Bravo to retire from international cricket on Saturday

LEGENDARY WEST Indies T20 all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will retire from international duty after the team’s final ICC T20 World Cup match against Australia on Saturday.

Bravo confirmed his retirement from international cricket after the West Indies were eliminated from the tournament by Sri Lanka on Thursday. Sri Lanka won by 20 runs.

“The time has come. I think I had a very good career to represent the West Indies for 18 years. I’ve had some ups and downs but having said that, when I look back at it, I’m very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long,” he said after Thursday's match.

The 38-year-old won three ICC tournaments with the WI team – 50-Over Champions Trophy (2004) and two T20 World Cups (2012 and 2016).

Bravo added that he is proud to be a part of a special era of West Indian cricketers who led the regional team to glory on the biggest stage. However, he said, there must be a time to step back and let the youngsters take charge.

“We can’t play forever. We have to accept reality. For me now I want to try pass on whatever information and experience I have to the younger players.

“I think in the white ball format, West Indies cricket has a bright future. It’s important for us to keep supporting and encouraging the guys.

“It wasn’t the World Cup we expected or wanted as players. But we shouldn’t feel sorry for ourselves, it’s a tough competition and we should keep our heads high,” he said.

Bravo said that during his tenure as a West Indies player, fellow players such as Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine among others helped the team transition from the glory days of the 70s, 80s and late 90s, when the WI dominated Test cricket, to becoming a force in the T20 international circuit.

He believes these players created a new identity for the squad as they replaced regional legends such as Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers and SIr Clive Lloyd.

Looking ahead, Bravo said, “(I will) finish the season. I still have cricket left in me. (I will) look after my body. (In my) last few years, I’ll try and keep as fit as possible. But when I decide to call it a day hopefully in the white ball format I want to come back and give my hand to the young players.”

Bravo played 90 T20Is for the West Indies, taking 78 wickets and scoring over 1,000 runs.

The middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, Bravo made his international debut in 2004 and went on to play 293 matches.

He completes his T20I career with a 294th match on Saturday against Australia from 6 am (TT time).

Bravo has been one of the format's finest exponents of the slower ball and excelled at the death with both bat and ball.

In 2012, he was the man to take the winning catch when West Indies won the T20 World Cup for the first time, in Sri Lanka and he was there again when they triumphed in India four years later.