Bravo happy to return

TT RED Force captain Darren Bravo is happy to be back in the West Indies team, for a tour of Sri Lanka which starts on Feb 22.

The 30-year-old left-handed batsman was left out of the WI squads for the recent limited-overs (One Day International and T20 International) series away to Afghanistan and India – both in India – and home against Ireland.

At the time, Cricket West Indies (CWI) lead selector Roger Harper said, “We recognised Darren has not been at his best as we have seen over the years. Therefore, we wanted to give him the opportunity to go away, get his game right and come back to being the best he can be, so that he can make a real positive impact for our West Indies team and be the force we know he can be in world cricket.”

In the Regional Super50 Cup, Bravo had the leading average (96.20) and was second-highest run-getter with 481, trailing another left-hander Kieran Powell of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes (524).

And, in the Regional Four Day Tournament, Bravo, in his first season as Red Force skipper, has tallied 202 runs at an average of 50.5, with one century and a half-century.

Asked how it feels to be back on the WI squad, Bravo said on Monday, “It’s a good feeling, after not being selected (since) the World Cup.

“I think my performances in the regional tournament paid dividends and I’m happy about that.”

Bravo, who last played for the WI against Bangladesh, during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales, will have a crucial role with the Kieron Pollard-led squad, with left-handed top-order batsmen Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer omitted owing to failed fitness tests.

“I’m not quite sure what my role and responsibility is as yet but I’m willing to do what’s necessary to get the team over the line,” said Bravo.

He had to opt out of the Red Force team who travelled to Dominica on Monday to face the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their Regional Four Day Tournament encounter this Thursday.

Commenting on his new role as Red Force captain, Bravo said, “It’s fantastic. The guys have displayed a commitment to the cause which is tremendous. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They’ve supported me well. Everybody understands their roles. One of my main goals was to make sure that each player understands their responsibilities on the team. We were able to achieve that.

“I want to wish them all the best in the next couple of games. I’ve only (been) selected for the one-day series so I’ll be back within the next couple weeks for the regional tournament. Hopefully they can do well and (resume) our winning ways. We’re in a good place and hopefully things can go according to plan.”