Jason Holder: West Indies' Most Important Player at the 2015 Cricket World Cup

Of all the captains on show at the 2015 Cricket World Cup arguably none will be under more pressure than the West Indies' Jason Holder.

Expectations aren't especially high in the Caribbean camp, but even allowing for that, the young Barbadian could be in for a testing few weeks.

A surprise choice to take the armband, the 23-year-old will lead a team that has struggled for form in the run up to the competition. The West Indies have won just one of their seven most recent one-day internationals.

Holder enjoyed, or perhaps that should be endured, a tough baptism on the recent tour of South Africa. Trying to counter a rampant AB de Villiers would have challenged the accumulated wisdom of Mike Brearley, Bobby Simpson and Steve Waugh, let alone a greenhorn skipper.

The aftermath of the disastrous tour of India rumbles on, too. Holder will have to manage without the talents of the experienced Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard who were controversially omitted from the West Indies squad.

Despite a scratchy build which saw the West Indies walloped by England then squeak home by just three runs against Scotland, Holder remains optimistic about his side's chances.

He told a press conference via The Voice, “We've been inconsistent and not played to the best of our abilities but we have some world-beaters in our team. It's all about putting it all together.”

The West Indies squad contains some big names and even bigger personalities. Much of the Caribbean challenge will rest on how senior pros such as Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy perform. And how they react to having a much younger and inexperienced man in the driving seat.

Andres Leighton/Associated Press

Holder has only 26 ODI caps to his name compared Gayle's 263, Samuels' 167 and Sammy's 119. In fact, only two in the West Indies squad, Jonathan Carter and Sheldon Cottrell, have fewer caps than their skipper.

The West Indies captain doesn't foresee any difficulties on that score. Speaking to the media via NDTV, Holder said, "I have built a relationship with some of the senior players. Being captain has not been that difficult thus far. We didn't do too well in South Africa but we didn't have our full-strength team out there. I have a good relationship with all the guys."

For most young players, the pressure of performing with bat and ball is plenty to contend with, let alone leading the side as well.

Holder's one-day record is decent rather than spectacular—37 wickets at an average of 30.21 with an economy rate of 5.55. He does have pace, though, and could find antipodean conditions to his liking. If the West Indies are to spring a surprise and go deep in the competition, the skipper will need to lead from the front.

Clive Lloyd and the West Indian selectors have taken a big gamble by putting their faith in one so green at the highest level. The rewards are potentially very high if the bold Holder experiment does come off.

West Indian leadership could be set fair for years to come. Graeme Smith didn't do too badly for South Africa after all.

But as former New Zealand skipper noted in Wisden India, “If he cannot lift the team through action and deed then the wheels could easily fall off.”

Risks and rewards. The stakes are high for West Indian cricket.

Stats courtesy of ESPNcricinfo and Howstat.