Kraigg Brathwaite

Kraigg Brathwaite is a Barbadian cricketer known for his exceptional powers of concentration as an opening batter, who captained the West Indies Test team for four years and reached his 100th Test in 2025.

In October 2016, Kraigg Brathwaite became the first opener in Test history to carry his bat through both innings of a match, scoring 142 not out and 60 not out against Pakistan in Sharjah — a feat of concentration that perfectly encapsulates the patient, technically rigorous batting that has made him a fixture at the top of the West Indies order for over a decade. Having scored 28 centuries in local youth cricket, he made his first-class debut for Barbados at just 16 in 2009, and his Test debut for the West Indies against Pakistan in 2011 at 18. Brathwaite established himself as one of the most patient and technically sound opening batters of his generation, becoming, in October 2016, the first opener in Test history to carry his bat through both innings of a match, scoring 142 not out and 60 not out in a win over Pakistan in Sharjah. His powers of concentration became legendary: five times in his career he faced more than 400 balls in a single Test innings, including a West Indies-record 673 deliveries against England in 2022. Brathwaite was named full-time West Indies Test captain in March 2021, and led the side for 39 matches before stepping down in 2024, a total matched only by Garfield Sobers among West Indies captains. Under his leadership, the West Indies achieved a celebrated overseas victory at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2024, and he closed out his captaincy with a win in Multan, Pakistan, in early 2025. He reached the milestone of his 100th Test cap in 2025 in Grenada, fulfilling a goal he had set himself at age 14, and has also played English county cricket for Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire.

Patient, technically disciplined opening batter renowned for occupying the crease for extended periods

A cornerstone of West Indies Test cricket during a challenging era, remembered for resilience and leadership through a century of Test matches

• 100 Test caps (as of 2025)
• West Indies Test captain (2020-2025), 39 matches
• Led historic overseas Test wins at the Gabba (2024) and Multan (2025)
• Most balls faced by a West Indies batter in a Test innings (673, 2022)
• Tenth-highest Test run-scorer in West Indies history