Seasoned opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who led West Indies to a historic 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, was appointed as the Test captain last week. The 28-year-old became the 37th cricketer to be named as the West Indies Test captain.
Brathwaite will be replacing star all-rounder Jason Holder, who led West Indies in 37 Tests since taking over from Denesh Ramdin in 2015 as captain, as captain.
“I just want to thank god for giving me this opportunity, and also want to say I thought Jason Holder did a superb job leading the Test team for the last five years, so obviously taking over from him is a privilege. I was very happy [to be made captain], obviously very proud, and I look forward to the challenge,” Brathwaite said.
“Well, I really enjoyed that tour. For me, I just made sure I let the guys know, to believe in themselves and believe in their ability. I’ve played youth cricket with most of those guys, and if not, first-class cricket for a number of years, so I know the ability they have. Just assured them that they can do it,” Brathwaite said about the 2-0 Test series win in Bangladesh last month.
“Just trust in your plans and believe in them, and prepare well. The word attitude is always key, and I thought we did that well, and it’s important for us as a team to continue that same attitude.”
While the right-hander has led the West Indies side 7 times as stand-in captain before, Brathwaite’s first assignment with the permanent leadership role will be the upcoming two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka starting on March 21.
