WI beat Pakistan by 120 runs in the second Test in Multan © AFP With West Indies securing their first Test victory on Pakistan shores in 34 years, captain Kraigg Brathwaite called it an ‘amazing’ achievement for his team. He said the win proved that his side could succeed in any conditions as long as they believed in themselves and had a clear plan. “Yeah, it’s a very important win for us. It just shows that we can get it done in any conditions once we believe and always have a plan,” Brathwaite said. “It’s right up there with some amazing Test wins because coming here, you know, playing here in Pakistan, it’s never easy to win a Test match.” The West Indian skipper said that his batters had to be brave to score runs on a track where a wicket-taking ball wasn’t far away, and they did so splendidly. The conversation with the bowlers, on the other hand, was to bring the batters forward to pick up 20 wickets. “I mean, as a batsman, as I said, everyone’s going to have their plans. Be brave in whatever you want to do as a batsman and bowling-wise, bring forward the batsmen as much as possible and there will be 20 balls that you will get 20 wickets because, as I said, the pitch is a difficult pitch, so there’s no second guessing. You’re going to get out on this pitch regardless of what you do.” Brathwaite refrained from giving any opinion on the nature of the pitches prepared for the Test series but admitted that batters won’t have high averages if they bat on these surfaces. “Pakistan can prepare the pitch how they want. It’s not something I’m used to. What I’ll say is, batsmen will not be averaging high on these pitches. You will average 15 and 20 and obviously, these spinners, you know, will do well. And as I said, it’s a difficult Test pitch to score runs. You’re going to get out regardless.” He also reserved some praise for Player of the Series Jomel Warrican, who picked up 19 wickets across the two Tests. He complimented his batting skills in the first innings and labelled him ‘outstanding’. “Yeah, Jomel was outstanding. To see how he went about his bowling, and the pressure he built from ball one, I mean, it was amazing. With the bat, you can’t count him out. I think he did a fantastic job with the bat as well. But bowling-wise, I know he’s worked hard over the years. You know, he’s been in and out of the team. But it’s good to see him get the chance, and he grabbed it. I’m very, very proud of him. He was outstanding from ball one.” Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales were also mentioned by the skipper for their efforts with the new ball on the surfaces which heavily favoured spin. He labelled Roach as a leader and a champion of the side. “But I must comment on Jayden Seales and Kemar Roach. You know, coming on these surfaces, obviously spinners would get the majority of the wickets. But to see those guys come and get those wickets with the new ball in both Test matches was truly, truly amazing. “I mean, Kemar Roach is a serious, serious impact player in this team. You know, he’s a leader on and off the field. Unfortunately, he went down, you know, with a catch. But, you know, I think he’s a champion of this team, and he must be highlighted,” Brathwaite concluded.
