Staff Writer – Archi
West Indies Cricket news. Dwayne Bravo finds no place in the plans of West Indies cricket but he still stands by his decision to call off the Indian tour last October and believes he doesn’t need to talk to his board for a recall like Kevin Pietersen did with the England Cricket Board (ECB).
“I am still committed to West Indies cricket. Selection is not in my hands but I want it to be known that I am 100% available to play the shorter formats. I still have a few years of cricket left in me and I need to make the most of them,” he said after finishing his assignment with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Talking about his relation with the West Indies board, Bravo said, “it’s not a matter of my board (WICB) coming to me and telling me to give up IPL. I don’t need that. I was never in a fight with my board except for the abandoned India tour. It was a team decision but I was punished because I was the captain. I have no regrets.”
The all-rounder is happy to see West Indies perform under a new coach. “I was happy to see them win but more so for new coach Phil Simmons. It’s not easy to coach a West Indian team. I was up till 3 in the morning watching the game even though I had a match to play in the evening. I am in contact with these players because they are young and they look up to me. And I enjoy sharing my experiences with them. We never lacked talent. It’s just that other things outside cricket are killing our cricket,” he stated.
Dwayne Bravo. Photo courtesy icricketbuzz.com
Asked how he will react if new coach Simmons calls him up, Bravo said “I’ll tell him that I have retired. I haven’t played for five years so I don’t know what the Test arena feels like. I am lucky to have played 40 Tests and I have enjoyed each of them. I would have loved to prolong it but that’s not in my hands.
Then again there are allegations that West Indian cricketers like him, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are mercenaries, putting monetary benefits before the famous Caribbean pride by playing in cash-rich T20 leagues all over the globe. But what “hurts” him more is the fact that nobody speaks about Australian or South African cricketers in a similar breath.
“It hurts,” Bravo said after collecting his award as the best T20 player of year during the CEAT awards in Mumbai. “Players from across the globe play in the IPL and various leagues across the globe. But it is only the West Indians who are sort of targeted. It really feels sad sometimes but these are things that are beyond my control. I can’t do much about that. What I can do is feel comfortable with the team that I am playing with. Give my best and enjoy my cricket,” Bravo added.
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