TKR legend: Darren Bravo, the anchor in past teams

DARREN Bravo, 34, was one of the longest-serving members of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) franchise, representing the team for nine years from 2013-2021.

Bravo did not participate in this year's Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League, but TKR fans would fondly remember his time with the team.

He had stuck with the team through the ups and downs, playing alongside his brother Dwayne and many other TKR stalwarts like Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree, Colin Munro and Brendon McCullum.

Bravo was with the team when the local franchise, then the TT Red Steel, were dismissed for 52 in 12.5 overs in the inaugural season against the Barbados Royals (then Barbados Tridents) at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

On a brighter note, the left-handed batsman was a member of the team for all four titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020) the TT franchise won and he has certainly played a role in those championship-winning teams.

Bravo often played the anchor for TKR with a CPL career strike rate of 117.05, being a steady force when batting alongside power-hitters like Pollard, Munro and McCullum.

However, the Santa Cruz-born player has the ability to tear bowling attacks apart and clear he ropes with consummate ease.

Bravo certainly demonstrated his power and timing to hit boundaries in an innings against the Pollard-led St Lucia Stars in the 2018 edition. He struck six fours and ten sixes in his knock of 94 not out off 36 balls to help TKR chase a mammoth 213 to win the match. In the 16th over, Bravo slammed Pollard for five sixes as the medium pacer leaked 32 runs in the over.

Bravo, who played with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2022, is the ninth highest run scorer in the history of the CPL with 1,956 runs at an average of 29.63. He has cracked 11 fifties during his career.

In the 2020 tournament, Bravo made 297 runs at an average of 59.40 to end the tournament as the third highest run scorer in the competition. That year, TKR were crowned champions.

Bravo has delivered for TKR on multiple occasions. In the 2014 CPL, TKR needed a six off the last ball to defeat Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen's Park Oval in a preliminary phase match. Bravo did not disappoint, hitting fast bowler Ronsford Beaton for a six over the mid-wicket boundary.

Bravo has an exciting start to his international Test career with three half-centuries in a tour of Sri Lanka in 2010. Few would argue that Bravo boasts an abundance of talent, but some argue he could have achieved more on the international stage. Fans missed out on watching Bravo play for the regional team for a few years after he was dropped in 2016 owing to a dispute with former Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron.

Bravo represented West Indies from 2009-2022. In 56 Test matches, he scored 3,538 runs at an average of 36.47 with eight centuries and 17 half centuries, and in 122 One Day Internationals, amassed 3,109 runs at an average of 30.18 with four hundreds and 18 half centuries.