BARBADOS: West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has ruled out the possibility of playing for the national side again, saying that his future solely lies in various T20 leagues being organized around the world.
The 34-year-old endured a lengthy absence from cricket since sustaining a hamstring injury during Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) in December 2016.
Having not played for the West Indies since the T20I series against Pakistan last September, Bravo said his chances of a recall into the Caribbean side are highly unlikely.
Bravo said that he was dropped from the West Indies team when he was absolutely fit, and now, he doesn’t see himself playing for the national side at the age of 34.
"I am looking at these tournaments as a chance to continue playing cricket. As long as I can play cricket, I am happy. As far as internationals are concerned, I have been dropped from the West Indies team,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Bravo, as saying.
"I was dropped while I was fit. I don't think now, at 34, it would make any sense coming back. I just need to see what is left for me, for my fans to see Dwayne Bravo playing cricket. That is my priority,” he added.
The all-rounder, who has not featured in Tests for West Indies in seven years and not played in ODIs since 2014, asserted that his absence from the game at the start of this year hurt him the most.
Earlier this year, Bravo was forced to miss the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after failing to recover from the hamstring injury. He, however, went on to play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Bravo, who is currently in Sharjah for the T10 League, said, "I didn't play for nine months.That is a lot. I missed the game and I have to be careful now. Playing BPL, we made it to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, we didn't make it all the way through, but I am happy to be playing again."
Bravo was one of the victims in Shahid Afridi's hat-trick on the opening match of the T10 League. He, however, bagged two wickets by conceding just 12 runs on day two in Sharjah as his side Maratha Arabians secured their first win in the competition against Team Sri Lankan Cricket.