Jason Holder concedes WI's future bleak as playing only India, England earns them money

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder spoke about the financial status of cricket in their country after the recently-concluded England vs West Indies Test series. After Day 5 of the series-deciding third Test against hosts England at Old Trafford, the maverick all-rounder interacted with ESPNCricinfo. During the interaction, Jason Holder claimed that the finances in West Indies cricket have been in poor shape for the last couple of years and the players are bracing up for potential paycuts amidst the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic.  

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West Indies skipper Jason Holder requests England for return tour in late 2020

Jason Holder made some startling claims from his chat with Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave. According to the all-rounder, the Cricket West Indies CEO highlighted that the board only “really makes money” from playing against England and India. He also added that while they probably “break even” while playing against Australia, the West Indies Cricket Board suffer “major losses” while playing against countries like Pakistan and the others.

Speaking about the future scheduling program for his side, Jason Holder said that he is currently unaware of any immediate international cricketing assignments. The veteran campaigner also pinned his hopes on England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for a reciprocal tour to the Caribbean Islands later this year. Holder stated that if ECB agrees for a return tour to West Indies by the England cricket team, it would help Cricket West Indies to improve their financial records “significantly”.

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IPL 2020: West Indies presence in IPL

Apart from Jason Holder’s claims of cricket in his country making money from playing against India, the West Indies players also win over significant paycheques from participating in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). Over the years, cricketers from West Indies have proven to be one of the driving forces of the Indian T20 tournament. Big West Indian names and T20 giants like Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine among others have been regular features of IPL for their respective franchises. However, they don't play for the West Indies' Test team anymore. Even in the upcoming IPL 2020 season, the aforementioned cricketers will be seen reprising their roles.

Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo among top-tier West Indies players gearing up for CPL 2020

Jason Holder will now be seen leading the Barbados Tridents in the much-awaited Caribbean Premier League 2020 (CPL 2020) season. Meanwhile, former West Indies captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Dwayne Bravo will play alongside Kieron Pollard for Trinbago Knight Riders. The CPL 2020 is currently on schedule to be played between August 18 and September 10. The Caribbean T20 event will be followed by IPL 2020 season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 onwards.

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Image credit: Windies Cricket Twitter