ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

EX-WEST Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has blasted the decision by West Indies to include an extra batsman at the expense of a second strike bowler in their Super Eight match against New Zealand Thursday.

West Indies included Lendl Simmons for his first match of the Cricket World Cup, leaving out fast bowler Jerome Taylor for the match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

"Since nine o'clock this morning we have been trying to find a logical reason and we can't find a logical reason. You tend to see that happening a lot, though, that when they think their batting isn't doing well, they add a batsman and there's no point in adding a batsman to bat at number eight," Holding, now a television anchor, said in his post-match comments.

"If your first six or seven batsmen can't get the job done, what is number eight going to do? Number eight shouldn't be getting to the crease until you have 10 overs left, if that many. So what's the point in having a batsman at number eight? You need bowlers.

"You see what Shane Bond has been able to do for New Zealand. Every time (Stephen) Fleming needs a wicket, he throws the ball to Shane Bond, he gets a wicket or two. If it's not Shane Bond, then he goes to Daniel Vettori because he has two bowlers that can give him striking power.

"The West Indies, having left out Jerome Taylor, had one bowler that could give them strike power and he did that - he gave them two early wickets but there was no back up."

Despite the extra batsman, West Indies crumbled for 177 off 44.4 overs after being sent in by New Zealand.

Defending their small total,the hosts grabbed two early wickets to reduce the Kiwis to 36 for two but they quickly lost the advantage and went down to a seven-wicket defeat.

"Your top five or six batsmen have to get the job done and you (have to) pick some proper bowlers to get wickets when you need wickets," Holding said.

"The pitches that we are playing on - the pitches we saw in Jamaica, the pitches here in Antigua - are not bowler friendly. That means the little bowlers that just come around and put the ball on a line and length, unless you have lots of runs on the board, they are not going to get the job done.

"You need bowlers who can go out there and strike for you, get wickets when you want the wickets, so the West Indies have to pick strike bowlers and they have to rely on their top five or six batsmen.

"If they can't get the job done, well you have a problem but you cannot say you are going to pick eight batsmen, that just doesn't make sense."

Holding, who played 60 Tests taking 249 wickets, said West Indies had not lifted their game since the group stage in Jamaica.

"They played three games in Jamaica and won all three in Jamaica and they won them fairly wel a lot of people weren't convinced about the Zimbabwe win, it was still a very comfortable victory," the 53-year-old surmised.

"They have left Jamaica and come down here to Antigua, they are playing against better teams now. (Brian) Lara was saying they needed to keep on improving, which they haven't really done. They haven't improved at all from Jamaica and they are now playing against better teams and just not coming up to scratch."