TRINIDAD AND Tobago Red Force all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has called it quits from Test cricket, less than two months after he was controversially removed as captain of the West Indies One Day International team, as well as dropped from the team for the recent ODI series against South Africa and the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
In a message which he sent to former national and West Indies leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine yesterday, and which was subsequently posted on Ramnarine’s Twitter page, Bravo noted, “(yesterday) I (announced) my retirement from Test cricket. I have already informed the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) of this decision and also indicated my desire to continue to represent West Indies in the shorter version of the game.
“I recognise that this is a difficult time for all of us,” Bravo added. “Our people of the region have seen and enjoyed great cricketing days but we will not return to glory until we agree to go forward with our love for the game and the respect of the administrators, players and the public.”
The 31-year-old continued, “I have experienced the exhilarating joy of victory and the devastating pain of defeat. The joyous memories will remind me of what we are capable of achieving. I want to be part of that mission.”
He ended, “I thank the cricketing fraternity for their support and look forward to serving you with determination and the pride of being a West Indian.”
Bravo made his Test debut at Lord’s, London on July 22 2004, during the ill-fated tour of England, which saw the Brian Lara-led Windies suffer a 4-0 whitewash to the hands of the Michael Vaughan-led England.
He played 40 Tests, scoring 2,200 runs at an average of 31.42 with a topscore of 113 (against Australia in Hobart in 2005). With his medium pace, he captured 86 wickets at an average of 39.83 with best figures of 6/55 (against England at Old Trafford, Manchester in 2004).
His last Test was the third and final match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in December 2010, where he scored a duck in a rain-ruined affair.
Bravo was also renowned for his smile, his ebullience and his fielding, especially in limited-overs cricket, and he has become one of the game’s most recognisable players, particularly on the T20 circuit with the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel (Caribbean Premier League), the Chennai Super Kings (Indian Premier League) and Melbourne Renegades (Big Bash League, Australia).
However, Bravo has been the centre of controversy, based in fact to his role as the captain of the West Indies team who pulled out of the ODI series, and subsequent series away to India last October, due to problems with the payment structure in the players’ revised tour contracts.
He was removed as ODI captain in December - replaced by Barbadian Jason Holder.
Earlier yesterday, as he has been doing in recent times, Ramnarine hinted at another major development in West Indies cricket, arising from the dispute between the players, the West Indies Players Association (headed by Wavell Hinds) and the WICB (led by Dave Cameron).
“Another day in which we should be expecting some major announcements in WI cricket,” Ramnarine blogged yesterday morning. “Our aim (should) be (to) encourage players (to) stay in (the) game.”
Ramnarine broke the news of that Bravo and Kieron Pollard were not going to be selected to the West Indies World Cup squad (48 hours before the 15-man team was announced by the WICB), and also on Monday, he highlighted the fact that off-spinner Sunil Narine was pulling out of the World Cup squad due to his desire to continue remedial work on his bowling action. Narine made his decision official on Tuesday.