Bravo says T10 was key in Big Bash preparation

MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC:

Twenty20 specialist Dwayne Bravo has credited the recent inaugural T10 League in Sharjah for sharpening his skills with the ball and believes that he will bring this improvement to bear on the ongoing Big Bash League.

The discarded West Indies all-rounder picked up the second five-wicket haul of his T20 career as Melbourne Renegades beat Hobart Hurricanes by seven wickets at the Bellerive Oval on Thursday.

"It's really to test your skills. For me, I used it as preparation to challenge myself," Bravo told Channel 10 of his outing in the T10 League.

"Some of the better players in the world [were] playing in that tournament at a very small ground so, basically, I [had to] get my variations and my yorkers right. It gives me confidence coming into this game."

Trinidadian Bravo was limited to just two matches in the 2016-17 Big Bash after sustaining a hamstring injury a couple of days before New Year's Day and being forced to undergo surgery.

Fit again and already displaying top form, the 34-year-old said that he was hoping to compensate for having missed the bulk of last season.

"I challenged myself with my preparation coming to the Big Bash because I wanted to do well," he said.

"Last time, I missed out because of injury. I always want to start well in any tournament and happy that I did well in a winning performance."

He added: "[My] fitness is good. [I am a] bit cautious because of what happened last season, so definitely, I'll be taking my time," he said.

"I think as the tournament progresses, I'll gain more confidence moving around. I have a good medical team with the Renegades, so I feel comfortable with my body."

Thursday's five-wicket haul saw Bravo become the first bowler to reach 400 wickets in T20s.