Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – When Dwayne Bravo is at full throttle it is a very good thing for Trinidad and Tobago. The livewire allrounder has returned to full fitness and gave another full-hearted display on Tuesday night. The performance helped the home team brush aside Combined Campuses and Colleges by 7 wickets as the Caribbean T20 2013 entered its third day.
Dwayne Bravo receives his Man-of-the-Match award from Dr Julian Hunte, President of the West Indies Cricket Board. WICB Media Photo/Randy Brooks
“This was a game where we needed to get full points. We are not sure how the weather will hold up here in Trinidad during the first leg, so we have to make sure that when we get full play we make the most of it,” the 29-year-old said. “It’s nice to be back playing again, being competitive and doing what I really love – which is bat and bowl. I am happy and I thank God I have returned to fitness again and hopefully I can continue throughout the tournament.
“This was the first spell I bowled flat-out since I came back from injury. I played a few warm-up games, but I was only allowed to bowl two overs per game on the advice of the physios. This is my first match when I actually bowled ‘all out’ and I’m feeling good. This pitch was good for seam bowling so I just made full use of it.”
Watched by a lively Queen’s Park Oval crowd, including his mother and father, Bravo was brilliant with his medium-pace in the first half of the match and also held an amazing full-length diving catch at short-midwicket. He had the economical figures of 4-0-8-1 as CCC were restricted to 94-8 off 20 overs. He proved a good back up for Kevon Cooper (3-17) and Sunil Narine (2-14).
Bravo returned in the second period to play a match-winning knock as the defending champs recorded their first win of the tournament. He ended on a well-crafted 36 not out off 42 balls – which included two sixes. He added an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 46 with skipper Denesh Ramdin.
“In the batting is where my experience came in. I believe playing a lot of cricket around the world really helps. This pitch reminded me of Chennai [southern India] and I just used my knowledge of cricket surfaces, along with the advice of the captain. Chasing a small total, I knew once I kept my cool and batted all the way to the end we would win.”
The Caribbean T20 continues at Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday. Windward Islands will be in action against Jamaica at 4 pm (3 pm Jamaica Time) while Trinidad and Tobago will return to face Leeward Islands at 8 pm (7 pm Jamaica Time).