Was shocked when removed from West Indies' captaincy, says Jason Holder

Jason Holder has revealed that he was in shock when he was relieved from the West Indies Test captaincy and said that he now wants to focus more on his game and be a sounding board for youngsters looking for guidance.

Holder, 29, who is among the game's leading allrounders with a Test batting average of 33.13 and a bowling return of 27.41, captained West Indies in 37 Tests since taking over in 2015 with 11 wins, five draws, and 21 defeats. After 47 Tests, Holder has 123 wickets and the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for Test allrounders.

"Yeah, it is been difficult. I probably may not show it, but it has been difficult," ESPNcricinfo quoted Holder, a couple of days before the start of West Indies' first Test against South Africa in St Lucia.

"For the last five-six years, I have been captaining West Indies, whether that be Test-match cricket or one-day cricket. So now being relieved of both captaincies, it has been a strange transition for me personally," he said.

Kraigg Brathwaite replaced Holder following his success in leading the Caribbean team to a 2-0 victory in Bangladesh. Roger Harper, the lead selector, has stated that Brathwaite's role in the Bangladesh tour, where West Indies were without a number of first-choice players, had played a key part in making the change.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel named the West Indies men's 13-member squad for the first Test against South Africa, beginning this Thursday.