When the West Indies take on England in the second Test at Trent Bridge, their batsmen will try to find the ideal mix between attack and defense. Kraigg Brathwaite, the captain, has stated that the team needs to “find a way” to score runs.
At Lord’s, the tourists lost by an innings after being bowled out for totals of 121 and 136. Mikyle Louis, the opening batsman, scored 27 runs in the first innings, and no one else in the top seven could match that total.
While there had been talks about what a young batting lineup, four of whom had played fewer than five Tests going into the series, could do differently, like attack England’s bowlers, Brathwaite said the main thrust of his message would be to repeat the same actions, but “for longer”.
He remarked, “What we’ve got to do is pretty simple.” “We must improve our batting greatly. Of course, we have to figure something out, and as a team, we’ve spoken about a few potential things we can do better. The bat does still have certain advantages. As I already stated, England scored 50–60 runs excessively with the ball, but taking ten wickets was a good thing. But all we need to do with the bat is put runs on the board. It’s easy.
A few men entered but did not continue. Simply put, it’s critical that you continue longer because the longer you bat, the easier it gets, and it’s critical to stick to your strategy as long as you can. Everyone wants to put bad balls away, so it makes sense that you would want to do that. However, it’s the laborious work that you can extend to an hour or two after 40 minutes. Additionally, it involves striking a balance between putting the bad balls away and giving them confidence. All we have to do is keep learning. You know, I think the first Test would have taught us a lot. All we have to do is have faith in our abilities, work hard, and strive to work harder.
Brathwaite has 90 Tests of experience to fall back on, whereas many of his players are still learning on the job. Despite his lack of personal form with the bat, which has seen him score just one half-century in his last eight Tests dating back to February 2023, he is unfazed. His average during that time has been 15.13.
“I know what I have to do, and leading this team and the batting is obviously important. My focus is obviously on building this foundation, which always puts us in a better position to score big runs,” he remarked. “I like leading and I like being the captain. I’ve always opened, so my goal every time I step up to bat is to get rid of that new ball and stay as long as I can. I always keep that in mind, so I don’t feel like there’s any more pressure. Yes, it might be difficult at times when you don’t get runs, but the most essential thing is to maintain your mental toughness and your belief.
“The guys are improving, that much is true, but more testing is still necessary.” Since playing Test cricket is always going to be difficult, it would enhance every aspect of the game.
Regarding the team’s motivation, he highlighted their triumph in Brisbane earlier this year, following a crushing defeat by Australia in the opening Test, as evidence “that we could get it done after a loss”, and emphasised the need to move past the lack of practise that led to such a lackluster showing at Lord’s.
The Gabba triumph was the first for the West Indies in Australia since 1997. “I think from a belief point of view, it shows that we could get it done after a loss, albeit in different conditions,” Brathwaite remarked. “That was a few months prior.” Yes, we could learn a little from it, though. The most important thing, though, is to simply believe in yourself.
“We need to improve upon our performance from the first Test; we are motivated.” We are concentrating on the batters since, as you are aware, they must undoubtedly score runs. I believe that if we maintain our discipline, we will form alliances that will benefit us both in the long run and in the outcome of the game.
“What is lost is lost. The first setback has vanished. The time for preparation is over. The boys seem really happy, in my opinion. It’s crucial to have mental confidence in oneself. The guys are prepared to leave.
The only Test commitment made by the West Indies between July 2023 and the current England series was a two-match series in Australia in January. Brathwaite echoed calls made by his predecessor, Jason Holder, for administrators to make every effort to schedule more games and expressed excitement for home series against Bangladesh and South Africa after their trip to England was over.
It presents a challenge. We really are dying for more Test cricket, you know. He added, “I think you will pick things up faster the more you play it. It goes without saying that learning will take longer if it is spread out across a lengthy period of time, with two tests taken here and two tests there. The boys are improving, that much is certain, but further testing is definitely necessary. It would enhance every aspect of playing Test cricket, as the game is inherently difficult. You experience good and bad times, and the more you play, the more you grasp it all.
But what we have is what we have. We still have six Test matches left for the year, so we have a nice window of time till December. We must thus utilize that, and ideally in the future we will be able to obtain more, as it will be advantageous to the participants. You gain experience through playing more Test matches. You never stop learning because, even after 90 games, I’m still learning a lot. Yes, there should be more Test matches.