AFTER a string of low scores this series, West Indies coach Daren Sammy made the bold decision to drop opener Kraigg Brathwaite for the final Test against Australia which started yesterday at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
In the day/night fixture, Australia opted to bat first and reached 138 for three after 52 overs at the dinner break late yesterday.
The move to drop Brathwaite ended the Barbadian’s record run of consecutive appearances in the longest format for the West Indies.
Brathwaite played in 90 straight Tests for the regional side, not missing a single game since 2014. That run took him straight up to his 100th Test in Grenada in the second match of the ongoing series.
Having played 100 Tests, Brathwaite joined elite company, becoming only the tenth West Indian to reach that milestone.
In reaching the landmark, Brathwaite broke the long-standing West Indies record of Gary Sobers, who played 85 consecutive Test matches between 1955 and 1972. The next few West Indians on this list are Desmond Haynes (72 matches), Brian Lara (64 matches), and Rohan Kanhai and Viv Richards (61 matches each).
Reflecting on his milestone, Brathwaite said: “I set that goal when I was probably 14 years old —to play 100 Tests. Now I’m here, 18 years later, playing for West Indies. I’m very thankful, and I just want to be an inspiration, for younger guys to follow. I didn’t want to just be another player—I wanted to make an impact.”
However, the run-scoring output has steadily declined for 32-year-old, who has 5,950 Test runs at an average of 32.51.
However, in nine Tests in 2024, Brathwaite scored one half-century. In four Tests this year, he has a high-score of 52.
In in the ongoing series, Brathwaite scored 15 runs in four innings before being dropped.
Sammy hinted at changes for the final Test having already lost the first two games.
“All options are on the table,” Sammy said following the second Test.
“Obviously Kraigg just played his 100th Test match, [but] he hasn’t looked good this series and in a team where you’re searching for performances, you get very close to say, ok, do we give somebody else a chance.
“But we will really have a good discussion, myself, the selection group and the captain, about that particular situation. Definitely we will have a look at that and see the guys that are in the squad and how fair it is to move on as quickly as three Test matches.”
Even before the Grenada Test, former West Indies fast bowler Tony Gray advocated that based on his current form, the opener should not have been selected.
“We have to be less emotional about selecting a person who’s struggling. He’s had 12 centuries in 100 Tests, but he’s struggling,” Gray said.
“He was never technically good. He’s short on confidence, and you really want an opening batsman to not just be technically sound, but confident going out there to set the tone. I’m not going to call off his career, but he lacked confidence at the moment and you saw that in the first game. We should not pick him based on emotions.”
Former Trinidad and Tobago player Andre Lawrence was also critical of Brathwaite’s selection and the selections process in general.
“If it (selection process) was fully data driven, it would have identified that Brathwaite was averaging 19 in Test cricket over the last year. I actually called for him not to be selected for this series. He’s now scored 15 runs at an average of 3.75 to date. Once again, wrong decision and the results are showing up.”
Brathwaite, who made his Test debut in 2011, captained the West Indies in 39 Tests before stepping down earlier this year. Among his achievements as captain were a famous 2-0 series win in Bangladesh in 2021, and a similarly famous win against Australia in the second Test at Brisbane to draw the two-match series 1-1.
WI make other changes, pick up injuries
Along with Brathwaite, fast bowlers Anderson Phillip was also left out of the starting line-up along with middle order batter Keacy Carty.
Coming into the starting team were Kevlon Anderson, who is making his debut, opener Mikyle Louis and vice-captain, left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican.
Yesterday Louis had to leave the field after hurting a knee. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph also had to go for a scan after experiencing some discomfort while bowling, while the other opener, John Campbell, also had to seek treatment after sustaining a blow while fielding.
Dinner score:
AUSTRALIA 138-3, 52 overs (Cameron Green 46, Steven Smith 36 not out, Usman Khawaja 23, Sam Konstas 17).
vs West Indies: Roston Chase (Captain), Mikyle Louis, John Campbell, Kevlon Anderson, Brandon King, Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, Alzarri Joseph, Jomel Warrican, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales.
