Bravo not in Test team for England tour

(Trinidad Guardian) Newly reinstated West Indies batsman Darren Bravo will not feature in the upcoming Test series between the West Indies and England when the Caribbean side tours that country because the team had already been selected for the series.

Bravo apologized for his indiscretions on Wednesday, but it came a week too late as the West Indies selectors had already named the squad.

The left hander is however expected to be in the team for the One Day International series that follows the Test matches which is part of their said tour.

Guardian Media Sports was reliable informed that the teams for England will be revealed in a few days time and included in the line-up is Kemar Roach who has been in the wilderness for quite a while. Another Barbadian, all rounder Raymond Reifer will also be making

the trip to England.

Bravo’s absence from the Test team means that he can take up his place with the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which gets underway on August 4. The Test series in England starts on August 17 and if Bravo was brought on board and selected he would have had to make the choice of either touring England, or staying at home for the CPL.

The CWI selection team comprises Chairman Courtney Browne, Travis Dowlin, Eldine Baptiste and Lockhart Sebastien.

Earlier in the week the 28-year-old, who made his Test debut in 2010 in Sri Lanka, apologized to Dave Cameron president of Cricket West Indies (CWI) for his ‘inappropriate tweet’ and an apology also came from the president in terms of saying Bravo was given an ‘A’ contract.

Cameron in his apology said :“In early November 2016, I gave an interview to SportsMax TV during which I discussed player retainer contracts and the grades of contract that had been awarded to certain players.

In the course of the interview I stated that Darren Bravo had previously been on an ‘A’ contract, which I have since been advised is not correct. I apologize for the misstatement, and wish to assure Mr. Bravo that there was no insult or offense intended towards him. Darren is a senior cricketer who has been a valuable part of the WINDIES set up for a long time, and I would hope to see his game continue to progress and mature, at both regional and international level.”

Bravo’s statement read: “On the 11th day of November 2016, after viewing statements made about me by Mr. Dave Cameron, President of the Cricket West Indies, on a television sports programme, I tweeted a response which referred to the President which was, in retrospect, inappropriate.

As I have always tried to uphold the best traditions of West Indies Cricket and its players, I now therefore wish to withdraw the comment made on my Twitter account and apologize to the President of CWI and to all WINDIES fans.

“I look forward to continuing to play a positive role in both the West Indies’ senior men’s team and regional cricket, as well as helping to grow and develop cricket in the region at all levels.”