BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite on Tuesday pledged his support to young cricketers, offering to be an ambassador to inspire boys and girls in their journey to become top cricketers.
“I want to offer my support to young cricketers in Barbados and all across the West Indies, especially at primary school and Under 13 levels, where it’s all about enjoyment and learning the game,” said Brathwaite, fresh from the Herculean feats in the recent Apex Test Series to help West Indies beat England and secure the Richards-Botham trophy.
“I remember my days as a youngster coming up and I remember all the help and encouragement I received. I want to also inspire a young generation of cricketers and help to play my part as an ambassador for West Indies cricket.”
Brathwaite was speaking during a courtesy call with Minister of Sports in Barbados Charles Griffith. The Windies skipper shared the trophy with Griffith and local sports administrators and also presented a bat signed by Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham.
“It was a tremendous victory over England, and it is still fresh.… We have a lot to celebrate as West Indians,” Brathwaite said. “It was a hard-fought series, and we played some great cricket to win the Richards Botham trophy for the first time. I wanted to share it with our supporters so everyone can feel part of our success, and what we achieved for our fans.”
Brathwaite was the mainstay of West Indies batting in the three-match Apex Test. He topped the batting charts with 341 runs at an impressive average of 81 runs per innings. This included a monumental top score of 160 – his first Test century on home soil at Kensington Oval and 10th overall.
Throughout the match, he defied the England bowlers for just under 16 hours and faced 673 balls – a record for the longest batting period in West Indies Test history.
West Indies won the next match by 10 wickets to secure the historic 1-0 series triumph.
