DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Despite overseeing an inexperienced squad for the ongoing tour, interim captain Kraigg Brathwaite said he has had no qualms about the job.
The 28-year-old was asked to lead the 15-man squad for the difficult two-Test tour after regular skipper Jason Holder, along with four other first choice Test players, declined selection for the series due to COVID-19 fears.
“It’s obviously challenging but I always enjoy it,” said Brathwaite, who also led the side here three years ago in Holder’s absence.
“From a young age I always enjoyed leading and I said, we have a good group here and the guys were disciplined. That always makes it easier. I always enjoy the challenge of captaining.”
Whereas Brathwaite endured a nightmare series in 2018 when West Indies lost both Tests inside three days, he enjoyed an excellent start to this series as his side stunned Bangladesh by three wickets in the first Test last Sunday.
He was widely praised for his leadership during the match, both in his batting and tactical approach when West Indies bowled, but Brathwaite deferred credit to the team for making the game a success.
“I was quite pleased [with my captaincy],” said the soft-spoken Barbadian.
“I thought the bowling unit did a great job in terms of being disciplined and bowling to their fields so kudos to them.
“A field setting is only as good as the bowler makes it so I thought the guys were really disciplined. The guys were supporting me so I was quite happy with that.”
He continued: “I had a lot of chats with the head coach (Phil Simmons) and the assistant Mr (Roddy) Estwick on different plans.
“I had a few chats with the players as well, especially the bowlers. We had little meetings where we discussed certain things and the guys were fully supportive.
“For me, I was planning different fields, thinking about different fields … but the key is to execute on the field, and at certain times the senior guys would’ve given advice and that was basically it.
“The guys were behind the plans and carried them out well and I thought we were very disciplined with the ball, keeping them to under three runs per over which was good. I think once we keep that discipline, pressure is what will bring wickets.”
Even though four debutants were included in the squad for the tour and five other players had all played less than 10 Tests, Brathwaite has contended from the start of the tour that the squad should not be considered under-strength.
And as such, he stessed he was under no additional pressure to perform as the only seasoned Test batsman in the group.
“I wouldn’t say this is a depleted squad. Everyone here is fully capable of doing well at international level, which I firmly believe,” he reiterated.
“For me there’s no added pressure. As the opening batsman, my role is always to build the foundation for the team and that’s what I’m accustomed to and that’s what I strive to do to the best of my ability.”