Darren Bravo wants to regain confidence in Super50

AFTER cracking a century for the TT Red Force against Windward Islands Volcanoes on Thursday, Darren Bravo said he is not concentrating on his tally of runs in the Colonial Medical Super50 Tournament, but simply wants to continue enjoying cricket and regain his confidence.

Bravo was overlooked for the current West Indies tour of India, against Afghanistan, after a poor run of form over the past few months. He had a disappointing Test series against India in the Caribbean, before having a bleak run in the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 Tournament.

Bravo cracked 115 not out off 127 deliveries, with five fours and eight sixes, to steer Red Force to an eight-wicket win over Volcanoes.

After his knock, Bravo said, "It is a good feeling. Really and truly, I really wanted to spend time out in the middle, and happy I was able to do that."

Asked if his goal in the tournament is to score hundreds, Bravo said, "It is just to go out there and continue to enjoy the game as much as possible and just spend time in the middle. (It is) just to get back my confidence going and (I am) happy to get a pretty good start and hopefully continue from strength to strength."

Bravo, 30, said he wants to support his team as one of the seasoned campaigners.

"I just want to continue helping my team as much as possible, being one of the most experienced guys in the dressing room, and try to guide them as much as possible. (I) would not always get the big innings, but as long as I contribute and help the youngsters, I am pretty happy."

One youngster who benefitted from Bravo's experience is fellow left-hander Jeremy Solozano. Bravo and Solozano put an unbroken 226 for the third wicket to propel Red Force to the convincing victory. Solozano scored 102 not out off 118 balls including nine fours and two sixes.

Solozano, 24, said, "Firstly, thanks to God for really giving me the patience and ability to go through today. Batting with Bravo, he has a lot of experience (and) he talked to me a lot. Even at times (when) you feel a little bogged down, he gave you advice, so it was a good experience."

Bravo was elated that Solozano got his century, saying his work ethic is paying off.

"I am happy for him, to be honest. He has been putting in a lot of hard work," Bravo said. "Training extremely hard, spending a lot of hours in the nets, hitting a lot of balls.

"What I was really happy about is the fact that we lost two early wickets and he was able to handle the pressure pretty well. I think our communication was pretty (good), as you all could see.

"I am really happy for him, and he played to his strengths, and that was the most important thing."