Windies batsman Darren Bravo was effusive in his praise of soon-to-be-retired team-mate Chris Gayle, calling the opening batsman a “hero to the young players” and a “legend”.
Gayle announced before the start of the England series that he would be winding up as an ODI cricketer at the conclusion of Windies’ campaign at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 that takes place in England and Wales. He has since marked his return to the Windies side with a hundred and fifty in two matches of the ongoing series against England.
“He’s definitely a hero to the young players,” Bravo, who is set to receive his 100th ODI cap in the third England match on Monday, 25 February, said. “Not even a hero; he’s a legend. The experience of having Chris in the dressing room is priceless. He puts a smile on each and every player’s face. And, as you can see when we go out there, we really enjoy our cricket.
“If you look at the stats, he’s achieved a lot at the international level. He’s a special player. We’re really happy to have him.”
As one of the IPL’s most celebrated match-winners, that was a definite downswing, but Bravo felt he still has a lot to offer to the Windies team.
“He’s getting on a bit in age, but he’s still striking the ball nicely, so that is the most important thing,” he said. “And in the dressing room, he’s always giving information, he’s helping all the youngsters. I think over the last few years he’s changed the game a little bit. He’s not going so hard as before. He understands his game pretty well. As long as it all goes well, as far as his approach is concerned, I don’t see any reason we can’t consistently cross the 300 mark.”
Bravo admitted that it could be “frustrating” at times to bat with Gayle, given his reluctance to take singles and run twos. “There are obvious singles that he may not take as he’s probably getting a little slow. But having him at the other end, he can make up. He can hit two sixes in the next over and make up for the single that was deprived from the other batter. I don’t want to get too negative. So far he’s been our highest run-scorer. He’s been tremendous.”
