20-20 World Cup: Jason Holder to join West Indies after injury rules out Obed McCoy

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder has been named as a replacement for pacer Obed McCoy who has been ruled out of the 20-20 World Cup owing to a shin injury he suffered during the team's opening match against England.

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"The defending T20 World champions asked to replace Obed McCoy in their squad for the remainder of the tournament after the bowler was diagnosed with an injury to his right leg.

“And an ICC Event Technical Committee made up of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members) approved the change on Wednesday 27 October, allowing Jason Holder to join the 15,” ICC said in a statement on Thursday.

The West Indian all-rounder will be available for selection for the team’s next game against Bangladesh on Friday (October 29). Holder comes in with a vast amount of experience with under his belt 27 T20Is. The all-rounder has been in good form of late and did well for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). He managed to pick 16 wickets and scored 85 runs coming lower down the order.

West Indies chief selector Roger Harper said that Holder's experience of playing in the conditions owing to the IPL will be handy for the team, adding that he is a street smart cricketer and will fit into the team. “Jason Holder has been in the UAE for a while now and will fit quite well into the team unit. He is an experienced and knowledgeable cricketer who we know will be eager and excited to grab the opportunity.”

West Indies have got off to a horrendous start in this current edition of the 20-20 World Cup. The team have lost both their games against England and South Africa. The defending champions need to win all their matches to have a chance of qualifying for the next round.