WI vs AUS 2025: "I set that goal..." - Kraigg Brathwaite Reflects on 100-Test Milestone

As the 10th cricketer to play 100 Test matches for the West Indies, Kraigg Brathwaite will make history on Thursday, July 3, when he takes the field against Australia. By completing this, he will become a member of a select group that includes such greats as Sir Viv Richards, Chris Gayle, Gordon Greenidge, Brian Lara, and Clive Lloyd.

Braithwaite made his ambition come true by joining the West Indies team as a young cricket player and developing into a renowned hitter who is approaching his 100th Test match. The Caribbean hitter considered his feelings as he stood on the precipice of the historic milestone.

Kraigg Brathwaite gets candid:

The West Indies' red-ball strategy now relies heavily on Brathwaite. He has amassed 5943 runs in his 99-Test career, including 12 hundreds. In 39 of those games, he has also been the team's captain. When Braithwaite scored 216 runs against England at Bridgetown in 2022, he faced an incredible 673 deliveries, setting a new record for the most deliveries faced by a West Indian in a Test innings. He was selected for the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year in 2022 as a result of his performances.

A landmark Test match for Kraigg Brathwaite 👏#WTC27 | #WIvAUS

More➡️ https://t.co/LEqoNgMcOWpic.twitter.com/eBqPY9GArC

— ICC (@ICC) July 3, 2025

Although the seeds were planted much earlier, Brathwaite made his debut in 2011 at the age of 18. He confidently announced at the age of 14 that he would play 100 Test matches for the West Indies. His ambition is expected to come true in 2025. Talking to ICC, he said, “I set that goal when I was probably 14 years old — to play 100 Tests. Now I’m here, 18 years later, playing my hundredth Test for the West Indies. I’m very thankful, and I just want to be an inspiration for younger guys to follow. I didn’t want to just be another player — I wanted to make an impact."

Brathwaite scored 15 and 0 in his first Test match against Pakistan in Basseterre in May 2011. He was able to regain his rhythm quickly, though. He had a run of fine form after hitting a half-century against Bangladesh in Mirpur in his third Test match. In his next four games, he scored three more fifties against Australia and India.

He added, "I wanted to play for the West Indies from young — but I wasn’t sure I could do it on the big stage. As I played more, the belief came that I could get this job done. Pretty much, from my second or third game, I had the belief that I could do it. My first 100 against New Zealand was a feeling I can't really describe. I didn’t believe that I would have been that close to a Test century, and then getting it, I could not believe that I scored 100 for West Indies. That really meant a lot and helped me going forward, to know that I can get it done."

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