Kraigg Brathwaite

He might not be one of the most attractive batsmen going around but Kraigg Brathwaite’s focus and concentration make him an indispensable part of the West Indies batting line-up in the longest format of the game. He loves playing the flashy cover drives but hardly plays it away from the body. He has a solid technique and is tailor-made for the longest format of the game. A solid technique to go with, Brathwaite has gone onto become a vital cog in the Windies line-up since making his Test debut against Pakistan in May 2011. 

His Test debut came before he led West Indies in the U-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012. With the impressive half-centuries, Brathwaite scored 213 runs in 6 encounters and this was for the second time he was plying his trade in U-19 cricket after having played for them in 2010 as well. In 2010, he had a tremendous run with the bat, scoring 335 runs in 6 encounters as finished as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. 

It was in 2009 that Brathwaite received his maiden international call-up, when several Windies players boycotted from the tour against Bangladesh due to payment issues. However, he couldn’t make his debut and still had to wait for his maiden international cap. It was right after the 2011 World Cup that Brathwaite found himself in the Windies squad and proved his mettle with some useful knocks in spin-friendly tracks in India. However, his career came to a standstill when he scored three ducks in five matches against Australia and ended up losing his place. 

The Bridgetown-born was recalled to the national side for the tour of New Zealand in 2013 after scoring consistently for West Indies A against the India counterparts. Since then, Brathwaite’s career graph as a Test batsman went upwards and always found himself in the thick of things. The Barbadian was made the captain of the Test side replacing Jason Holder in 2021 after he led them to a historic Test series win in Bangladesh. 

It was in 2014 that Brathwaite starred in one of West Indies’s greatest Test victories in the era when his century helped the Windies thrash an in-form Kiwis. That was followed by two special knocks against Pakistan in 2016 when he scored 142 and 60 to lead them to a historic win in UAE. His first-innings ton against England in 2015 paved the way for an incredible Test win at Leeds. The red-ball specialist has been an integral part of the Test setup over the last many years but his consistency hasn’t been that great. With age still on his side, Brathwaite will look to score more consistently in the final phase of his career for the West Indies.