WI hoping to finish 24-year drought towards Proteas

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite will hope to supervise the tip of West Indies’ 24-year drought with out a Check collection win towards South Africa when the 2 groups conflict within the opening Check at SuperSport Park beginning on Tuesday.

West Indies have misplaced their final eight collection towards the Proteas courting again to the chastening 5-0 thrashing right here in 1999, and have received solely one in all their final 11 Exams towards the hosts within the final 16 years.

Captains like legends Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Chris Gayle, together with Carl Hooper and Denesh Ramdin had been unable to guide West Indies to collection success towards South Africa, however Brathwaite will hope to interrupt the dropping development on his second try, after struggling a 2-0 drubbing within the Caribbean two years in the past.

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“Taking a look at this collection, we’re enjoying South Africa at dwelling and we all know it received’t be straightforward,” stated Brathwaite, who changed marquee all-rounder Jason Holder as captain in 2021.

West Indies beat Zimbabwe 1-0 within the two-Check collection in Bulawayo final month to bounce again from a deflating tour of Australia the place they had been soundly crushed in each Exams.

These outcomes got here on the again of an excellent yr for West Indies within the longest format, Brathwaite main them to collection wins over England and Bangladesh within the Caribbean.

The 30-year-old Brathwaite, who has averaged 64 over the past yr to spearhead his aspect’s batting, stated it was vital West Indies clicked in all departments towards South Africa.

“We’re very excited [about this series]. Zimbabwe clearly isn’t a prime workforce on the earth so we’re trying ahead to difficult ourselves right here,” he identified.

“It’s vital as openers to set the inspiration for the workforce and we sit up for doing that. Clearly Tage (Tagenarine Chanderpaul) had a implausible begin and I do know we are going to proceed nice issues and as I stated, making West Indians proud.”

He continued: “Clearly it’s important we’ve got an entire workforce effort right here in South Africa so it was good to see the highest order getting some scores in Zimbabwe, and the center order on this observe recreation [last week] earlier than this primary Check. It’s nice and it’s vital we put all of the items collectively for this Check collection.”

Following on from a Zimbabwe collection performed on slow-turning tracks, West Indies will welcome the livelier pitches right here, particularly with their assault comprising the likes of veteran seamer Kemar Roach and the tempo of Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph.

And Brathwaite stated the assault was assured they might execute their plans and discover success within the collection.

SQUADS:

SOUTH AFRICA – Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton

WEST INDIES – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeem Jordan, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas

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