Jason Holder

Jason Holder was seen as a future talent until a selection panel headed by former World Cup-winner Clive Lloyd appointed him West Indies' ODI captain in 2014. Holder was only 23 at the time, and was still making his way as a fast bowler and a lower-middle order batsman. Less than a year later, he took over the Test team too, indicating how much the WICB and men in the know - ranging from Viv Richards to Brian Lara to Tony Cozier - believed in this man, who comes across as remarkably level-headed and mature for someone so young.

A reliable batsman and a steady medium-pacer - both suits being works in progress - Holder was born in Barbados and was the recipient of the prestigious Lord Gavron Award in 2009. He played one first-class game before being called up for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where he was his team's leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets. He replaced the injured Tino Best for West Indies' limited-overs leg of the Bangladesh tour in 2011, and made his international debut in Australia a few months later. A Test debut came against New Zealand in Bridgetown in June 2014, and he took two wickets and made a fighting 52 at No. 7. He had been signed by Chennai Super Kings in the 2013 IPL auction, but was dropped. However, in 2016, he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders.

At 6 feet and seven inches tall, Holder is a soft-spoken man, and so there were questions over his ability to lead a team of older and vastly more experienced cricketers. His maiden Test century - against England in April 2015 - showcased his mental strength. West Indies were 189 for 6 when he came in to bat at No. 8 and his 214-minute defiance saved the match for his team. On a tour of Australia in 2015-16, his authority seemed to come into question when stories of his bowlers refusing to bowl into the wind surfaced, but Holder quashed them on Twitter saying, "Be careful what you read! My fast bowlers had a tough game but every time I called on them they came up and gave effort. Never once refused!"

He captained West Indies in the 2015 World Cup, where they won three out of seven matches. He was also part of the squad that won the 2016 World T20, though he didn't play a game.
ESPNcricinfo staff