West Indies former captain, Sir Vivian Richards, believes that a suitable replacement for Kraigg Brathwaite as captain of the men’s Test team will be hard to find.
Cricket West Indies, on March 31, announced that Brathwaite had stepped down as Test captain after three years in the role, adding that a replacement would be named in the weeks following the announcement.
Sir Viv questioned whether the board was prepared for the development, suggesting that the cupboard seems a bit empty.
“One of the things I believe is that and I don’t know if they had made enough preparations for that particular format. We see a lot of who has potential in the ODI and T20 format as captains but I don’t think they would have made enough preparations for someone taking over from Brathwaite and it has basically opened the doors. We have to look at individuals who can demand a place, I believe, and that’s very important,” he said.
Sir Viv led the West Indies in 50 Test matches from 1984 to 1991 and is the only West Indies captain never to lose a Test series. The Antiguan suggested that maybe it is time for special attention to be given to young players with the potential to lead.
“I think that’s maybe something we have to look at and look at the individuals with the potential and not just basically with batting skills but someone who is pretty astute with the game and someone who demands the respect of the individuals they are going to lead so all of these things are crucial,” he said.
Brathwaite took over the side in March 2021, leading them to a home series victory against England in 2022 and winning a Test in Australia for the first time in 27 years in 2024.
Sir Viv predicts that Brathwaite will continue to demand a place in the squad, questioning whether the responsibilities of captaincy may have taken a toll on his personal game.
“He’s still going to play because when you look and see what we have around at present, he’s held his own for quite some time and I honestly believe that maybe the captaincy would have taken a toll. A team not doing well and you also [not doing well], it sometimes wears you down and I guess that maybe – and this is only my opinion – that that’s the way he is feeling,” the former player said.
Brathwaite led West Indies in 39 Tests from 2017 to 2025, winning ten and losing 22 matches.