West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has reached a rare milestone, becoming the first cricketer in history to play 100 Test matches without ever featuring in a single T20 game, not even at domestic level. He achieved the same as West Indies took on Australia in the 2nd Test of the three-Test series in the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada. In an age dominated by white-ball cricket, Brathwaite’s career is a striking anomaly. A true red-ball specialist, he has etched his name in the record books through grit and resilience. Across 100 Tests and 191 innings, he has scored 5,943 runs, with 12 centuries and 31 fifties. His highest score remains 212, made against Bangladesh in 2014.Reacting to the unique achievement, the 32-year-old revealed that the record was not a chance occurrence. ““I set that goal when I was probably 14 years old — to play 100 Tests,” Brathwaite said as quoted by ICC. “Now I’m here, 18 years later, playing my hundredth Test for 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.”
Another unique statistic underscores his durability as a Test opener: he is the only player in the format’s history to remain unbeaten in both innings of a match as an opener. He achieved this feat against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2016 with scores of 142* and 60*. Since his debut in 2011, Brathwaite has gradually become the backbone of the West Indies’ Test lineup. He served as full-time captain from March 2021 to early 2024, leading the team in 39 Tests, which is also joint-fourth most for the Caribbean side alongside Sir Garry Sobers. Under his leadership, West Indies achieved landmark overseas wins, including at the Gabba in 2024 and Multan in 2025.
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He has faced more than 400 balls in a Test innings on five separate occasions, peaking with 673 deliveries against England in 2022, which remains the most by any West Indian in a single Test. Having reached the 100-Test landmark, Brathwaite stands as a throwback to a different era of cricket, where patience and an unwavering dedication to the red-ball game remains paramount.
