Holder and WI search for inspiration

Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, said his team would take heart from the efforts of Darren Bravo, Kraigg Brathwaite and also James Pattinson in trying to regather from a humiliating defeat to Australia in the first Test in Hobart.

Bravo and Brathwaite excelled with a pair of fine innings that stood in stark contrast to the horrid returns of the rest of the batting order, and Holder said their example had to be the starting point for his side's preparation for the second Test in Melbourne from Boxing Day.

"I think you need to look at inspiring performances, like how Darren Bravo played," Holder said. "He just showed that once he applied himself and spent some time in the middle that runs could be made out there."

"The way Kraigg Brathwaite played in the second innings [was impressive], a real fighting innings. He pushed for a hundred but unfortunately didn't get it. We just need to look at those inspiring performances, and probably look back to performances where we've done well in the past, and just try to relive those moments and bring it into this Test series."

Holder was also disappointed with their work at the start of the Hobart Test, when they conceded 438 runs for only three wickets in 89 overs.

"Obviously we weren't good enough on the first day, plain and simple. We didn't bowl well, we didn't string enough good balls in pretty good areas long enough, and as a result they were scoring pretty rapidly from the get go. We obviously need to highlight that area and work on it before the second Test match."

But there are ways to recover from a bad first impression, as Pattinson did. Returning from injury and with a reworked action, he was unable to take any wickets in the first innings. But second time around, he fired out five West Indian batsmen.

"Pattinson showed you can come back in the second innings and produce those kinds of spells," Holder said. "That's what good bowlers show, the ability to bounce back after not having the best start. We can take a page from his book and start to turn things around.

"The results haven't gone my way and it's been tough times. But I can think back, that for a number of years West Indies cricket has been like this. I'm not making any excuses for anybody, but at the end of the day it's a situation most of us have found ourselves in [before].

"We need to find a way to pick ourselves up and turn things around. The only way we can turn it around is by performances."