DJ plays on, for now

FORMER WEST Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo intends to continue his cricketing career, at the T20 level, for at least three more years.

The 35-year-old Bravo announced his retirement from international cricket last Wednesday.

In an interview at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair yesterday, Bravo said his retirement was not influenced by his non-selection for either of the West Indies limited-overs teams for the current tour of India.

A story on the Cricinfo website on September 14 reported that Bravo, his brother Darren, Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons made themselves available for the TT Red Force in the recently-concluded Regional Super50 Cup, with an eye on possible selection for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England.

But Bravo ended his international career two days before the Red Force’s humiliating seven-wicket loss to eventual champions CCC Marooners in a Super50 semi-final at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

Bravo admitted yesterday, “I came back to play with the Red Force team because it was the last opportunity for me to play with the guys who I (grew) up playing with. This was a perfect opportunity to exit the first-class arena.

“It was a tough tournament for me physically. I haven’t played 50-over cricket in over four years. That was a lot on my body.”

The former WI One-Day International (ODI) captain continued, “I just had to be honest with myself and accept the fact that the next three to four years are very important for me, as a player. I just wanted to give myself the best opportunity to last as long as possible.”

He said not being selected for the West Indies team to go to India had nothing to do with his decision, “because I haven’t played for the West Indies in one-dayers since 2014, and in T20s since 2016.

“It’s 2018 now, so it wasn’t a surprise. It was just for me to officially call it a day, so I can focus on other things and other people.”

Bravo, who has been the captain of the TT franchise teams – both TT Red Steel and back-to-back champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) – since the inception of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2013, plans to keep on representing the TKR as long as possible.

“I’m going to continue to play for the Knight Riders,” he said. “So, to all my fans who (got) scared and think that they’ll never see me play cricket again, you can rest assured that I’ll continue to be playing, just (not) for the West Indies. I’ll continue to play in the T20 leagues, try to keep my body fit so I can play as long as possible.”

Asked what he intends to do when he retires from all forms of the game, Bravo replied, “I wouldn’t say I’ll go into coaching. Definitely I’ll give back (to) cricket at some form or the other, but more on a T20 level. I think that’s where I’ve gained most of my experience and success, whether it’s a bowling coach or a mentor for different teams in different tournaments.”

The father of three admitted, “I travel so much as a player (and) coaching requires a lot of travelling, which is something I don’t want to do because I’ve spent most of my time doing that. After cricket, I want to make sure that my kids could enjoy (my company). I want to set up myself in a way that I’m comfortable in life and I’ll travel when I decide to or if I want to, and not because I have to.”

Bravo listed the WI titles at the 2004 Champions Trophy in England, and the ICC World T20 crowns in 2012 (in Bangladesh) and 2016 (in India) as his major highlights.

“A lot of players (go) through their careers and don’t know what it tastes (like). To win the Champions Trophy in 2004, and two World Cups, I can’t ask for anything better.”

He added, “Those personal achievements (are) good, but being able to represent the West Indies in over 40 Test matches, over 150 ODIs and over 50 T20s, I think it’s a good career for me.”

As for his influence on other players, he said, “I think I inspired a lot of players. I get a lot of private messages, a lot of players post me on their social media pages, and that is something good.

“I’ll continue to play the game and I’ll continue to support players. I’m close with all the players and I communicate with them on a regular basis. It’s just to help and encourage each other.”