While the hosts cruised to a 381-run victory in the first Test in Barbados, Holder remains wary of England’s ability in red-ball cricket, adding that the West Indies are “definitely the underdogs” despite the win.

“I just said to the guys, make sure we keep it out of our minds, make sure we focus on what we need to do here,” Holder said on Wednesday, January 30, ahead of the second Test. “We need to get 20 wickets to win this game, we need to put up runs, and if we do that and hold our chances, we have a good chance. We’re still ranked No. 8, England are No. 2 or 3, so we’re definitely the underdogs.

"That’s my biggest ambition. To become the No.1 all-rounder in the world."@Jaseholder98 to @Phil_Wisden before the start of the series. One Test in, he's already achieved his goal.

A fascinating extended interview with West Indies' man of the moment.https://t.co/SdwSgFldN3

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 27, 2019

“It’s great to be 1-0 up, but that’s history. We are happy to be leading in the series but we have our feet firmly on the ground. We are not focusing on what happened before in Barbados. We are looking forward to this match and what we have ahead of us.

“It’s for us to move on and understand what we need to do. We speak about consistency in the dressing room and I think we’ve got to be hitting all three departments well every time we step on the field.”

‘One swallow does not make a summer' – Richard Pybus isn't resting easy after the big win in Barbados.

Full story 👇https://t.co/0qU7qyKpsQ

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 28, 2019

Holder heaped praise on seamer Shannon Gabriel, who claimed two scalps in the Barbados Test. He was particularly impressive against Joe Root, who found it difficult to negate the seamer’s pace.

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“I wasn’t surprised. Shannon has done [that] to many batsmen around world cricket. He carries pace and he was aggressive,” insisted Holder. “We were probably a little flat with England two down and over 100, we needed to break the partnership. Shannon gave us the momentum and really hit them hard. It was really good to see.”

The West Indies skipper also declared that both Gabriel and Shane Dowrich, who sustained minor injuries in Barbados, are fit to play in the second Test. “Expect Shannon to continue to run in. He obviously had a bit of a toe injury in the last game but that seems to have healed quite nicely. ‘Dow’ had a stiff back on the fourth day, when Shai filled in and did a great job. He travelled well and is ready for tomorrow,” the skipper said.