New Delhi: West Indies cricketers need to play more Test matches to learn about its nuances, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said on the eve of their second match against England.
West Indies went down by an innings and 114 runs inside three days of the first Test at Lord’s and will look to square the series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
With the International Cricket Council specifying a minimum of two matches for a series, its economically poorer Test playing member nations play less number of five-day bilateral series compared to the ‘Big Three’ financially strong India, Australia and England.
It reflects in the number of Test matches England and West Indies are playing in 2024. While England will play 17th, the second Test that begins on Thursday being their seventh, West Indies will play only their third of nine games.
“It’s a challenge. I mean, we’re longing for more Test cricket,” Brathwaite said at a pre-match media interaction on Wednesday.
“I think the more you play it, the faster you will learn. If it’s drawn over a long period of time, playing two Tests here, two Tests there, you will take longer to learn. We need more Tests.
“All I can do is keep preaching for it. I don’t know how hard it is to put on a Test series for the West Indies but all I can do is keep asking. I just hope the powers that be that may control the schedule pertaining to white ball and T20 tournaments, can fit in five or six more Test matches for us per year,” the 31-year-old added.
West Indies also need to come up with a far more improved performance on the field if they are to remain competitive in the series, getting bowled out for only 121 and 136 in two innings at Lord’s.
Opener Brathwaite, in his 90th Test, managed to score only 10 runs in the match.
“It’s pretty simple what we’ve got to do — we’ve got to bat a lot better. We’ve got to find a way,” he added.
“We’ve just got to put runs on the board. I know what I have to do and it’s obviously important to lead this team and lead the batting. We’ve just got to keep learning.”
West Indies went down by an innings and 114 runs inside three days of the first Test at Lord’s and will look to square the series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today