The ongoing second Test match between the West Indies and Bangladesh at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica is a historic one for West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite as he now holds the record for most consecutive Tests played by a West Indian with 86, surpassing his legendary countryman, Sir Garfield Sobers.
The significance of this achievement is magnified by the fact that it takes place on Barbados’ Independence Day, a fitting moment to celebrate the island's contributions to West Indies cricket.
For Brathwaite, surpassing Sobers—a name synonymous with excellence in cricket—feels surreal. Sobers inspired generations, and now Brathwaite carries that legacy forward.
“It means a lot,” Brathwaite said in an interview with CWI Content and Media Officer Jerome Foster prior to the second Test.
“I’m extremely thankful because in this generation, there’s a lot of T10 and T20 cricket, but Test cricket is the real test. At the end, I will feel like I’ve done a really good job for the West Indies,” he added.
Brathwaite recalls setting a bold goal during his school days with his coach, Mr. Roddy Estwick, a goal that continues to drive him today.
“My goal—I will never forget—was to play 100 Test matches. Not just to play them, but to earn 100 caps for the West Indies. That is what my life has been about. Test cricket is everything to me, and I can never be in this position without putting God first.”
Brathwaite made his Test debut in 2011 against Pakistan at Warner Park. After being dropped for nine matches, he returned in June 2014 to score his maiden Test century against New Zealand.
Since then, he has been a consistent presence at the top of the order for the men in maroon.
“You know, it’s just hard work,” he explains.
“Hard work over the years, knowing what to improve, identifying areas to work on when you get back home. To succeed at this level for a long time, only hard work and perseverance will get you through.”
Brathwaite will hope to crown this achievement with a brilliant performance with the bat as the hosts look to secure a series win.
At publishing, Bangladesh were 22-2 after 9.2 overs after winning the toss and batting first after a delayed start due to a wet outfield.
All square: Roach strikes twice but Bangladesh stage mini recovery after Windies spill catches
The decisive Test between the West Indies and Bangladesh began with an intriguing day of cricket at Sabina Park on Saturday, leaving both teams with reasons for optimism as play closed with the visitors on 69-2.
Bangladesh’s opening batsman Shadman Islam ended the day unbeaten on 50 as he enjoyed some good fortune, while Shahadat Hossain provided support and was also unbeaten on 12 heading into Sunday’s second day.
Kemar Roach (2-20) took both wickets so far for the hosts to ensure the contest remained finely poised after Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat.
The opening day was marred by overnight showers, leaving the outfield damp and delaying the start until 3:00 pm. Despite the lost time, both teams approached the match with intent on a grassy surface that seemed to favour the seamers early on.
Roach, the West Indies’ pace spearhead, quickly found his rhythm and made the initial breakthrough, dismissing Mahmudul Hasan Joy for three. A perfect delivery outside off-stump found the edge, and wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva did the rest behind the stumps.
Roach struck again soon after to claim his 50th wicket against Bangladesh, removing Mominul Haque for a duck. A sharp, rising delivery took the edge, with da Silva diving to his right to take another impressive catch.
While wickets fell around him, Shadman Islam played a composed innings, frustrating the West Indies bowlers with disciplined shot selection. His unbeaten half-century anchored the Bangladesh innings, providing a foundation for the visitors to build on in the coming days.
However, Shadman’s stay at the crease wasn’t without drama. He was handed two lives—first on 15 when Alick Athanaze spilled a chance at first slip, and again on 35 when West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite dropped him at cover.
The most comical moment of the day came when Shahadat Hossain edged a Jayden Seales delivery on eight. The ball popped out of Athanaze’s hands and rebounded to Kavem Hodge at first slip, who also spilled the catch. The ball then landed out of Athanaze’s reach as he scrambled to recover.
These missed chances could prove costly for the West Indies, as both batters remain unbeaten heading into day two.
Pooran’s Gladiators prepare for playoffs with three-run win over Delhi Bulls
The Deccan Gladiators got their sixth win in seven games to end the league phase of the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 at the top of the table.
The Gladiators prepared for Sunday’s qualifier one against the Morrisville Samp Army with a tense three-run win over the Delhi Bulls at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Captain Nicholas Pooran hit a top score of 28 while Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jos Buttler made 21, each, as the Gladiators posted 102-5 from their 10 overs after winning the toss.
Shahid Bhutta and Salman Irshad took 2-13 and 2-15, respectively.
Despite a rapid 30* off just 14 balls from Tim David and 29 off 14 balls from Tom Banton at the top of the order, the Bulls fell agonizingly short of their target, reaching 99-7 off their 10 overs.
Man of the match Anrich Nortje took 3-15 from his two overs while Usman Tariq took 2-10.
The Bulls tournament is not over, however, as they will take on the UP Nawabs in the first eliminator, also on Sunday.
The winner of that game will take on Team Abu Dhabi in second eliminator later on Sunday.
The winner of the second eliminator will advance to qualifier two later on Sunday against the loser of the first qualifier between the Gladiators and the Samp Army on Monday.
The winner of qualifier two will then take on the winner of qualifier one in the final, also on Monday.
Lahore Qalandars claim dramatic four-run win over Hampshire Hawks in GSL
The fourth match of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) took pace under blue skies and bright sunshine in Providence, Guyana, on Saturday and saw the Lahore Qalandars defeat the Hampshire Hawks by four runs.
Carlos Braithwaite won the coin toss and decided to have first use with the bat but his side were put under immediate pressure by the English outfit.
Mirza Baig was cleaned up in the second over by the wily left-arm spin of Danny Briggs whilst opening partner Adam Rossington hung around to provide some stability.
Qalandars couldn’t break the shackles though, when Rossington fell for 30 off 29 deliveries the Pakistani side were struggling at 37-3 off eight overs.
It was the story of their innings, Hampshire bowled tight lines and denied Qalandars opportunities to pick up easy runs or opportunities to find the fence with any regularity.
Some much needed lower order hitting from Player of the Match Luke Wells (35* off 24) and from Muhammad Akhlaq (23* off 12) would prove crucial though, Akhlaq smiting three sixes off James Fuller’s second over with some lusty blows down the ground and over midwicket.
Hampshire struggled with the bat in response, spluttering to 50 off the first ten overs, leaving them with a demanding run rate for the rest of the game.
Asif Afridi’s left arm spin blocked up the scoring, just 16 runs came off his set of four overs and the Hawks joined up a series of dots with the bat to see their required run rate go into double figures.
With three overs to go the Hawks needed 36 from 18 deliveries. Ashraf pulled off a fantastic catch diving forward low to the turf to get rid of the dangerous looking Howell and then Liam Dawson committed the cardinal blunder of not sliding his bat in when attempting a quick single a couple of balls later, Carlos Brathwaite and Shamsi combining to run him out at the non-strikers end.
Chris Wood hit the final ball of the penultimate over from Ashraf’s over wide long-on for six to leave the Hawks requiring 21 off the final over. Captain Brathwaite took it upon himself to bowl it for the Qalandars and his opposite number Wood was then run out in a similar manner to Dawson.
There was a sting in the tale and late drama as James Fuller hit two consecutive sixes off Brathwaite to leave Hawks needing a third in a row to steal the win at the last. Brathwaite held his nerve to deliver a perfect yorker and secure the win for Qalandars. Both sides have now won one and lost one as things tightened up in the GSL table.
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