Dwayne Bravo: The Champion all-rounder from West Indies

Former West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo is considered one of the best all-rounders in cricketing history, having played a crucial role in helping the Caribbean team win two T20 World Cups. He has also been a star player for several franchises, including Chennai Super Kings, where he helped clinch five IPL titles, and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, where he contributed to three CPL titles. Despite announcing his retirement from international cricket on 9 November 2021 following West Indies' early exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Bravo continued playing franchise cricket around the world.

However, on 1st September 2024, he announced his retirement from the CPL (Caribbean Premier League), putting an end to his 14-year-long career in the league. Before this, he was part of the Afghanistan cricket team as a bowling consultant during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where he played a crucial role in helping them reach their first-ever semi-final in an ICC event and in defeating teams like Bangladesh and India’s arch-rival Pakistan.

With Bravo retiring after the CPL 2024 season, we can say it marks the end of his 20-year-long T20 cricket career, which began at Lord’s Cricket Ground against England in 2004. The star player has represented the West Indies national cricket team in 296 matches (40 Tests, 164 ODIs, 91 T20Is), amassing over 6000 runs and taking 363 wickets. In addition to these magnificent records for his nation, he has also taken 500 T20 wickets.

On announcing his retirement, Bravo took to social media to share his feelings, emphasizing the importance of playing his final professional tournament in front of his Caribbean fans.

He stated, "It's been a great journey and I'm looking forward to playing my final professional tournament in front of my Caribbean people. TKR is the place where everything started for me and will end with my team."

Dwayne Bravo grew up watching Brian Lara as his inspiration for becoming a cricketer, but he made his name in cricket, especially in the shorter format, as a death-over specialist and dangerous batter. It would not be wrong to say that Bravo could have had a longer international career with West Indies in the other formats, but injuries, disagreements with the board, and the rise of franchise cricket limited his appearances to 40 Tests and 164 ODIs.

The right-handed batter made his Test debut at Lord's in July 2004, showcasing his prowess by bagging three wickets in the first innings with his medium-paced swingers. His maiden Test hundred came against South Africa in April 2005 at Antigua, where he hit 107. In November 2005, he scored a magnificent 113 against Australia in Hobart.

The all-rounder quit Test cricket after the West Indies Cricket Board asked him to sign a central contract that required him to be available to play for West Indies at all times. He declined, along with Kieron Pollard, to participate in T20 cricket tournaments like the Indian Premier League. The following year, when he chose the IPL over a home series against Pakistan, West Indies never picked him again for Test cricket. Between 2011 and 2013, West Indies played 24 Tests, eventually leading him to retire from Test cricket in January 2015.

Let’s look at the incredible records of the former West Indies all-rounder:

1. He is the second captain in ODI cricket to have the best bowling figures of 6 wickets in 10 overs, conceding just 43 runs at an economy of 4, against Zimbabwe in 2013.

2. In T20I cricket, he holds the third-highest partnership for the 9th wicket, with 66 runs alongside JE Taylor, against India’s arch-rival Pakistan in 2016 in Dubai.

However, after he retires from CPL, the all-rounder will be seen by the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the 2025 season as a bowling coach.