Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo lashed out at the selection panel after his brother, Darren, was overlooked again. Shai Hope was named as the captain of the 15-man squad for the 3-match series, starting December 3.
After missing out on featuring in the World Cup for the first time in their history, West Indies took the first step toward the next cycle by announcing their 15-man squad for a 3-match ODI series against a touring England side.
Shai Hope was named the captain of the squad while the senior selection committee, led by Desmond Haynes, picked fast bowler Alzarri Joseph as the vice-captain of the side.
While Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder were unavailable for selection, 31-year-old Shane Dowrich was recalled to the ODI squad for the first time since his only appearance in the format in 2019 along with opener Kjorn Ottley, who played two ODIs in January 2021.
There were two. uncapped players, batting allrounder Sherfane Rutherford and seam bowling allrounder Matthew Forde, in the squad.
West Indies continued to overlook Darren Bravo. The 34-year-old left-handed batter, who top-scored in their recently-concluded domestic 50-over tournament with 416 runs in 8 innings at an average of over 80, last played for the West Indies in January 2022.
Hours after the West Indies squad was announced, former all-rounder Dwayne Bravo took to In an official Instagram post to question the selectors’ call to ignore Darren Bravo’s domestic performances.
The former all-rounder lashed out at selector Desmond Haynes, alleging that the cricket system in the West Indies failed, again.
‘MISTREATMENT AND DISRESPECT’
In a strongly-worded statement, Bravo urged the selectors to be fair with selection criteria and said he had hoped for better things after Darren Sammy took over as the head coach of the West Indies side earlier in the year.
“When will the BS stop?! ?? 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 are the criteria for West Indies team selection? Surely, it can’t be solely based on performance?” Dwayne Bravo wrote in an Instagram post.
“For two seasons, my brother showcased exceptional talent, becoming the leading run-scorer in the latest tournament with over 400 runs, a batting average of 83.2, and an SR of 92. I usually stay away from these discussions, but the mistreatment, disrespect, and dishonesty towards players over the years demand a voice. When will it stop? When will this BS actually stop?
“I hoped for trust in the system with figures like you, Sammy, and the new director of cricket, but the system failed again,” he added.
“To my brother, this too shall pass. Keep your head up, stay focused, and trust in the Almighty. And, as always, I extend my best wishes to the team and selected players.
It’s refreshing to see Ottley, Rutherford, and Dowrich back in the mix. Good Luck, guys!”
Darren Bravo, who has played 122 ODIs and scored 3109 runs including 4 hundreds in ODIs, has played only 12 matches in the format for the West Indies in the last 4 years.
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West Indies ODI SQUAD
Shai Hope (captain), Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas