- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 03/Jul 20:11

Cheers to Kraigg Brathwaite: Ex-Windies skipper joins 100-Test club

FORMER West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite has joined a special group of Windies players, as he earned his 100th Test cap in the second Test against Australia, which bowled off at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada on July 3. Brathwaite, who stepped down as the Windies Test captain after their two-match series away to Pakistan in January, is now the tenth West Indian player to reach 100 Tests. The other nine players in the Windies' 100-Test club are: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (164); Courtney Walsh (132); Brian Lara (130); Sir Vivian Ricahrds (121); Desmond Haynes (116); Clive Lloyd (110); Gordon Greenidge (108); Chris Gayle (103) and Carl Hooper (102). Before the start of the Test, Brathwaite was presented with a customised cap to mark his 100th Test, to go along with a trophy. Cricket West Indies president Kishore Shallow and former Windies bowling coach Roddy Estwick were on hand to make the presentation to Brathwaite. "Kraigg, 17 years ago, you told me you wanted to play 100 Test matches for the West Indies," said Estwick, who coached Brathwaite at secondary school. "You've been true to your word, disciplined and dedicated. You've now joined ten people who have played 100 Test matches for West Indies. "You've got another target – you can be (among) another ten who have made 6,000 Test runs for the West Indies. All the best and good luck." The 32-year-old Brathwaite made his Test debut at 18 against Pakistan in 2011. The West Indies team was then captained by Daren Sammy, who currently serves as the team's coach in all formats. At the start of the match, Brathwaite had 5,943 Test runs to his name at an average of 32.83. He has scored 12 hundreds and 31 fifties. Brathwaite is 11th on the Windies' scoring charts in Tests and needs just seven runs to crack into the top ten. He needs 57 more runs to join the nine Windies players who have scored 6,000 runs or more in Tests. The post Cheers to Kraigg Brathwaite: Ex-Windies skipper joins 100-Test club appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.