Brathwaite steps down as West Indies test captain after 4 years

By Canadian Press on March 31, 2025.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Opening batter Kraigg Braithwaite resigned as the West Indies test captain on Monday after four years in the role.

Brathwaite said he’d warned the selectors at the start of the year and wanted to give a new captain time to bed in before Australia visit in June for three tests. That series also marks the start of a new World Test Championship cycle.

Brathwaite replaced Jason Holder as captain during the pandemic and on his watch the West Indies won or drew nine of 16 series.

They beat England at home in 2022, and won in Australia for the first time in 27 years in Brisbane in 2024. In his last game as captain, in January, West Indies ended a 34-year drought in Pakistan.

Brathwaite has played 98 tests, the last 88 in a row since 2014, eclipsing Garfield Sobers’ national record streak, but the job appeared to increasingly weigh on his batting.

His 54 in Multan in January, when he went after the Pakistan spinners, helped to set up an historic 120-run series-levelling win, but it was first half-century in 13 innings, and third half-century in two years.

“Kraigg Brathwaite has been an outstanding leader for our test team, guiding the squad with discipline, resilience, and a deep understanding of the game,” West Indies director of cricket Miles Bascombe said. “His contributions have been invaluable, and under his leadership we have witnessed historic moments that will be remembered for years. We thank Kraigg for his service as captain and look forward to his continued impact as a senior player.”

West Indies also announced a change in white-ball captain, with Shai Hope adding the Twenty20 job to his one-day international captaincy. Hope replaced fellow batter Rovman Powell, and his first series’ in charge will be on the tours of Ireland and England in May.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press

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