All-rounder?Carlos Brathwaite is confident that he can spark a revival in the Barbados team as the former regional powerhouses look to win their first Caribbean Twenty20 cricket title.
The well-built six-footer is in his second season in the ultramarine and gold jersey and believes he has what it takes to be the “impact player” the Bajans are desperately looking for.
According to the 23-year-old, he is willing to bat at “any number in the order”, bowl “the first or last over, it doesn’t matter” and throw himself around in the outfield to save every run.
A bustling fast-medium bowler with a high action, Brathwaite performed fairly well with the ball in the University of the West Indies T20 Festival, which ended as the 3Ws Oval on Friday night with?Barbados beating Trinidad and Tobago by five wickets to emerge winners.
Brathwaite is also a capable power-hitter in the lower order.
“The preparations have been spot-on. We have been spending a lot of time in the gym and in the nets,” he said.
“This is the best set-up I have seen in the Barbados team since I have been involved and once we keep our focus, I believe we will have a very good chance of winning the Caribbean T20.
“As players, we are working really hard and everyone is supporting each other.”
A virtual unknown 18 months ago, Brathwaite first played for Barbados a year ago in the Caribbean T20 and has improved in a short space of time.
He was picked for the West Indies tour of Asia and made his international debut in Bangladesh in October.
“I think I improved a lot and gained a lot of knowledge about my game and the way the game is played at the highest level when I toured Dubai and Bangladesh with the West Indies team,” Brathwaite said.
“I realize you have to hit your targets every ball, not just five balls out of the six . . . you have to do it consistently.
“If you miss your targets, that can cost you and also cost the team in a major way. So I have been working hard at being more consistent with the ball,” he said.
“Last year I was new in the Barbados team and I played a supporting kind of role. This time around, instead of playing a supporting role I am hoping to play a significant role. I’m looking to be the stand-out player to bring glory to my country and start a new kind of winning era in Barbados cricket.
“We have the appetite to win and to bring back glory to Barbados cricket and this is great place to start, by winning the Caribbean T20 title.”
The West Indies Cricket Board’s Caribbean T20 Tournament will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua and Kensington Oval in Barbados from Monday to January 22.
Barbados will play in Group B alongside Jamaica, Combined Campuses and Colleges, Netherlands, and English county team Sussex. (PR/EZS)
