Brathwaite is getting better with every game - Clive Llyod

Cape Town, Jan 4 (IANS) Chief selector Clive Lloyd has praised Kraigg Brathwaite’s maturity in the wake of the opener’s third Test century and said that coupled with the presence of the experienced Marlon Samuels, the West Indies were now only two middle order batsmen short of being a quality Test side.

Lloyd, the legendary former captain credited with moulding the West Indies into a world class side of the 1970s and '80s, said the 22-year-old had shown he possessed the mettle for Test cricket, reports CMC.

"I think people will realise now that we do have young players who want to do well in Test cricket and not only thinking of T20," Lloyd pointed out.

"He (Brathwaite) is very mature for his age and the innings I have seen him play against Bangladesh and now here shows that he’s getting better with every game," Lloyd said.

"He’s a good thinker and you can tell from interviews, his answers are very intelligent. So if we can continue with players of that nature, then our team is not too far away from being a very good one.”

Samuels, Lloyd said, had also come into his own and the key was now to find two quality young players to complement the batting.

“He has shown maturity. He’s batted well in one-dayers, he’s batted well in Test matches so I think we’re just trying to form that middle (order),” Lloyd explained.

“I think we need another two batsmen in the middle there who can sort of fight through situations and give us a total for our bowlers to bowl to, and we’ll keep searching with the youngsters that we have and hope that they can come through.”

Both Brathwaite and Samuels proved their quality in the second Test at Port Elizabeth, stroking high class centuries in a record 176-run, third-wicket stand to repel South Africa.

Their effort kept the West Indies in the the contest on the fourth day of the rain-affected encounter, before bad weather returned to force the abandonment of the final day.