West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite urges debutant Louis to 'think big' against England

NEW DELHI: Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies skipper, has urged newcomer Mikyle Louis to dream big as he prepares to take on England at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.
Louis, a young batsman aged 23, is set to make history by becoming the first player from St Kitts to don the West Indies jersey in their 96-year Test cricket history when the series commences on Wednesday.
He will be part of a relatively inexperienced top order, joining Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, and Kavem Hodge, who collectively have just nine caps under their belts.
However, Brathwaite, a seasoned campaigner on the cusp of his 90th Test match, encouraged his fellow teammates to embrace the opportunity and not be intimidated by the grandeur of playing at the "Home of Cricket".
"Mikyle is a nice guy, a very joyful spirit. I know he'll do extremely well, playing international cricket for many years," AFP quoted Brathwaite, 31, as saying in a pre-match press conference at Lord's on Tuesday as he announced his side.
"My advice to all the younger boys in the group, like Mikyle making his debut, is don't just expect to play for West Indies, expect to be the first to score 30 hundreds."
That mark has in fact been achieved by two West Indies greats in Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul but Brathwaite added: "You've got to think big, you know. Don't think too small.
"I think they're young and exciting. The more games they play the better. They have a lot of talent and we are fully 100 per cent behind them."
Brathwaite's predecessor, Jason Holder, returns to the team after a hiatus of nearly a year and will take up the number six position in the batting order.
The bowling attack will feature a mix of pace and spin, with Gudakesh Motie, a left-arm spinner, providing variety to the fast bowling trio.
Among the pacers, Shamar Joseph stands out as a promising talent, having made headlines in January with his remarkable performance against Australia in Brisbane. Despite bowling with a broken foot, Joseph claimed an impressive 7-68, playing a pivotal role in the West Indies' surprise victory.
"It was a big positive for us, to get a win, because it shows we could get the job done," said Brathwaite. "The key for us as a group is to do it consistently.
"We could take a lot of stuff from that game both as batsmen, because we have some guys doing well, some important partnerships.
"Then the bowlers were outstanding. Shamar was the star, but pretty much all the bowlers produced a very, very good effort and we caught well as well. "
He added: "We've got to look forward to this (match), then the other (two) Test matches this series. We've just got to believe in ourselves."
West Indies team: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales