Bravo for Russell!
Trinidadian praises Jamaican Windies teammate as hardest batsman he’s faced
VETERAN WINDIES allrounder Dwayne Bravo says Jamaican teammate Andre Russell is the toughest batsman he has ever faced in his 17-year cricket career.
Bravo and Russell have had numerous battles, representing various franchises from Trinbago Knight Riders and Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League to Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian equivalent.
The 36-year-old says Russell’s destructive approach to batting has revolutionised the all-rounder’s rule in world cricket, and he said that the Jamaican and South African A.B. de Villiers are the two most difficult batsmen to face as a bowler.
“Andre Russell gives me the most trouble bowling to him,” Bravo said. “When a player is strong all round the ground, it’s difficult to bowl to him. A.B. de Villiers is also very good and difficult to bowl to once he gets going, but if the surface is slow or the ground is big, you will still fancy your chances against him. But where Russell is concerned, the size of the ground doesn’t matter, the slowness of the wicket doesn’t matter because of his power. Once you have power like him or Chris Gayle, the dimensions of the ground or the condition of the pitch doesn’t really matter.”
ALL-ROUNDER CRICKETERS
The Trinidadian says he is pleased with the cadre of allrounders that are emerging in the Caribbean since the advent of the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers, who paved the way for multiskilled cricketers in the region.
“Before that, West Indies had, basically, one real premium allrounder, who was Sir Gary Sobers,” Bravo said. “After Sir Gary, West Indies struggled to get a quality all-rounder. Just before me, there was Vasbert Drakes, who was a bowling all-rounder who just played a few games. Also, Dave Bernard Jr had made his debut before me. But to me, what gave me a lot of joy is that after the start of my international career, you see the likes of Kieron Pollard, Daren Sammy, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder, and now, Keemo Paul, emerging and doing big things.”