Holder dedicates Test triumph to Alzarri Joseph after death of mother

Jason Holder dedicated West Indies’ stunning victory in the second Test in Antigua to Alzarri Joseph and his family, after the young fast bowler played on despite the overnight death of his mother, Sharon, to help deliver a 10-wicket victory over England, and with it, an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Speaking at the end of a hugely emotional day, Holder admitted that the death of Joseph’s mother, who had been ill for some time with a brain tumour, had forced his team to come together and put on a show in support of their bereaved teammate. “It’s difficult to describe the feelings,” said Holder. “We started the day with a daunting task, trying to push on our lead, and then we got the news about Alzarri’s mum so we all wanted to rally around one another and we wanted to do it for her.
“Joseph, who had claimed the wicket of Joe Denly in the first innings with the first ball he had ever bowled in a Test on his home island, took a full part in the team’s warm-ups, and was then given a long and sympathetic ovation by the crowd when he came out to bat at number 10 in West Indies’ first innings. He scored seven from 20 balls to help stretch their lead to a precious 119, with players from both sides wearing black armbands as a mark of respect. Joseph then delivered a searing seven-over spell to help devastate England’s prospects of a fight back, bowling Joe Denly with an inducker before having Joe Root caught behind on review, and also having Ben Stokes dropped at slip for what would have been a second-ball duck.
“Alzarri was exceptional. It took a lot of heart for him to be on the field today, I think a lot of people wouldn’t have been able to, but credit to him. “I just want to say condolences to him and his family, it is a tough loss. I came here two or three years ago and visited his mum, she wasn’t doing well at that stage but fought through, so I felt it personally this morning when I got the news that she had passed away. “To see him in tears this morning was even harder, and we came together in the huddle and we just wanted to do it for him and we dedicate this day to him, his mum and his family (espncricinfo)