NEWS
Follow UsWhile the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup was seen as the last dance for the current crop of the West Indies players, who were part of two-time World Cup-winning squads, their performance was far away from what was expected. The Windies cracked under the pressure and played catch-up cricket in the competition after their loss against England in the first round of the Super 12s.
With their loss against Sri Lanka confirming their exit, veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo confirmed that his retirement from international cricket, stating that his time with the Maroons has come to an end, after the clash against Australia.
"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," said Bravo.
Bravo entered the competition with two T20 titles in two competitions, with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Chennai Super Kings. However, his form in the global tournament was far away from the expectations. The all-rounder has played 90 T20Is for the country, scoring 1245 runs and picking up 78 wickets.
"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," Bravo said.
The all-rounder is confident that he will pass on whatever experience and information he possesses to the new generation of cricketers from the Caribbean.
"For me now I want to try and pass on whatever experience and information I have with the younger players. 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," said Bravo.
"This is a format that was born in 2008 or something like that, for us to dominate the way we dominate in that short period of time in a fairly new format - I remember having a conversation with you (Sammy) that 'yes, Sir Viv and Sir Gary have their own legacy, Sir Clive Lloyd and these guys, but we have our opportunity to create our own.' We should be proud of ourselves,” he added.
Windies with two trophies are the most coveted team in the competition, winning the title in 2012 and 2016, against all odds.
"We create our own legacy. Some people might think this is a format that a lot of people don't respect, but the reality is this is an ICC tournament and it's a tournament that is sanctioned by ICC cricket so we should be proud of what we have achieved."
