What’s the next step for Lil' Bravo after England ODI snub?

Is Darren Bravo's international career over? Joel Bailey explores...

WHAT’S THE next step for Darren Bravo, younger brother of former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne, after his controversial omission from a 15-man squad for the forthcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against England?

That is the question that continues to haunt many Caribbean cricket fans.

As captain of the victorious Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup, Bravo, dubbed ‘Lil Bravo’, was the tournament’s leading run-scorer, with a tally of 416 runs at an average of 83.20.

However, ex-West Indies captain and lead selector Desmond Haynes stuck by the selection panel’s decision to bypass the 34-year-old Bravo, as he indicated that younger players (particularly Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty) will be presented with more opportunities ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

During a virtual media conference, moments after the ODI squad to face England was released, Haynes said, "It was a very tough decision for us to make as a panel. Darren has proven, not only this year but last year as well in the Super50 tournament, to be somebody who has performed well at this level. But we have invested in players like Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty.

"We also had to take into consideration that the World Cup 2027 is something that we have got in mind. We believe that we have invested in these players, and we need to give the opportunity to play against a very strong England side. That is the reason why Darren has been omitted."

With that being said, Haynes was at pains to justify the recall of opener Kjorn Ottley (who will turn 34 on December 9), due to a groin injury sustained by the impressive Justin Greaves in the Super50 Cup final between the Red Force and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

According to Haynes, "You got to look at the roles that you want the player to play. Kjorn Ottley was included in the team as we had an injury to Justin Greaves. We thought we wanted somebody to bat up front and that's the reason why Ottley got picked.

"It is also important to have people playing in our domestic season and doing well. We keep saying all the time, our pool is not that big. I also mentioned about investing in young players like Athanaze (and) Carty. If we do the knee-jerk reaction where we just decided to invest in guys one year and then get rid of them next year, I am not too sure if that's good for the development."

One has to wonder – did Bravo not do well enough in the domestic 50-over tournament to merit selection in the 15-man team?

Dwayne Bravo seems to think so. On his Instagram page last Tuesday, the ‘Champion’ all-rounder wrote, “"I'm not surprised by my brother's non-selection, but with the recent changes in WI cricket management, I held onto a bit of hope for the better. This is NOT acceptable, and I just can't make sense of it!

“So here are my burning questions: What's the criteria for West Indies team selection? Surely, it can't be solely based on performance?"

The West Indies suffered the indignity of having to participate in ODI World Cup qualifiers (in 2018 and this year both in Zimbabwe) in order to earn places in the last two World Cups.

The West Indies managed to secure a place in the 2019 ODI World Cup in England but they failed to advance to the 2023 edition in India.

South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as the top eight teams in the ICC ODI World Rankings (as of March 31, 2027) will automatically qualify for the World Cup. Namibia is not a full ICC member and will have to feature in the 2027 qualifiers (which will see four teams progressing to the ODI World Cup).

Given the West Indies are currently not in the top eight teams they run the risk of once again taking part in World Cup qualifiers in 2026.

Machel Hewitt of the Caribbean Cricket Podcast also weighed into the debate

Since replacing Roger Harper as lead selector in January 2022, there have been a number of questionable decisions made by Desmond Haynes

Kemar Roach was recalled to the ODI team for the 2022 series away to India, for the first time since 2019. Haynes said, “Kemar Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers and we believe we need bowlers up front to get early wickets.”

Roach played all three matches, took only one wicket and was never seen in the ODI squad again.

Yannic Cariah, a hardworking but limited leg-spinning all-rounder, was named in the West Indies team for the 2022 T20 World Cup, despite having not played a T20 International, nor a major T20 match since the 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

In two matches against Australia (before the World Cup), Cariah claimed one scalp and was promptly dropped.

Opening batter Evin Lewis returned to the 2022 T20 World Cup squad, for the first time since the 2021 T20 World Cup. Haynes, who was openly critical of Lewis for failing to meet fitness standards, said, “Sometimes we have to move on and appreciate when people come to us and explain their position to us, and if we agree, we give them a chance.”

Lewis got his chance, sustained a hamstring injury in the match against Ireland, and has been left in the wilderness since.

The use of all-rounder Raymon Reifer, as number three in the Test team batting line-up, was the most bewildering of them all.

With Shamarh Brooks on international duty, Reifer was used as a makeshift number three by Barbados Pride in the 2022 Regional Four Day Championships. Reifer amassed 345 runs at an average of 49.28 with three half-centuries, but Haynes was so convinced that Reifer earned a Test recall for the home series against Bangladesh.

In his next seven Tests, Reifer only posted three half-centuries before he was dropped during this year’s home series against India.

Earlier this year, Haynes’ former skipper Sir Clive Lloyd mentioned, “I told him (Haynes) he got the wrong job. I said ‘You are a batsman of class’. I said: ‘You should be coaching our batsmen’ and he agreed with me.”

With Haynes’ missteps now documented, Bravo may now be thinking what is next for him, as far as West Indies cricket is concerned.

On Saturday 25th November, he wrote, “I’ve taken some time to ponder and wonder what’s my next step moving forward as a cricketer.

“At this point in my career it’s not easy or should I say it takes a lot to continue to find the energy, the passion, commitment and discipline to be able to perform to the best of my ability and put myself in a position to make my return to international cricket. Without any level communication I’ve been left in a very dark place.

“At the moment there’s three teams representing the region in multiple formats/series. That’s approximately 40–45 players and if I can’t be in any of these teams after competing in our regional tournaments and scoring runs, therefore they are basically telling me that the writing is on the wall.

“I’m not giving up but I believe it’s best to step away just for a bit and maybe make some room for a young and upcoming talent. I will end by wishing each and every one all the very best.

If indeed Bravo never features again at the international stage, we may well wish him the very best, and also wonder if we really saw the very best of Darren Bravo.

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Thank you to Joel Bailey for the guest article

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