Happy with the attitude and discipline of my side: Kraigg Brathwaite after sharing the Test series with Sri Lanka
West Indies' newly appointed Test skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said he was pleased with his team's attitude and discipline following the Test series against Sri Lanka.
The two-match Test series was shared between the two teams as both games ended in a draw. On the final day of the second Test, Sri Lanka finished on 193-2 while chasing 377 for the win. Dimuth Karunaratne (39 off 144), Oshada Fernando (66* off 199), and Lahiru Thirimanne (75 off 176) held fort on the final day as they safely secured a draw for the visitors.
Speaking after the game in the post-match presentation, Kraigg Brathwaite was satisfied with his side's overall display.
"We would have liked to win, but I was very happy with the attitude we had and the discipline. Very happy with the fast bowlers' effort. We didn't give up; we need to keep going from strength to strength. For me, it's all about discipline. We have shown that in back-to-back series, we can be consistent. South Africa, potentially next series, they are a good team, we need to have different pans. We are heading in the right direction." Brathwaite said.
Sri Lanka resumed on the final day on 29/0. However, the hosts were never in with a chance to win the game as the Sri Lankan batsmen batted cautiously with the pitch not offering much to the bowlers.
"You want to lead from the front"- Kraigg Brathwaite
Kraigg Brathwaite earned the Man of the Match award for his knocks of 126 & 85 in the two innings in the second Test. The opener highlighted that he had a simple plan while batting and backed himself to get the big runs for his side.
"As a leader of the team, you want to lead from the front. Happy to get those two scores. I wanted to keep it simple, made sure I had a solid plan and backed it 100 per cent. I could change at times; I always play to the situation of the game. I am pretty confident that I could score at whatever rate I choose to. Very happy; it was a good pitch." the West Indies skipper said.
After winning an away Test series against Bangladesh with a depleted side, West Indies have now earned a commendable draw against Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series. On the personal front, Brathwaite finished the Sri Lanka series with 237 runs to his name, scoring at an impressive average of 59.25.