Estwick believes Kraigg Brathwaite will be a good captain for Windies

Windies opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite is all set to lead the Windies team in the second Test against the New Zealand side. The second Test commences on December 9 at Hamilton. While it comes as a joyful news for Brathwaite that he would be leading the national side, the way it has come will not be very soothing for him.

Kraigg Brathwaite, the vice captain of the side, got his chance to lead the side after regular skipper Jason Holder was suspended by the ICC for one match. Holder faced the wrath of the ICC following a slow over rate in the Wellington Test. Meanwhile, team’s assistant coach, Roddy Estwick, feels that Brathwaite is a perfect fit for the captaincy role. He conceded that he has been watching him since his childhood days.

“Leadership is not anything new to Kraigg. Obviously I’ve known him from a little boy at Combermere [secondary school] and he’s captained right through school at Combermere. He was Barbados Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 [captain] and West Indies Under-19 captain to the World Cup so it’s nothing new to him. It’s something I would say he’s been groomed for,” quoted Estwick.

“It’s unfortunate the way he’s got the captaincy for this match but we’ve got to put that behind us, we’ve go to support him, we’ve got to help him, we’ve got to rally around him and we’ve got to go out and play good positive cricket,” he added further.

On Brathwaite’s leadership skills

Speaking further on the same note, Estwick remarked that Kraigg Brathwaite has the potential to lead by example. In the first Test, Brathwaite was the only Windies batsman to show resistance in the dwindling second innings. Estwick cited the same fact and pointed out that Brathwaite puts a price on his wicket and that is something which he will be expecting from his fellow players too.

“He will lead by example. He’s someone who will put a price on his wicket, he’s a person who will give 100 per cent at all times and he will expect his players to do that as well. He will expect his players not to give an inch, not to let their heads drop and continue to work hard and stay disciplined, and those are the things he’s going to bring to the table,” noted the assistant coach.

On the Hamilton Test

Talking about the team performance, the assistant coach expressed his disappointment with the end result. He conceded that being bowled out cheaply on the very first day never helps the team’s cause. He, however, hopes that the team forgets the result of the Wellington Test and comes up with an improved performance in the Hamilton game.

“It (first Test result) was very disappointing. We didn’t play well in that Test match at all. We didn’t bowl as well as we would’ve liked, we certainly didn’t bat as well as expected. Obviously if you’re going to be bowled out on the first day of a Test match just before tea for 134, it’s always going to be an uphill struggle,” Roddy Estwick remarked.

“What we’ve got to do now is put that behind us and over the next couple of days really work hard and bounce back. We’ve done it before and if we can remain focused and disciplined, and keep our belief as strong as possible, we can bounce back in his coming Test match,” he added further.