Trailblazer Bravo ‘one of the best of generation’
VETERAN ALL-ROUNDER Dwayne Bravo has been hailed as a “trailblazer” and one of the finest players of his era, after bringing his international career to a close yesterday.
The 38-year-old announced on Thursday he would retire following West Indies’ final group match of the Twenty20 World Cup against Australia.
He came in for widespread praise in the wake of the outing, which saw the Caribbean side slump to a heavy eight-wicket loss.
“Dwayne has been an outstanding cricketer of his generation, who has been popular with fans the world over. He was successful in all formats and is part of an elite club of two-time World champions,” said Geoff Allardice, the acting chief executive of cricket’s world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“His versatility and the experience of playing the world over have helped him gain immense understanding of the game and I hope he will be able to find ways to stay involved in cricket.
“On behalf of the ICC, I wish him all the best for the future,” said Allardice.
Cricket West Indies also praised Bravo’s contribution to the game, pointing out the Trinidadian had evolved to become “one of the world’s leading white ball death bowlers and a valuable mentor for the next generation of West Indies players”.
President Ricky Skerritt, under whose tenure Bravo returned in 2019 following a 15-month retirement stint, said the former one-day skipper had also “added value to all levels of West Indies cricket”.
“On behalf of all West Indies cricket fans, I salute Dwayne on completing his illustrious international career,” Skerritt said.
“He performed admirably in all three formats and added value to all levels of West Indies cricket. He was a trailblazer in T20 cricket and set the standard for how the newest format of the game should be played.
STAR ATTRACTION
“Dwayne’s talent, commitment and dynamism thrilled fans of all ages and he was a star attraction for a generation of young cricket lovers.
“He excelled and demonstrated his immense prowess with both bat and ball and created a legacy of top-quality performances,” Skerritt said. “He will always be a true West Indian champion and we thank you for that.”
Bravo was unable to have any impact on West Indies’ fortunes during the ongoing T20 World Cup, the now deposed champions losing four of their five games to finish fifth of six teams in Group One on two points.
He took only two wickets from 16 overs in the tournament at an economy rate of 8½ per over and managed only 26 runs from five innings.
Captain Kieron Pollard, a close friend of Bravo’s, said the player’s immense knowledge remained valuable to West Indies cricket.
“What Bravo has done for West Indies cricket and sort of bringing all-rounders in the Caribbean when he started is paramount,” Pollard pointed out.
“He spoke about the discipline that was instilled in him and he was able to bring that discipline and enthusiasm and courage to each and every team he represented. We are fortunate and lucky to have an individual like him amongst us the last 18 years or so.
“For me personally, I wish him all the best. Obviously, we’ll still be seeing him on the cricketing circuit and I’m sure he has a passion to give back to West Indies cricket, especially.
“Long may his career continue outside of international cricket and thank you for being a great role model and mentor for us in the Caribbean,” Pollard continued.
“I’m sure there are youngsters in the Caribbean still looking up to you and want to tap into the brain and knowledge that you have over these past 18 years.”
Bravo finished with 78 wickets from 91 T20 Internationals, while taking 553 wickets and scoring 6,627 runs from 512 matches overall.