Kraigg Brathwaite reached fifty for the second time in the match © Getty Images
Kraigg Brathwaite will return to the scene of his recent Test heroics after signing for a two-match stint with Yorkshire.
Brathwaite will be available for Yorkshire’s final home match of the season against Warwickshire at Headingley, where he scored 134 for 95 in West Indies’ victory over England, then the last County Championship match of the campaign against Essex at Chelmsford.
He will take the place of Shaun Marsh who is returning to Australia for the start of the domestic season. Conversations with Yorkshire had begun before the second Test so his performance in that Test was a timely nudge. He was on the brink of becoming the first player to score twin centuries in a first-class match at Headingley before falling to Moeen Ali on the final day, an honour that instead went the way of team-mate Shai Hope.
“It’s a bit of a surprise,” he told the Yorkshire website. “Initially, coming to England I knew there would be a lot of opportunities and one of my goals was to score as many runs as possible. I wanted to lead the West Indies batting from the top and earn a chance to play some county cricket.
“Before the second Test I was speaking to my agent and he was telling me that he was talking to Yorkshire’s coaching staff. After the game he came back to me telling me he was getting some quality feedback. They really wanted me and I was very happy because Yorkshire is a very big club in England and I’m very happy and proud to have been selected by them.”
Brathwaite is now looking forward to extending his stay in England by a couple more weeks after his international commitments conclude with the deciding Test at Lord’s.
“Playing county cricket was always one of my goals and coming over here to play against England for the West Indies was going to get me one step closer, if I did well,” he said. “Many of our past players have played in England and they always say it’s the place to develop a better technique and learn more about batting, predominantly because the ball does a lot throughout the day. Playing in England, playing county cricket will help me learn with every game, every day.”
Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said that having a player already used to English conditions was a key factor for them with the need to hit the ground running at the tail-end of the season. Yorkshire are not completely safe from the relegation zone.
“When we found out that Shaun wasn’t going to be available for the last two games, we looked at options to replace him,” Moxon said. “At such a late stage and with Kraigg getting the runs he did at Headingley, it all came at the right time. We enquired about his availability and it was pleasing he was keen to play and the West Indies cricket board are keen for him to get more experience playing in England, so it fits well for both parties.”
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo