perera who smashed the Ireland bowling to all corners and also outside the ground are the two players who share the accolade of the CEAT International Cricketer of the Week.

Source: PMG

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