Windies will have same attitude, determination and fight against Sri Lanka, promises Kraigg Brathwaite
Brathwaite returns as the skipper for the Windies side
|After whitewashing Bangladesh, Kraig Brathwaite has promised that the Windies Test team will have the same attitude, determination and fight on offer against the Sri Lankan side. Whilst adding the team is on a great path in Tests, he added that Holder and Bravo would return to the side.
For West Indies, the Bangladesh series was supposed to be a game-changer, especially with Jason Holder and Darren Bravo missing out from the series. However, under the leadership of Kraig Braithwaite, with performances from new stars such as Kyle Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua Da Silva, Windies completed a 2-0 whitewash over the Asian side Bangladesh away from home at the start of the year.
Now, the challenge is different, against Sri Lanka, who have in the past shown signs of being a great Test side. But Sri Lanka will come into the series with a point to prove, after failing at home against England. However, West Indies new skipper Kraig Brathwaite promised that his boys will have the same attitude, determination and fight against Sri Lanka.
"We have the same attitude [like what we had in Bangladesh], the same determination and the same fight, and we want to keep that discipline. As a Test team, we are on a great path with guys going and grabbing opportunities to score runs, and on a great path to play teams in the Test arena," Brathwaite told pressers, ahead of the series opener, reported ESPNCricinfo.
For the series, there would be the return of two Windies stars - Bravo and Holder - who would find themselves a place in the playing XI. Jason Holder, who previously had the leadership duties, would play for the first time since the defeat against New Zealand, last year.
"The two of them are quality international cricketers and we know what they can give [to the side]. Jason is the No. 1 allrounder in the world and Darren Bravo is a quality batsman. So they will fit in - [it will be] quite normal to be honest," he added.
While stating that nothing dramatic would change from Bangladesh, the Windies opener added that he wants the guys to ‘trust’ themselves and their abilities in the series. If the spin was a major factor in Bangladesh, Brathwaite expects that it won’t be anything short in Windies, especially with Sri Lanka’s bowling heavily spin-favoured.
"So pretty much the plans won't change; I just want the guys to trust themselves. We came out with different plans how we want to go about each bowler - whether a pacer or a spinner - and the main thing is that we are not taking it for granted. We're not thinking that we won't get spin here. They have some quality spinners, but we have plans to go about each bowler and we're going to trust them 100% - as simple as that."
