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Kraigg Brathwaite

Kraigg Brathwaite batting at Perth Stadium, First Test Australia versus West Indies, 2 December 2022 02
Kraigg Brathwaite batting at Perth Stadium, First Test Australia versus West Indies, 2 December 2022 02 Image: Wikimedia Commons. Calistemon / CC BY-SA 4.0

Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite (born 1 December 1992) is a Barbadian cricketer and a former captain of the West Indies in Test cricket. A right-handed top-order batsman, he also bowls occasional off breaks, and is regarded primarily as a specialist Test opener.

Key facts

Full name Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite
Date of birth 1 December 1992
Nationality Barbadian
Batting Right-handed
Bowling Right-arm off break (occasional)
Role Opening batsman
International team West Indies
Notable position Former Test captain of the West Indies

Background

Brathwaite hails from Barbados and emerged as a teenage prospect in West Indies cricket, breaking into the Test side while still in his late teens. His game has been built around patient, defensive batting at the top of the order, a style suited to the demands of Test cricket.

Career

Early international cricket

Brathwaite established himself as a young Test batsman early in his career. On 6 November 2011, in a Test against India in Delhi, he scored 63, becoming only the second West Indian to register two Test fifties before his 19th birthday.

Test captaincy

Before being appointed permanent captain, Brathwaite stood in as stand-in captain for Jason Holder in seven Test matches. He subsequently took over from Holder as the permanent captain of the West Indies Test team.

Playing style

Brathwaite is a right-handed batsman known mainly for his role as a Test opener. He occasionally contributes with the ball as an off-break bowler, providing a part-time spin option for the side.

Significance

As a long-serving Test opener and former captain, Brathwaite has been a central figure in West Indies' red-ball cricket during a transitional period for the team. His early-career milestone of two Test fifties before turning 19 placed him in rare company within West Indian cricket history.

References