Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has confirmed he will retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the West Indies’ bid for the ICC T20 World Cup.
The West Indies have lost three of their first four matches of the ICC T20 World Cup and hence, can no longer qualify for the semi-finals.
However, skipper Keiron Pollard has said he does not plan on retiring from cricket after the Caribbean side lost to Sri Lanka a day earlier.
Speaking about his retirement, Bravo said “I think the time has come.”
“I’ve had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I’m very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long.
“To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain [Daren Sammy] on the left here. One thing I am proud about is that the era of cricketers we had we were able to make a name for ourselves on the global stage and not only do that but have silverware to show for it,” he added.
Bravo came out of retirement in 2019 to lead the West Indies in the defence of their T20 World Cup title. He has appeared in all seven World Cups of the shorter format of the game and has overall, appeared in 90 T20Is.
He helped the West Indies win the ICC T20 World Cup twice, once in 2012 and then a second time in 2016. Bravo spoke about the team he had been part of over the year and the trophies they had won.
“To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain [Daren Sammy] on the left here. One thing I am proud about is that the era of cricketers we had we were able to make a name for ourselves on the global stage and not only do that but have silverware to show for it,” he said.
West Indies will play their final Group 1 game against Australia in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, with Bravo admitting “it wasn’t the World Cup we wanted”.
“For me now I want to try and pass on whatever experience and information I have with the younger players,” he said. “I think in the white-ball formats, West Indies cricket have a bright future and it’s important for us to keep supporting the guys and keep encouraging them.
“It wasn’t the World Cup we expected, it wasn’t the World Cup we wanted as players. We shouldn’t feel sorry for ourselves, it was a tough competition, we should keep our heads high.”