In a sensational turn of events, West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo has reversed his international retirement on Friday and has made himself available for T20 selection. The decision comes with less than a year remaining before West Indies defend their T20 World Cup title in Australia. The next edition of the marquee tournament will take place in October and November next year.
Earlier last year, Dwayne Barvo had retired from international cricket in October 2018. He last played for West Indies in September 2016, a T20I against Pakistan in the UAE but has been active in franchise cricket across the world. The ace allrounder recently guided Maratha Arabians to title in Abu Dhabi T10 League. Last month, he had also hinted about coming out of retirement.
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Dwayne Bravo’s statement:
Dwayne Bravo released a statement to confirm his decision of making himself available for selection in the shortest format of the game. The star allrounder insisted that he would remain fully committed to West Indies once he earns a recall from the national team.
“Today I confirm the announcement of my decision to return to international cricket to all my fans and well wishers around the world. It’s no secret that this big announcement has come as a result of the changes made at the administration level,” he said.
“For a while now I have been contemplating my return to international cricket and my decision was solidified by these positive changes. With the current leadership of coach Phil Simmons and captain Kieron Pollard I am really excited about this comeback and about the chance to be a part of something really special.
“We have a lot of young on the team as well as cricketers with a wealth of experience such as Pollard, Simmons and Jason Holder and I believe that I can contribute to a positive change.
“With a powerful team such as ours we can definitely rebuild the West Indies T20 cricket team on and off the field and improve our rankings. I will remain fully committed to the West Indies T20 team once selected,” he added.
The news will be a huge boost to the West Indies team ahead of the T20 World Cup. Bravo is one of the most sought after T20 allrounders in the world. He played an integral role in West Indies’ triumphs in T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016. And the way he is still performing, it would not be surprising if he goes on to make a difference again next year provided that he earns the recall.
Bravo is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world right now. In fact, only Kieron Pollard has played more T20 matches (496) compared to Bravo’s 450. Bravo is still the leading wicket-taker in the format, only 10 short of the 500 mark.