Debutants the silver lining but Windies not good enough – Holder

Test captain Jason Holder has hailed West Indies' second innings performance and the encouraging debuts by wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva and fast bowler Chemar Holder but says the Caribbean side were "still not good enough", following their second successive innings defeat to New Zealand on Monday.

West Indies were dismissed for 317 in their second innings on the final day of the second Test at the Basin Reserve, marking the first time in four innings of the two-Test series they had managed to pass 250.

Under-pressure opener John Campbell top-scored with 68 while Da Silva, replacing first choice gloveman Shane Dowrich who left the tour for personal reasons, struck 57.

And with Chemar Holder impressing with a couple of wickets, Holder said those performances were the only silver lining from an otherwise disappointing outing.

"[We were] good in patches. Obviously, I thought our bowlers were outstanding, just tough we didn't take our opportunities when they came," Holder told a media conference.

"Then when we batted in the first innings we just didn't set up the game well. The pitch was a really good pitch but I was really really happy to see the fight in the second innings.

"The way John Campbell went about it, I gave him that support because I thought he was shaping to put something together quite big for us and it just wasn't coming off but it was good to see him knuckle down again and go through his same processes and get a score.

"We would've liked him to go on a bit longer but still pleased with the way he went out and applied himself."

He continued: "Likewise Joshua Da Silva in the second innings. I was really really pleased with both debutants actually - I thought Joshua was outstanding and Chemar Holder."

- CMC