PROVIDENCE, Guyana – West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite expressed deep disappointment after his team’s first-innings batting collapse in the decisive second Test against South Africa at Providence Stadium.
Despite a promising start, where the bowlers dismissed the visitors for a modest 160, the West Indies faltered with the bat, managing only 144 in response. This crucial failure ultimately allowed South Africa to seize control, securing a 40-run victory and extending their 32-year dominance over the Caribbean side.
Brathwaite expressed his frustration in the post-match press conference on Saturday, acknowledging that the West Indies missed a significant chance to press their advantage. He pointed to the crucial 63-run last-wicket partnership between South Africa’s Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger, which rescued the visitors from a precarious 97-9 position. Despite that partnership, Brathwaite believed the West Indies were still in a favorable position to take control of the game.
“Obviously, if you look at it, it was quite big, but to bowl them out for 160, I was still quite happy. Obviously, that partnership for them was good,” Brathwaite said. “It’s cricket where partnerships do happen, so I wouldn’t really stress on that too much, but what I would say is that our first-innings total needed to be bigger, and we needed to get a lead from it. That was very important.”
Resilience of the lower order
He continued, “I could never complain about the bowlers’ efforts to bowl them out for 160, but the batting effort in the first innings just wasn’t big enough. We had to fight back into the game, and in the end, we fell short by 40 runs.”
Despite the disappointment, Brathwaite praised the resilience of the lower order, which fought valiantly in the second innings but ultimately couldn’t salvage the match. “It wasn’t enough for the first innings, but it was good to see the fight from the lower order. We didn’t give up,” he added.
Reflecting on the 1-0 series loss following the drawn first Test, Brathwaite took solace in the performance of his bowlers, who managed to dismiss South Africa three times across four innings. “I think all of the guys have potential and talent, and they just come out and do it. They have a lot of skill, and I think we have a bright future for our fast bowlers in the West Indies,” Brathwaite remarked.
However, he acknowledged that the team’s batting line-up needs to be more consistent. “We scored above 200 in three of the innings, so it’s just for us to aim to do it more consistently, and that’s always the task. You always hear about being more consistent, and I think mentally, we have to find ways to be better,” the captain emphasized.
