Despite already conceding the three-match Test series against England following heavy defeats at Lord’s and Trent Bridge, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is urging his players to stay focussed throughout the final game starting today at Edgbaston, noting that Test Championship points are still at stake.
The Windies were soundly beaten by an innings an 114 runs at Lord’s and fell to a 241-run loss at Trent Bridge last week to relinquish the Richards-Botham trophy, which they had held since 2022 when they defeated England 1-0 in the Caribbean.
Brathwaite said the Caribbean side can still get something from the series.
“We have five Tests remaining for the year and Test Championship points are at stake,” he told the media during the pre-match press conference yesterday.
“So, we have a lot to play for and that’s my thing to the boys…we’re still in the Test Championship running and obviously we’re looking for points as well,” he added.
Brathwaite also wants his players to continue the fighting attitude they had in the second match which he said they only conceded following a lapse in focus on the penultimate day when they slipped from 61 without loss to 143 all out.
Brathwaite said the batting collapse at Trent Bridge was a lesson in the need to “stay on,” all the way through a Test match. And he is hoping his players will take that on board in the final game.
“It’s all about fighting and I think once we continue to create that kind of attitude around this Test team, it will grow and that’s what we’re after,” said Brathwaite.
“It (the collapse at Trent Bridge) shows you’ve got to be on it always,” the West Indies skipper continued.
He added: “As soon as you lose that focus, even for an hour, you could be behind the Test match and you could lose. So we should learn from that and obviously the learning from that is never to take anything for granted. Always have the same attitude right through, batting and bowling, and once we keep that attitude of fighting every session, I think that’ll serve us well.”
Of the results so far, Brathwaite said: “I think all-round we didn’t put it together as yet. Obviously, we batted well at Trent Bridge and we didn’t bat well in the second innings. We bowled well in pieces. Obviously dropped chances will happen but I think our groupings as a bowling unit weren’t as it should and I think once we get that percentage up, we’ll be able to create more chances and stop the flow of runs on both sides of the wicket,” he added.
In terms of the bowling, Gudakesh Motie is back in the line-up while Kevin Sinclair has been ruled out due to injury.
Shamar Joseph is also doubtful for the final Test after the fast bowler came down with flu. Akeem Jordan is the 12th man but Brathwaite said, “we are waiting until the morning to make the decision on the 11.”
SQUADS:
ENGLAND: Ben Stokes (Captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
WEST INDIES from: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Akeem Jordan.