Will continue playing franchise cricket, you will definitely see me around: Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo said goodbye to international cricket but has no immediate plans to sever ties with the game entirely. The 38-year-old played his last T20I against Australia on November 6 as West Indies finished their 2021 campaign at the tournament with an eight-wicket loss.

“I will continue playing franchise cricket for a few more years as long as my body will allow me to,” Bravo said in a virtual media interaction after the game. “My aim was to retire a few years ago, but with a change of presidency and change of leadership comes a change of heart, and I wanted to give back to West Indies because I was still in a good place physically and enjoy my cricket.”

“I think this was the right moment for me to walk away from the game, and allow the next generation and young players who I share a very good friendship with, to come through,” Bravo said. “They still see me around but more passing information around as policy and trying to give my experience back to the next group of players, and hopefully they can also have a 12-to-18-year career as well.”

A T20 legend in his own right, Bravo, who made his international debut in 2004, represented the West Indies in 91 T20Is, apart from 40 Tests and ODIs. In the same span, he played T20 leagues across the world to stamp his name as one of the finest to have played the format, and his record of 16 different T20 League titles is second to none.

Wanting to give it back to the game that gave him everything, Bravo expressed his inclination to don a coaching role later. “Definitely at some point if I decide to walk away from the game finally, I would love to get back in the coaching department, so I already started to put things in place for when it’s that time.”

“Definitely you will see me around. Like I said, cricket has given me everything. Cricket has given me the life I always wanted for myself and my family. So I think it’s only fair that I love to give back to the game that has given me so much. Again, I keep encouraging myself because of the talent I see coming through in West Indies, and whatever team I play for around the world, so definitely you will see me involved.”