West Indies defeated Australia in the first World Cup final in 1975 and although the fortunes of the once all-conquering Caribbean team have declined, the history between the sides should ensure a compelling game. “It’s always been a great rivalry between us,” Holder told reporters.
“I think everybody is expecting a really good contest. We’re up for the challenge. I think it (Australia) is up for the challenge as well. I’m not caught up with the rivalry. It’s a matter for us to go into the game looking to execute our plans and beat Australia.” Both teams won their opening matches of the event, with West Indies crushing Pakistan.
“We obviously had one game here before,” said Holder. “We bowled 22 overs (against Pakistan). We didn’t get a full allotment. But having said that, we’ve got a little bit of knowledge about the ground, how the wicket plays.” Pakistan got the better of favourite and host England in its second match and Holder is not getting carried away.
“As I said, it’s a wide-open tournament. All 10 teams are capable of lifting the WC. That’s why we’re here, they’re the 10 best teams in the world. So I wouldn’t get into the games that have been played,” he added. West Indies has had fitness concerns over Chris Gayle and all-rounder Andre Russell. “The beauty with both of those guys is they’ve played enough cricket. We just tend to trust them, take their word and then make a final decision. Gayle was at practice for the last couple of days, so he is all well and ready to go. We’re very, very hopeful that Andre will be fit.”
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