English county Gloucestershire on Thursday confirmed the signing of West Indies Test skipper Kraigg Brathwaite for the upcoming County Championship.
The 28-year-old top-order batsman, who is currently leading the Windies in the final match of their Test series against Sri Lanka in Antigua, will depart for Bristol at the conclusion of the match.
Subject to Covid restrictions and quarantine rules upon entering the UK, Brathwaite will be available to interim head coach, Ian Harvey, for the opening eight matches of the County Championship, only missing the final two group matches at Cheltenham in July.
Whilst he could feature in the opening match of the season against Surrey, it is thought likelier that he will make his debut against west country rivals Somerset in the second round of fixtures.
"I truly look forward to the opportunity to represent Gloucestershire. I have always enjoyed county cricket and cherished the times I've been able to play in England. I'm excited to come to Bristol and do my best for the team, the club and of course the Gloucestershire supporters," said Brathwaite in an official release.
Fresh from scoring 126 in the first innings of the match against Sri Lanka, his ninth Test century, Brathwaite will bring with him a decade's worth of experience opening the batting in the longest format of the game. Having made his Test debut at just 18, Kraigg has averaged 32.24 over 67 matches with a top score of 212 made against Bangladesh in 2014.
This year, under the captaincy of Brathwaite, West Indies have won two Tests against Bangladesh and drawn the opening Test of their two-match series against Sri Lanka. Currently leading the second match by 104 runs with Sri Lanka eight wickets down in their first innings, Brathwaite's side is on course for another positive result.
Brathwaite, a right-hand bat, will slot in at the top of the order, complimenting the left-handed bat of club captain Chris Dent. Both men have equally impressive records in first-class cricket with over 40 centuries and almost 20,000 runs between them.
Kraigg has previously turned out in the County Championship for Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and most recently Glamorgan. His last spell in the UK yielded an average of 55.33 over four games for the Welsh side including an unbeaten 103 in the last match of the 2019 season.
( With inputs from ANI )
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