West Indies national cricket team head coach Darren Sammy has clarified that Jason Holder has not retired from ODI cricket, correcting his earlier statement that the all-rounder has retired from his 50-over career.
Speaking after his interview with Wisden, Darren Sammy admitted that he had used the wrong words and revealed that Jason Holder is on an indefinite break from ODI cricket.
Earlier, while talking to Wisden, Darren Sammy had said that Jason Holder remains a contender for the West Indies Test team but he has retired from ODI cricket. Sammy admitted that Holder’s commitments in the franchise league have made his availability a significant talking point, but revealed that the all-rounder had expressed a clear desire to continue playing Test cricket.
Sammy had said, “Jason is still included in the Test team. I know he has retired from ODI cricket.” “He has talked about his interest, but obviously you know he is a franchise player as well. So, we are talking about availability, where he fits in. But yes, he has made it clear that he is still interested in Test cricket.”
Darren Sammy corrects his words about Jason Holder
Although Darren Sammy said in a podcast that Jason Holder has retired from ODI cricket, there was no official confirmation from the all-rounder himself.
Now Sammy has clarified that Holder has not retired from the 50-over format and his choice of words was wrong and the all-rounder is on an indefinite break from ODI cricket.
“In response to a question about Jason’s international future outside of T20 cricket, I have mistakenly retired him from ODI cricket. This was the wrong choice of words on my part, and I sincerely apologize to Jason, Cricket West Indies and our fans for the confusion it has caused.”
“The correct position is that Jason has taken an indefinite break from ODI cricket. He has not retired from the format, and he remains in the mix for West Indies selection. Jason remains an important part of our player pool, and Cricket West Indies remains in regular dialogue with him regarding his availability in all formats of the international game.”
“Once again, I regret the error and appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight.”
Jason Holder’s ODI career and recent form
Holder has scored 2,237 runs and taken 159 wickets in 138 matches. He last played an ODI against Scotland in July 2023, which was the ICC World Cup Qualifier, where Scotland surprised West Indies by winning the match by 7 wickets.
The 34-year-old player has been in good form in the T20I format. In 2025, Holder took 97 wickets across all T20s, breaking the record for most wickets in the format in a calendar year.
Thus, he was picked up by IPL team Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 7 crore during the 2026 mini-auction, and he performed well for the franchise. He had his best IPL season with the ball, taking 17 wickets with an economy of 7.56 for the Titans as he bowled consistently well in the middle overs.
