‘Keep it simple, Kraigg’
Published:Saturday | June 5, 2021 | 12:11 AM
Former West Indies and Jamaica spinner Nikita Miller says that regional Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite should not overcomplicate his plan for victory in their upcoming Tests against South Africa as he searches for his first series win as permanent skipper.
His comments came as the 17-man provisional squad was named yesterday ahead of the two-game series against South Africa which begins on June 10 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia.
A majority of the players from the Sri Lanka series in March have been retained such as Nkrumah Bonner, Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva and Jason Holder. Roston Chase and Shai Hope who did not play in the Bangladesh series in February make their return to the Test side. Opening batsman John Campbell is one of the omissions from the squad.
STAY THE COURSE
Coming off the back of their drawn series against Sri Lanka, Miller says that Brathwaite, who was named permanent captain in March, should continue to stay the course in how he leads the team as they prepare for a South African team that will consist of new faces.
“My suggestion really is for him to keep it simple. I don’t think that there is added pressure. Just keep doing what you have been doing and you will be fine,” Miller told The Gleaner. “You just need your senior bowlers to step up and try and get 20 wickets because if you don’t get 20 wickets, most times it’s a struggle to win a Test match.
Those new faces include off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen, Lizaad Williams, Kyle Verreynne, Keegan Petersen, and Marco Jansen who are receiving their first call-ups to the Test squad. The team will be under the leadership of Dean Elgar in his first series as captain since his permanent appointment in March.
Miller says that the unfamiliarity of those players with the conditions in the Caribbean means that the West Indies must use home ground knowledge to take charge of the game and put the Proteas under early pressure.
“Most of these guys are coming to the Caribbean for the first time and in that regard, we have the upper hand. So we really will need to drive that home,” Miller said. “We need to (get a) big total, put them under pressure. They are not used to conditions in the Caribbean, so we can use that as an advantage for us and hopefully we come out on the right side of the result.”
SQUAD – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican. The final 13-man squad will be named on Monday.