Brathwaite commends spinner Motie for leading Windies attack

WEST Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite congratulated inexperienced left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie for leading the bowling attack which helped the regional side defeat Zimbabwe 1-0 in a two-match Test series in Zimbabwe.

Motie, who only has three Test matches under his belt, ended the series with 19 wickets which included 13 wickets in the second Test match.

Motie became just the fourth West Indies bowler to take at least 13 wickets in a Test match following in the footsteps of Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh and Shannon Gabriel.

In a media conference following the series, Brathwaite said, “I think obviously Motie firstly really led the bowling attack and the spinners from the front, so I think that is a big positive. I think how the fast bowlers bowled I thought that was amazing on flat wickets. They created a lot of pressure…and batting wise we got some decent scores.”

Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul broke the record for the highest opening partnership by a West Indies pair in the first Test. They put on 336 for the first wicket with Chanderpaul hitting his maiden Test century (207) and Brathwaite belting 182. The partnership propelled West Indies to a massive 447/6 declared in the first innings. The match ended in a draw. Brathwaite was proud of the performance of his team in the series but said it is now time to look ahead as the team will head to South Africa for a two-match Test series starting February 28.

“It is great (to perform), but that is history. We are starting over from zero in South Africa. It is good for confidence, but we got to start over. It shows that it is possible (to win). We just have to believe as a team and continue to work hard and just don’t take anything for granted.”

Motie wants to continue to excel. “I am just going to take it one game at a time and whenever I get the opportunity just go out and do my best,” Motie said.