[Exclusive] Dwayne Smith picks one Indian who matches West Indies players' 'vibes'
The Barbados-born also opened up on the new generation of cricketers who are cruising through to become big stars.
Former West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Smith recently spoke about the legacy left by the legendary players from his nation. The Barbados-born also opened up on the new generation of cricketers who are cruising through to become big stars.
While Smith's Test career was relatively brief, spanning just 10 matches, he flourished in the limited-overs formats. Over a 13-year international career, he represented the West Indies in 105 ODIs and 33 T20Is, scoring 1560 and 582 runs, respectively.
Despite his success in various T20 leagues, the 41-year-old remains deeply connected to West Indian cricket and its rich history. When asked about the legacy of West Indian fast bowling, he expressed his admiration and hope for the best for the upcoming players coming forward from that part of the world.
"Matching that legacy is tough, but I’d love for our current bowlers to do half as good as those legends. I’m sure we’d be in a better position. We have a good young crop coming up now, and I hope they continue to get playing time so they can gain experience and improve match by match," said Smith in an exclusive conversation with CricTracker on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket (LLC).
Smith also picked England as the fiercest rival of the West Indies. "The biggest rivalry? England. West Indies and England, all the time," he added.
The right-hand batter became a T20 specialist and had a deep impact on leagues around the world. Even in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he represented three teams but his best came out for both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
Even after retirement, he continues to feature in the Legends League Cricket (LLC), representing India Capitals under the leadership of Ian Bell. His recent form has been decent, having scored 87 runs in five matches and helping the team qualify for the knockout stage with three wins from seven games.
The former refused to see an Indian player in the West Indies dressing room. He mentioned the difference in culture and the playing style of both nations. Although, he chose Hardik Pandya as the one who could manage the Caribbean dressing room.
"No, we're fine. I don't think we would want that [an Indian player in their team]. It's different, it's a different culture [in West Indies], so there are still many differences. I think we would always prefer to keep our own team. We would like someone to score runs like some Indian players, but I'm sure we'll be good. But if I had to choose [someone who matches West Indies players' vibes], then it would be Hardik Pandya," Smith concluded.
Watch Dwayne Smith's answers here:
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