Not a revival, but shows what West Indies can do: Jeffrey Dujon

By posting a remarkable five-wicket win at Headingley against hosts England to level the three-match series 1-1 with one to go, Jason Holder's West Indies gave a fitting reply to their critics, some being their own legendary cricketers.

Former pacers Curtly Ambrose called the team "pathetic" after the first Test loss in Edgbaston while Michael Holding questioned Holder's place in the side saying on air that "he can't bat and bowl".

Former West Indies wicketkeeper Jeffrey Dujon, who played in the era when they were dominating world cricket in the 1980s, said on Wednesday that the five-wicket win – the Caribbeans' first on and English soil since June 2000 and after 18 attempts – as "a step in the right direction".

Speaking from his home in Jamaica, Dujon told DNA: "The win will give the team some belief if they applied themselves. It is another experience in learning how to compete. That is a good thing. They have to move on from here."

Dujon justified the repeated criticisms that were directed at the West Indies team. "The criticism of a lot of past players was warranted because they see what this team is capable of. This (Headingley Test win) is what we want to see. You are not going to win every Test match but you must compete, you must be in the game and have an effect on the game. This is what we want to see and that is why there has been so much criticism before," Dujon reasoned out.

West Indies coach, Stuart Law took exception to Ambrose's criticism on the match eve. Asked what difference the former Australian has made to the team, Dujon said: "It is not that they have not been trying to play well. They are realising now that they have to come together as a team, that they have got to fight. They showed a lot of fight in this Test. They now probably understand what it takes to be a very good cricket team."

Asked if this could be the start of the revival of West Indies cricket, often being spoken about after every rare win that they post now-a-days, Dujon said: "By no means is it a revival but it shows what they can do."

From having lost 19 wickets on a day in the first Test to winning handsomely after chasing down 322 in the next, Dujon said the turnaround in 10 days was courtesy "disciplined batting by the West Indies".

"It is a matter of applying themselves better than they did (in Edgbaston). The batting was a lot more disciplined. They bowled with a lot more discipline. They were a lot more patient, especially in the first innings of this Test. They did not bowl particularly well in the second innings. They kept themselves in the game. It was a matter of applying themselves. (Shai) Hope and (Kraigg) Brathwaite were obviously the key men. They batted extremely well."

Dujon particularly picked up centurion in both the innings, the 23-year-old Barbadian Hope as one for the future. Hope followed his maiden Test century in the first innings (147) with a match-winning unbeaten 118 in the second.

"I am very glad Shai Hope did as well as he did. I always found him to be a fine player and he was going to play a big part in the West Indies future," said Dujon, who is now-a-days a television commentator and analyst. "Two centuries in a Test is a tremendous way to start. The world is going to take notice of that. It is a tremendous achievement," Dujon said.

He also felt that the captaincy of Holder needed a lot of improvement. "Tactically, he has a lot of work to do. He is still a bit naive. We have seen him that he can bat a bit. In this Test match, he bowled pretty well. He may not have that much pace but put the ball in good areas for a considerable time."

Holder has led West Indies in 17 Tests with only three wins and 13 losses. Asked if Holder was the best person to lead the West Indies, Dujon said there has to be a change if things did not improve. "At this point, no one really stands out as someone to really lead the team. It is a bit difficult. He (Holder) has been given fairly long run and I would think, pretty soon if there isn't some sort of improvement, it is something that will have to be looked at," Dujon said, hinting at opener Brathwaite as a captain material.

'Time to move on from Gayles and Samuelses' 

The West Indies selection policy has been sharply criticised from many quarters. It does not allow for their big names like Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels to automatically be available for selection for Tests. The West Indies selection policy calls for players to be available for their domestic tournaments to be up for selection.

Dujon said that it was time to look beyond the two. "It is upto those players whether or not they want to play. They will only play in domestic competitions if they want to play in that particular format of the game. We have to wait and see what they do. I think the time is coming where we have to move on from the Chris Gayles and Marlon Samuelses. They are getting on with age and you have to look for the future," Dujon said.

Asked if he was in favour of the current selection policy, Dujon said: "The current policy gives players the choice. It is basically saying that 'if you want to play for the West Indies in a particular discipine, you need to play domestically'. It is really up to them whether they see their future as doing that. We have to wait and see what comes of it. Some sort of compromise has to be arrived at. It is an attempt. Let's see how successful it is. There may be another way."