IND vs WI: Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph to Leave World Cup Qualifier Midway for India Series

Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph have decided to leave the ongoing ODI World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in order to focus on their preparations for the upcoming India series in July-August.

India is currently on the tour of the West Indies and the United States for two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. Rohit Sharma & Co. have already reached there and are currently practising in Barbados.

“Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph will depart early from the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. They will miss the last two Super Six matches as they return to the Caribbean,” Cricket West Indies (CWI) posted on its twitter handle.

“This is with the view of managing their workloads ahead of the Test Series vs India.”

Desmond Haynes, the chief selector for the men’s team, said Holder and Joseph are key players for the West Indies and the decision was taken in the best interest of the side. Here’s what he said:

“Jason and Alzarri are two of our leading bowlers in all formats. We have a full schedule for the upcoming series against India, where we begin the new ICC World Test Championship, then followed by the ODIs and the five T20Is. Therefore, we had dialogue, and it was felt the best move at this time is to have two of our leading bowlers return early from Zimbabwe.”

Before the India series starts, West Indies will face Oman and Sri Lanka on July 5 and July 7, respectively. Meanwhile, CWI hasn’t announced the replacement for the duo yet.

The series against India will kick start with the two-match Test series starting in Dominica on July 12, followed by the second Test in Port of Spain on July 20. The Test matches will be followed by three ODIs and five T20Is.