'I feel like a kid again' - Dwayne Bravo excited for his West Indies comeback

Dwayne Bravo will be seen wearing the West Indies’ maroon jersey once again after a period of four years, as he becomes the oldest member of the T20I squad which will face Ireland at home. The home team already routed the Irish in the 3-match ODI series and will now faceoff in the 20-over encounters from January 15.

Bravo, a veteran and former captain of the team, last played for the West Indies in T20I against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2016, the same year he won the ICC World T20 with the team. He has played 66 T20 matches and scored 1142 runs with 4 half-centuries, while has picked 52 wickets as well. The all-rounder is the highest wicket-taker in T20s with 490 scalps to his name in 450 games.

Dwayne Bravo wants the death overs’ bowling specialist role in T20I team

With the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia in October, Bravo’s return is seen as a signal that Roger Harper’s selection panel is looking to mix youth and experience. Not only that, but they are also looking to plug some holes in the playing XI as well. One of those spots is that of a death overs specialist and Harper mentioned that Bravo’s return was with a specific intention of fulfilling that role.

“Death bowling is an art. Not many people around the world have really nailed death bowling to the T. If you ask anyone in world cricket to name five death bowlers in the last decade, definitely, my name will come along with Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc,” Bravo told the Trinidad-based radio station I955 FM as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Dwayne Bravo said that death bowling is not easy and requires special skills. He also mentioned that he has nothing to prove to anyone and his stats speak for itself. His numbers are out there for people to see and he knows that he is counted amongst the best death overs specialists in the world.

Talking about his return into the West Indies team colours, Bravo exclaimed, “I feel like a kid again when I first get a call Mr Harper that welcome back to the team and play international cricket and they were looking forward to having me back. It is something that was always on my mind since the change of leadership and staff. So just happy I get the opportunity to represent the region again and I am looking forward to doing my best.”

Freehit: 20 Questions with Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza