"The guys have put in a lot of work" - West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite ahead of South Africa Test series
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite has stated that he is happy with his team's preparations ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa starting today. Brathwaite said the Windies are raring to lock horns with the Proteas after putting in a lot of effort in the training sessions.
West Indies have had some positive results in Test matches this year. They won an away Test series against Bangladesh before drawing a hard-fought series versus Sri Lanka at home. And Kraigg Brathwaite is keen to carry out the good work that his team have put in over the last few months. The Windies skipper said in a virtual press conference ahead of the start of the series:
"I've put in a lot of effort during training and the guys have put in a lot of work. We are very excited about the series, it will be a challenging one, and you can see in their eyes that they are ready. For us it’s about looking for a continuation of the good things we started in Bangladesh and what we did against Sri Lanka at home. As a team, we want to play well in all three departments. As a team once we keep the standards high and put in a total team effort."
The West Indies (sixth) overtook South Africa (seventh) in the ICC Test rankings after the former's positive results against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Proteas, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of Pakistan away from home in February.
"This series is a very important one for West Indies" - Kraigg Brathwaite
Despite South Africa struggling in the longest form of late, Kraigg Brathwaite branded the Proteas a "very good Test team". But the 28-year-old hopes that West Indies can carry on playing with the right attitude and discipline in the home series. Brathwaite added:
"I think this series is a very important one for us. South Africa is a very good Test team. We have shown a lot of fight and discipline in the past two series and we had the right attitude at key moments in the game. We need to maintain this approach in this series because it’s the key if you want to be successful in Test cricket."
West Indies last defeated South Africa in the longest format in 2007. In the 28 Test matches played between the two sides, the Proteas have a vastly superior head-to-head record, winning 18 games compared to West Indies' three, while seven Tests ended in draws.
The two-match Test series between West Indies and South Africa will be followed by five T20Is.