‘Big Bravo’ gets bowling consultant role with Afghanistan

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

FORMER WEST Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will become a technical adviser to one of the visiting teams during the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, starting on June 1 in the Caribbean and the United States.

The 40-year-old, a member of the two-time men’s T20 World Cup-winning West Indies teams, has joined the support staff of the Afghanistan team as the bowling consultant, following in the footsteps of Trinidad and Tobago compatriots, Kieron Pollard, and Phil Simmons.

Pollard will be working with defending champions England, the only other nation that has won the T20I World Cup twice, and Simmons will be attached to the Papua New Guinea team, which will play in Group C that also features co-hosts, West Indies.

Bravo will link up with the Afghans in their 10-day training camp that has already reached the St Kitts and Nevis capital of Basseterre and will help them to prepare for the global showpiece.

The Afghans are also in Group C which also features New Zealand and African qualifier, Uganda, against whom they play their opening match in the tournament on June 3 at the Guyana National Cricket Stadium.

Bravo began his international career two decades ago and represented West Indies until his retirement three years ago.

He appeared in 40 Tests, 164 One-day Internationals, and 91 T20Is for the Caribbean side, and he scored more than 6,000 international runs and collected a little more than 360 wickets.

Bravo has had a prolific career in the sport’s shortest format with the West Indies and for various franchises across the globe.

His 625 wickets are the most in official T20 matches, with 78 of them coming in international matches.

Bravo was a member of West Indies squads that won the T20I World Cup in 2012 and 2016, and he most recently featured in the role of bowling coach for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.