It feels like Jason Holder has quietly moved away from ODI cricket. There was no retirement announcement, no farewell match, and no emotional goodbye. But the signs are clear. He hasn’t played an ODI for a long time, he’s no longer part of the team’s plans, and it looks like his ODI career has quietly come to an end. In a surprising revelation on the Wisden Cricket Podcast, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy stated that Holder has retired from One-Day Internationals while remaining interested in representing the Caribbean side in Test cricket.
The comment surely caught fans off guard, largely because there has been no public retirement statement from Holder, no social media post, and no official confirmation from Cricket West Indies. Right now Holder’s out there playing for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. But Daren Sammy’s comments have pulled the focus straight back to him.
Daren Sammy Confirms Jason Holder’s ODI Retirement
While talking about where Holder fits in West Indies’ plans going forward, Sammy let slip what sounded like a quiet farewell to ODIs. He made it clear Holder is still very much part of the Test setup. But he also mentioned that Holder has walked away from one-day internationals.
“Yes, Jason is still in the mix for Test. I know he’s retired from ODI cricket. Test cricket for sure. He has spoken about his interest, but obviously, you know, he’s a franchise player as well… it’s us talking about availability, where he fits. But yeah, he’s made clear that he’s still interested in Test cricket. So once that fits with his schedule and obviously the plans that we have, I’m pretty sure that will happen.”
Sammy said Holder still wants to play Test cricket. However, his availability will depend on his franchise commitments and the international schedule. The update comes as West Indies prepare to tour India in late September for a three-match ODI series.If Sammy’s right, Holder won’t be on that plane. That would close the book on an ODI career that ran for more than ten years. Honestly, the bigger surprise isn’t that he’s done with ODIs. At 34, Holder has been leaning more towards Tests and the franchise circuit for a while now. We saw how he changed the Gujarat Titans (GT) fortunes this year in the IPL.