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FORMER West Indies wicket-keeper Deryck Murray agrees with the decision by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to retain Kraigg Brathwaite as captain of the Test team for the forthcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka.
On Thursday, CWI confirmed that Brathwaite will lead the team in the Test series, which bowls off on March 21 in Antigua. Brathwaite filled in for Jason Holder on the tour of Bangladesh.
West Indies won the two-match series against Bangladesh 2-0, a rare accomplishment for West Indies on foreign soil.
The achievement was even more special because West Indies fielded an inexperienced team. More than ten players did not make themselves available for the tour because of covid19, personal fears or personal reasons including Holder and One Day International captain Kieron Pollard. The tour included a three-match ODI series which Bangladesh swept 3-0.
Murray, who said before the announcement on Thursday that CWI should consider retaining Brathwaite as captain, told Newsday, “I think it is very sensible and important that Cricket West Indies retained Kraigg Brathwaite as the captain and there by retaining the winning formula from our last Test series.”
The CWI selectors, led by Roger Harper, had a difficult task in naming the 13-man squad for the Sri Lanka series as all the players have made themselves available.
The selectors decided to choose most of the players who toured Bangladesh. Holder and Darren Bravo are the only two players who were selected that did not tour Bangladesh. Players such as Roston Chase, Shamarh Brooks, Shane Dowrich and Shimron Hetmyer were overlooked.
Murray said, “Kraigg and most of the players who participated against Bangladesh deserve to maintain their places, so I think it was a logical decision to maintain Kraigg Brathwaite as the captain.”
Despite being dropped as Test captain, Murray said Holder is integral to the success of the West Indies Test team.
“He is a pivotal player. He is one of the top all-rounders in the world and very crucial to the West Indies team at the moment, but I also think it is an opportunity for him to be able to focus on his own personal game and make the optimum contribution that he can to the team.”
Holder is the number one ranked all-rounder in Test cricket.
Murray added that Holder is not only valuable in Test cricket.
“He is a pivotal player in all formats of the game. It will be good for the next year or 18 months (for him) to just focus on his game and the contributions to the team. Obviously he has leadership qualities and will probably retain the captaincy of the West Indies team in time to come.”
Holder was Test captain from 2015 to 2020.
Murray, who won two 50-Over World Cup titles with West Indies in 1975 and 1979, wished the team luck in the forthcoming Test series.
The post Murray: Decision to retain Brathwaite a logical one appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.