Kraigg Brathwaite

While at the crease, you might mistake Brathwaite to be a monk as his focus and concentration while lining himself up to face international bowlers is immaculate. His batting technique is simple and soothing to the eyes. For someone who loves to drive the ball, he seldom plays away from his body. A solid base with a water-tight technique are the least words needed to describe Kraigg the batsman.

Brathwaite made his Test debut against Pakistan in May 2011 well before captaining West Indies for the Under-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012. He scored 213 runs from 6 games with the help of two fifties. This of course was his second stint at the under-19 level having represented the Windies in 2010 as well. Back then he had tallied 335 runs from 6 innings to finish as the second highest run-getter in the entire tourney. A prodigy had announced himself, loud and clear!

His maiden call up to the national side came in 2009 though when several senior players boycotted the home series against Bangladesh over pay issues but did not get to feature in a single game.

His moment finally came against Pakistan right after the 2011 World Cup and he scored a duck in his first Test in the second innings. But in the absence of Chris Gayle, Brathwaite did well in West Indies' tour of India in 2011, compiling 2 fifties on spin friendly tracks. But was in complete doldrums in the home series against Australia as he registered three ducks in five innings to lose his spot in the side.

Never the one to give up, Brathwaite earned a call back in 2013 for the Kiwi sojourn on the back of 334 runs in 6 innings for West Indies A against the Indian counterparts and has not looked back in red ball cricket.

Having earned a comeback, Kraigg Brathwaite became the nucleous around which Windies cricket constructed their biggest Test wins in this decade. It started off in 2014 at Port of Spain, when a first innings ton helped Windies crush an in-form Kiwi outfit. The Brathwaite juggernaut was like slow poison and it proved fatal for Pakistan in November 2016. The right-handed opener remained unbeaten with scores of 142* and 60* to hand Windies a handsome win by 5 wickets in the UAE. They lost the series but won hope for a revival of red ball cricket.

The twin tons from Shai Hope at Leeds might have won him the Man of the Match performance but a first innings ton from Brathwaite had set it up for a famous Windies win. The Barbadian scored 134 and 95 runs in the Test to prove his mettle at the highest level. His conversion rate has not been great but expect Kraigg to put in more world class performances.

Did You Know: Pop icon Rihanna and Kraigg Brathwaite went to the same school and are still friends with each other