“Johnson the Test Captain was considered, but we decided to opt for Brathwaite”

– says Chief Selector Roger Harper

By Brandon Corlette

West Indies’ Chief Selector, the Guyanese Roger Harper, has indicated that that impressive leader, Guyana Jaguars captain Leon Johnson, was considered to lead the West Indies Test team to tour Bangladesh, but the selection panel opted for Kraigg Brathwaite instead.
“That, of course, was a consideration, but the fact that we had Kraigg Brathwaite there, we decided to go with Kraigg,” Harper disclosed on the recent Mason and Guest radio show.

Harper said that, in the selection panel’s opinion, this is the best alternative squad for the Bangladesh tour, since some of the big players have decided not to tour Bangladesh.
Brathwaite is no stranger to captaincy, having led the West Indies Test team on previous occasions, and being the captain of the Barbados Pride. Meanwhile, Johnson is arguably the region’s best captain, having led the Guyana Jaguars to five consecutive Regional 4-Day championships, and having led the West Indies U-19 team.
Here is an interesting point: Brathwaite led the West Indies in five Test matches, and lost all five of those Test matches. Therefore, in the two-match Test series in Bangladesh, Kraigg and his Test team will be chasing history as Brathwaite continues his search for a win as Test captain.
After recent Test series’ defeats, some may have called for Jason Holder to step down as Test captain. His overall Test record is not compelling; in 37 matches as Test captain, Holder won 11 matches and lost 21 between 2015-2020.
Within most of that period, Johnson has five Regional championships and displayed great leadership skills. However, not everyone is fortunate to have opportunities that others have the luxury of getting. Johnson is a good player in the first-class arena, but with the bat, he would have hoped for more consistency.
After 117 first-class matches, Johnson has 6190 runs at an average of 32.40, with six centuries and 39 fifties. With the current standard of cricket in the Caribbean, Johnson’s overall career is above some of the Regional batsmen.
The 33-year-old Johnson has also played nine Test matches and scored 403 runs with two half-centuries to his name. However, he has an average of 25.18.
Despite Johnson’s record in Test cricket, he still did not get the opportunity some of the “Test players” have had. We have seen some unexpected selections made by the West Indies selection panel in the past. At age 33, it is still possible for Johnson to earn a West Indies recall if he dominates Regional cricket and continues his supreme captaincy.