Cricket West Indies has officially named 20-year-old Kraigg Brathwaite as the new Test captain of the team.
Kraigg Brathwaite has officially replaced Jason Holder as the latest Test captain of the West Indies team. This has been made official in an announcement by Cricket West Indies (CWI). This announcement shortly followed after the former captain had withdrawn himself from the touring party amid COVID-19 concerns.
During his five-and-a-half-year tenure, Holder has captained the team in 37 Tests since he took on the role in 2015. It was under his captaincy that the team achieved 11 wins, 5 draws, and 21 defeats. Given that he is a top-ranked allrounder when it comes to Test matches, CWI has acknowledged Holder’s service to the team. Aside from that, they also said that they believe that Holder will still play a huge part in the West Indies Test cricket scene.
CWI chief selector Roger Harper then made a decision on who can replace Holder. With that, he shared how he thought Brathwaite had the potential of leading the team. This was observed after the 20-year-old player has successfully led the team in seven Tests. In fact, it was under his captaincy that the team sealed a historic win against Bangladesh.
In an interview, Harper said, ‘We all believe that Kraigg is the right man to lead our Test side at this point in time and I'm delighted that he has accepted the role. In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, Kraigg was able to motivate his players to play to a very high level and create the culture we are looking to establish where the team showed a collective determination to fight and a real hunger for success’.
In response, Brathwaite talked about his new role where he said, ‘It is a huge honour to be given the Captaincy of the West Indies Test team. I feel extremely proud and humbled that the Board and Selectors have given me the opportunity and responsibility to lead the team’.
By accepting the role, Brathwaite will lead the team against the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka which will be played on March 21 and March 29. To further understand how Test matches are played, visit Betwala.
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