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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 21, 2019

Jason Holder

Manchester, England, UK

THE MODERATOR: We have captain Jason Holder. Questions?

Q. You're in a tough position at the moment. Do you have to use that to try and inspire the group to perform at your best? And whatever happens, is it from now on about finishing the tournament on a high?
JASON HOLDER: I think we still have a possible chance to qualify for the semifinals, but we've just got to take it game by game. This encounter with New Zealand is very important. We all know what's at stake and we just have to come and bring our A game. It's as simple as that.

Q. Have you had to get tough with the players?
JASON HOLDER: I think it's a situation where you've had to be tough. We've had a few frank discussions within the dressing room to find ways in which we can improve on. I think all teams would get themselves in that situation at some point. But, yeah, we've had some pretty good discussions over the last couple of days. And tomorrow is just a day to deliver.

Q. How does Old Trafford suit your side so far from what you've seen in the tournament?
JASON HOLDER: It's just a situation where we've just got to play smarter cricket. We've just got to seize the crucial moments in the game. I don't think we've done that well enough here in this tournament so far. I don't think the ground pretty much would hamper, and I think it's really a little bit better. We've got to be a little bit clearer as to our plans, make sure we make adjustments on any given day if our plan A doesn't come -- doesn't work.

Q. You guys have chosen not to have a training session today. And there was some talk you were out clay target shooting. Is that right?
JASON HOLDER: We had a team event. We wanted to get the guys together, just have a team event, a team bonding session. And I think it went really well.

Q. There's also some commentary floating around that your team has just given up, checked out of this tournament. What's your response to that commentary?
JASON HOLDER: I think the only thing we can do is come and play a solid game of cricket tomorrow against New Zealand. I think there's been enough talk going around for quite some time. And we've just got to play cricket now. I think we've done enough talking as a group. It's just a matter for us to deliver.

Q. How much does making 421 in the warmup against New Zealand, how much does that inspire the team, the fact that you won that game? Do you read much into that?
JASON HOLDER: It just shows what we can produce. It's a situation where we've just got to pull on those resources, remember the things that we did in that game. And it just shows that when we're at our best what we can produce. I just think the guys just need to be clear, need to be calm and just execute their plans.

Q. Is everybody fit and ready for tomorrow, or are there any injury concerns?
JASON HOLDER: We've still got a few niggles within the group. We're trying to manage niggles the best we possibly can. I think one guy who probably may be definitely out tomorrow is Russell. I don't think he's fit enough to go tomorrow. But everybody else should be good to go.

Q. Could you tell us about the other niggles, if there are any serious ones?
JASON HOLDER: Not serious. It's a situation where we're trying to manage them as best we possibly can. I think it's normal for every cricket team to have lots of niggles going around, but we have quite a few of them, and we're just trying to manage them as best we can.

Q. In the last game, Russell hobbled around on the field for a while. What was the thinking because he didn't come out to bowl even after that? Could he have been taken off while you were filling in the last game against Bangladesh?
JASON HOLDER: No, he's supposed to be on the field. We started the game with 11 people. He was supposed to be on the field. He finished the game.

Q. Jason, you had some preparation in England, finishing playing for Northampton to start the season. Do you feel as a squad they were perfectly climatised with the conditions, or could they have had more preparation before the World Cup started?
JASON HOLDER: I don't think the preparation is any fault to what we've done. We've had solid weeks of preparation. Guys were playing cricket. We had a tour of Ireland. Those who didn't go to Ireland were still playing cricket in the IPL.

It just shows that, New Zealand, for example, they let their players play up to the very end of the IPL as well and then they came over here. But they're still playing some pretty good cricket. I don't fault the preparation. I think everybody was ready enough to play cricket.

Q. Is Russell any worse off than he was a couple of days ago, or just precautionary?
JASON HOLDER: I think his situation is that he's got a chronic injury. Some days are better than some. Probably just hasn't pulled up as how he would like for this game. And I don't think it's a situation where he's going to go through the game tomorrow.

Q. In the last game, the five pace theory didn't work too much in your favour. Yesterday we saw Ashley having a go. Is that an indication probably, even a change of combination, probably bring in a spinner?
JASON HOLDER: We'll see. Traditionally here it spins a bit. It's something that we've got back in our minds as well. It could be a possibility that Ashley comes back into the side. But as a group we'll get together, try to decide what's the best combination suited for tomorrow's game.

Q. What would you say are the vulnerabilities of the New Zealand side?
JASON HOLDER: I don't want to talk about New Zealand, to be fair. I think we have enough on our plate, we have to manage our own men. I think once we play solid cricket, we can definitely beat New Zealand. We've shown that we can beat New Zealand, as early as -- as recent as the warmup game. We've just got to focus on what we need to do. We need to be a lot better now through departments. And having said that, as I said, we've had quite a few frank discussions with everyone and just time to deliver.

Q. I know you don't want to talk about New Zealand, but given the form they're in and the position you're in, how tough a challenge are they expected to be?
JASON HOLDER: I'd say it's not impossible. We've beaten them before. We can beat them again.

Q. Was there any reason why Darren Bravo batted so low in the last game, was that a choice, or just tactics?
JASON HOLDER: Just a tactic, to be fair. We've been going really well with Pooran. Pooran has been going really well. Shai has obviously been one of our most informed players. And Shimron Hetmyer is one of those players that, he can definitely be a match winner.

And these are three guys that we rely heavily in the middle to do the bulk of our work. Brav hasn't been in the best of form. So we've been trying to back him as much as we possibly can. And it just so happens in the situation that the game dictated he go down a little further and that we gave those guys adequate enough time to get in and try to win the game for us.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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