Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo slammed the Cricket West Indies (CWI) selectors after his half-brother Darren Bravo was not included in the national squad for the upcoming ODI series against England.
This will be the first assignment for the two-time World Cup winners, who missed out on qualification for this year’s CWC 2023. 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.
The West Indies, overseen by head coach Darren Sammy, will take on England in 3 ODIs from December 3 to 9. 31-year-old Shane Dowrich was recalled to the ODI squad for the first time since 2019, along with opener Kjorn Ottley, who played two ODIs in January 2021.
New faces in the squad are batting allrounder Sherfane Rutherford and seam bowling allrounder Matthew Forde.
Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder were unavailable for selection, but West Indies continued to overlook Darren Bravo.
Bravo, 34, top-scored in the 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.
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.
This led to his half-brother Dwayne Bravo calling out the West Indies selector Desmond Haynes, alleging that the cricket system in the West Indies failed, again.
“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.
West Indies squad for England ODIs:
Shai Hope (capt), Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), 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
