Bravo has validated his status as leader of the WI batting side

Every so often, a massive innings carries appreciably more significance than the simple numbers. So it was last week in the tranquil New Zealand south island city of Dunedin.

Spanning three days and occupying nearly 10 hours and 136 overs, Darren Bravo’s maiden double-century in the first Test against New Zealand lifted the gloom that had descended ever more darkly over West Indies cricket in the previous month, primarily through the alarming indifference of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The seeming certainty of a third successive thrashing by an innings to opponents ranked below them in the