Dwayne Bravo eager to contribute again

Chennai: West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo on Wednesday made a sharp U-turn by reversing his decision on retirement. The former captain, however, made it clear that he would only play the T20 format and pledged his full commitment to the team.

“It’s been on my mind ever since the Cricket West Indies witnessed a change in administration and team management (coach and captain level). I think it’s the right time for me to come back and contribute to the team,” said Bravo with just a bunch of reporters attending the hurriedly arranged interaction.  

In October, Bravo had announced his retirement from international cricket and a few days ago he hinted a return to it and made himself available for the World T20 in Australia.

The 36-year-old feels he is fit enough to play the shortest format. “I feel very motivated in this part of my life and career. All the administrators, coaches and players can now together work towards uplifting the team. We can sing on the same song and improve the state of the team,” he said.

Ireland will be touring West Indies early in January for three ODIs and three T20Is. Bravo said he was available for selection. “I waited for the T20 series to finish. I could have gone back home and announced, but the next T20 series starts in the first week of January. So I just wanted to make it clear before next selection,” Bravo said.

When asked if he were confident about getting picked for the T20 World Cup, Bravo said: “It’s step by step. The World Cup is in October. There’s going to be at least 19-20 games before that, so the WT20 is not my main reason for coming back. There’s so much talent in West Indies, if managed properly, we can be the most dominant team as we once were.

“Windies were World No.1 not long ago, now the team is ranked 10th. Our focus now is to improve our T20 rankings. I think I can only enhance what is already there that is young talent,” he added.

Under new ODI captain Kieron Pollard, West Indies drubbed Afghanistan 3-0 before losing 1-2 to India. Bravo believes Pollard is the right leader to take the team forward. He also appreciated the captain-coach bond that Pollard and Phil Simmons are sharing.

“I think he (Pollard) is a very passionate guy. His leadership skills are very good. He has a very good relationship with the coach as well. The coach-captain relationship is very important for any team. They will mostly have the same plans and will be on the same page. Polly in his short stint as captain against Afghanistan and India has already shown what he can do. He’s the one to take us forward,” Bravo said.

Bravo is excited at the prospects of playing with youngsters. “I learned a lot when I had seniors around me. So once these young players have seniors around them they’ll improve naturally. This new management wants a mix of experience and youth. The mix of youth and experience will definitely help us improve,” he said.