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DWAYNE Bravo played his final match for the West Indies in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, which is jointly staged in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. And it seems likely that Christopher “Chris” Gayle has also featured, for the last time, for the WI in Saturday’s eight-wicket loss to Australia.
Bravo, nicknamed “Champion” after his hit song, during the West Indies’ victorious campaign at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, and Gayle, the self-proclaimed “Universe Boss”, have both endured various highs and lows of WI cricket.
The duo each served as captains, they were both part of two T20 World Cup championship teams, but both divided opinions due to their pursuits of excellence, particularly in the T20 format.
The 42-year-old Gayle made his international debut in a One-Day International (ODI) against India, in Toronto, Canada, on September 10, 1999, while the 38-year-old Bravo got his first taste of WI cricket against England, at Bourda Oval, Georgetown, Guyana on April 17, 2004.
Ironically, Bravo and Gayle played in the West Indies’ first-ever T20 International, against hosts to New Zealand in Auckland. The team, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, also featured Daren Ganga, the late Runako Morton, Dwayne Smith, Wavell Hinds, Denesh Ramdin, Ian Bradshaw, Deighton Butler and Jerome Taylor.
[caption id="attachment_923296" align="alignnone" width="1024"] West Indies' Dwayne Bravo, left, gestures to captain Kieron Pollard during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match against Australia in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Saturday. (AP Photo) -[/caption]
Little did the cricketing world know that the pair of Bravo and Gayle would focus, almost exclusively on T20 cricket.
There would be those who would say that the pair were among a group of WI cricketing mercenaries, who were hypnotised by the monies available in franchise leagues, while there will be arguments that the duo, along with a few other WI players, had little choice but to compete in those annual tournaments in order to reap the financial rewards that they would have hardly earned on the domestic/regional circuit.
Bravo and Gayle played in the Stanford 20/20 competitions in Antigua in 2006 and 2008. Bravo was still developing his skills as an all-rounder (middle-order batsman and medium-pacer) while Gayle was the established WI opener, in both the Test and ODI formats.
The Indian Premier League (IPL), which made its debut in 2008, saw Bravo snapped up by Mumbai Indians while Gayle was drafted by Kolkata Knight Riders. With the riches offered at the IPL, both became global stars for their exploits, as well as their charisma, on and off the field.
Bravo was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning teams in 2011, 2018 and 2021 while Gayle played for the 2011 and 2016 runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore.
At home, in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Bravo has tallied five titles – Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel (2015), Trinbago Knight Riders (2017, 2018 and 2020), and St Kitts/Nevis Patriots (2021). Gayle, who was a member of the 2021 Patriots’ team, under Bravo’s captaincy, was victorious in the inaugural event in 2013 as well as 2016 (both with Jamaica Tallawahs).
Gayle has played 103 Tests, tallying 7,214 runs at an average of 42.18, with 15 centuries, including two triple centuries; in 301 ODIs, he amassed 10,480 runs at 37.83 with 25 centuries; in 79 T20 Internationals he scored 1,899 runs at 27.92 with two centuries.
On the other hand, Bravo has scored 2,200 runs and taken 86 wickets in 40 Tests; posted 2,968 and snapped up 199 runs in 164 ODIs; and accumulated 1,255 runs and snared 78 wickets in 91 T20 Internationals.
Bravo and Gayle were members of the WI team, under the captaincy of Darren Sammy, who won the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and the 2016 edition.
The Champion and the Universe Boss were looking to secure a third T20 World Cup title for the West Indies in the space of a decade, but they could do little to inspire an ageing WI squad who failed to make it to the semi-final stage.
However, the duo has left indelible marks on West Indies cricket, and paved the way for the younger crop of players, especially in the game’s shortest international format.
 
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