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Bravo brings bravura to West Indies

Ian Chappell, captain of Australia during one of their golden eras, is now an incisive and highly respected television commentator.

So those in charge of West Indies cricket would do well to ponder his comments on their young all-rounder Dwayne Bravo during a vibrant half-century against Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.

“He would be my choice as captain,” Chappell told viewers. “I really like his competitiveness. He can inspire his team. I think he would be an ideal captain.”

West Indies badly missed Bravo during the dispiriting month of May when they were well beaten by England in a two-test series.

Bravo had been given permission to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) because it was felt a long-standing ankle injury would not stand up to the demands of five-day cricket.

In an interview during a rare sunny day at the Oval, Bravo said the injury required careful monitoring.

“I was getting some discomfort in my ankle for quite some time now. I got the surgery done to try and solve the problem. So far it’s been good but there are still some problems in there. It’s not as good as before and not as good as I would like it to be but I’ve continued my rehab programme,” he said.

“Every day I have to do my strength and balancing work, I have to keep my stretching going, I have to ice three times a day.”

Even the mere four overs required in Twenty20 cricket proved problematic in the IPL.

“It got a bit rough and tough in the IPL when we had back-to-back games, that took a toll on my ankle but so far it has been good, I have had a lot of between days to recover,” Bravo said.

SUBSTANTIAL ROLE

Bravo, still only 25, made his debut against England at Lord’s in 2004. His figures in 31 test matches (1,833 runs at 32.73 with two centuries and 70 wickets at 39.58) are good but not outstanding.

It is his attitude and enthusiasm, noted by Chappell, which suggest he can fulfil his considerable potential and play a substantial role in West Indies cricket.

Bravo bowls at a lively pace without being particularly quick. He is a batsman good enough to score a test century against Australia, full of strokes and initiative. His quicksilver fielding can be dazzling.

The ankle injury has affected his fielding, however.

“In the field it has slowed me down a bit. It affects me in the speed and agility side of it. But as I continue playing it gets looser and I start to feel comfortable,” he said.

Bravo is from Trinidad, home of the great all-rounder Learie Constantine who, denied the chance to make a proper living at home, went to England and the Lancashire leagues and later became the first black man to sit in the House of Lords.

Through test cricket and his IPL contract with the Mumbai Indians, Bravo does not have the money worries that drove Constantine to England. He has a similar pride in West Indies cricket and is anxious to see the smiles back on the faces of their fans.

“We want to redeem ourselves and back our ability and do it for ourselves and our team and the fans back home. We have to put our hands up and give a good showing of ourselves,” he said.

“We are a better team in the shorter version of the game, I think that’s very understandable. We are a very good team, we have a good balance, experience and youth and a lot of talent.

“It’s all about being there and doing the right things and making less mistakes and try and put the opposition under pressure.”