Kraigg Brathwaite replaces Jason Holder as the new Test Captain

Cricket West Indies has announced that Kraigg Brathwaite will take over from Jason Holder as the new Test captain ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka. Jason Holder has led the side in 37 Tests since 2015.

Holder is the top-ranked allrounder in Test rankings and took on the role from Denesh Ramdin in 2015. He helped the side achieve 11 wins and five draws while also suffering 21 defeats.

“On behalf of CWI, I would like to thank Jason for all he has given to the game in the region while serving as Captain of our Test team. Throughout his five-and-a-half-year tenure, he has led with dignity while always upholding the highest values of the sport. As the world’s leading Test all-rounder, we all believe that Jason still has a tremendous role to play in West Indies Test Cricket for many years to come.” Jimmy Adams, Cricket West Indies Director of Cricket, said.

Kraigg Brathwaite led the West Indies side in Bangladesh where the top players of the team decided to stay away from. New heroes rose in the form of Nkrumah Boner, Kyle Mayer, Joshua Da Silva. The Windies Test opener led his team to a 2-0 series win.

Chief selector Roger Harper felt the series win in Bangladesh showed Brathwaite’s true potential as a leader. Brathwaite, who has led the side in seven Tests, helped West Indies seal a historic series win in Bangladesh where they pulled off the highest chase in Asia in the first Test. They then sealed a thriller by 17 runs to complete a series sweep.

“We all believe that Kraigg is the right man to lead our Test side at this point in time and I’m delighted that he has accepted the role,” he said. “In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, Kraigg was able to motivate his players to play to a very high level and create the culture we are looking to establish where the team showed a collective determination to fight and a real hunger for success.”

Brathwaite’s aim will be to help West Indies perform better in the next World Test Championship cycle. They finished sixth in the inaugural cycle where they won three Tests in four series to finish with 160 points.

“It is a huge honour to be given the Captaincy of the West Indies Test team. I feel extremely proud and humbled that the Board and Selectors have given me the opportunity and responsibility to lead the team. The recent Test Series win in Bangladesh was a fantastic achievement and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka and I’m excited about what I believe this team can achieve in the future” Brathwaite mentioned.

West Indies will play the first Test against Sri Lanka from March 21 followed by the 2nd Test on March 29.