We fell short: WI captain Brathwaite reflects on 40-run defeat against SA

Guyana, Aug 18: West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has lamented his team’s inability to capitalise on a strong bowling performance in their 40-run loss to South Africa in the second Test at Providence Stadium.

Despite bowling the Proteas out for just 160 in the first innings, the West Indies fell short, failing to take a crucial lead and ultimately succumbing to defeat, resulting in a 1-0 series loss.

Choosing to bat first, the West Indies bowlers, led by Shamar Joseph's sensational five-wicket haul, had South Africa reeling at 97 for 9. However, a resilient 63-run last-wicket stand between Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger pushed South Africa to a total of 160. In response, the West Indies were dismissed for 144, conceding a slender 16-run lead that proved costly in the end.

Reflecting on the match, Brathwaite acknowledged the importance of South Africa’s last-wicket partnership but emphasized that the West Indies’ failure to secure a first-innings lead was the turning point.

"Yeah, if you look at it, obviously it was quite big," Brathwaite said, referring to South Africa's last-wicket stand. "But bowling them out for 160, I was happy. That partnership for them was good. You know, it's cricket where partnerships do happen. So, I won't really stress on that too much.”

"But what I would say is our first innings total needed to be bigger. We needed to get a lead from it. I think that was very important. You can never complain about the bowlers' effort to bowl them out for 160 but yeah, the batting effort in the first innings just wasn't big enough. We had to fight back into the game. And, in the end, we fell short," he added.

Despite the series defeat, Brathwaite found positives in the performance of several players. Shamar Joseph, who did not feature in the first Test, made a significant impact with his 5 for 33 in the first innings, rattling the South African top order. Jayden Seales was another standout, finishing as the West Indies’ highest wicket-taker in the series with 12 wickets, including a remarkable 6 for 61 in the second innings at Providence.

Additionally, veteran all-rounder Jason Holder provided stability with a half-century in the first innings.

Brathwaite also highlighted the promising performances of the team's younger players, particularly Alick Athanaze, whom he sees as a future star for the West Indies. "I think Alick, his innings was important to continue to keep learning as batters. Alick has a world of potential. I can see him scoring a lot of Test hundreds, but we just got to keep thinking about our game, finding ways to improve," Brathwaite said.

The captain also expressed optimism about the future of the West Indies’ fast bowling unit, noting the exciting potential of players like Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, and Jayden Seales. However, Brathwaite is equally enthusiastic about the batting lineup, believing that the current top five can deliver consistent performances in the future.

"As I said, the future is very bright for our fast bowling unit, and we've still got Kemar Roach, with loads of experience on it. You know, he still has a lot of Test matches left in him. So it's very exciting," Brathwaite said.

"But I must say, I'm very excited about the batting unit. I really think the line-up we have can do the job. And obviously, I've been asking for more Test matches. We had five on the back. And yes, we didn't come out with guys averaging above 50. But I think once we learn from this, going forward will be easier, and obviously being mentally tough is most important in playing Test matches.

"So, I am excited for the fast bowlers, but I really believe that this top five can do a good job for West Indies. So, we just got to keep believing," concluded the WI captain.