T20 World Cup 2021: Jason Holder added to West Indies squad after Obed McCoy's injury

West Indies cricket team suffered yet another injury setback with left-arm pacer Obed McCoy being ruled out of the World Cup 2021 due to injury. Test skipper Jason Holder who was named in the reserves list has been called into the West Indies T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for Obed McCoy.

Jason Holder named in West Indies T20 World Cup squad

According to a release on the official T20 World Cup website, Obed McCoy was diagnosed with an injury to his right leg. The 24-year-old picked up an injury in the loss to England. ICC Event Technical Committee made up of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members) approved the change on Wednesday 27 October, allowing Jason Holder to join the 15. Jason Holder, who has 199 West Indies caps including 27 T20I appearances to his name. The All-rounder who featured for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2021, will be available for selection against Bangladesh on Friday.

According to ESPNCricinfo report, Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies men's selector said, "Jason Holder has been in the UAE for a while now and will fit quite well into the team unit. He is an experienced and knowledgeable cricketer who we know will be eager and excited to grab the opportunity".

Speaking about Obed McCoy injury he said, "McCoy did really well in the T20Is earlier this year and adapted well in the opening match against England. He was a key member of the bowling unit and it's unfortunate he won't be able to take any further part in the tournament. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the field ready to go again in the near future."

West Indies performance in the T20 World Cup 2021

The addition of Jason Holder is a boost for the West Indies team who have lost both their matches in the T20 World Cup 2021 tournament so far. West Indies, who are the defending champions, face a fight to reach the semi-finals and keep themselves in contention to defend the title. The Caribbean team in their previous match were bowled out for just 55 runs with England winning the match by six-wicket. The first match for West Indies was against South Africa which they lost by eight wickets.