West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has urged for more Test cricket for his team, highlighting the need for consistent experience to improve their performance. This comes after a crushing defeat to England in the first Test at Lord’s, where they suffered an innings and 114-run loss. The difference between the two teams extends beyond just on-field performances. England, as one of the financial giants of international cricket alongside India and Australia, has a significantly denser Test schedule compared to the West Indies. While England is set to play its seventh Test out of a total of 17 this year, the West Indies will be playing only its third Test in 2024.
Brathwaite expressed the team’s desire for more Test matches, stating that increased exposure would accelerate their learning process. He emphasized the challenge of improving when Test matches are scattered throughout the year, making it difficult to build momentum. “It’s a challenge. I mean, we’re longing for more Test cricket,” Brathwaite said at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “I think the more you play it, the faster you will learn. If it’s drawn over a long period of time, playing two Tests here, two Tests there, you will take longer to learn. We need more Tests.”
The captain acknowledged the disparity in scheduling and expressed his hope for a change in the future. “All I can do is keep preaching for it. I don’t know how hard it is to put on a Test series for the West Indies but all I can do is keep asking. I just hope the powers that be that may control the schedule pertaining to white ball and T20 tournaments, can fit in five or six more Test matches for us per year.”
Beyond the lack of Test experience, the West Indies must address their batting performance to compete in the series. The team was bowled out for just 121 and 136 in the first Test, with experienced opener Brathwaite scoring only 10 runs across the two innings. “It’s pretty simple what we’ve got to do — we’ve got to bat a lot better,” said Brathwaite, who has a Test century at Headingley in England from seven years ago. “We’ve got to find a way. We’ve just got to put runs on the board. I know what I have to do and it’s obviously important to lead this team and lead the batting. “We’ve just got to keep learning.”
