Skipper Holder laments Windies' lack of grit against England

West Indies skipper Jason Holder bemoaned his team’s lack of grit in the second Test against England and felt their tentative batting allowed their opponents to level the series on Monday.

The tourists needed to bat out 85 overs on the final day to secure a draw but lasted 70.1 overs before succumbing to a 113-run defeat as England squared the series 1-1.

“English bowlers tend to bowl some long spells and we fought through pretty decent periods in the game but maybe (we need) a little bit more grit, a little bit more determination to get through one or two challenging spells,” Holder said after the loss at Old Trafford.

“More or less when we’ve found ourselves in challenging spells, we’ve succumbed to it, probably at the end of a really good spell.”

“Too many of our batters got caught on the crease, something that we’ve really got to pay a little bit more attention to. On a surface like this you’ve really got to commit forward or back and into a position to make a good decision over whether to play or leave.”

Thanks to their victory at home last year, West Indies need a draw in the decider, beginning at Old Trafford on Friday, to retain the Wisden Trophy.

“We’re here to fight, I’m sure the guys are really feeling this loss and we can go into this last game and give it our all,” Holder said.