West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was one of the standout performers in the previous edition of Abu Dhabi T10 as he led his former team Maratha Arabians to their first-ever title after defeating Deccan Gladiators in the final.
The flamboyant cricketer has now switched sides for the upcoming season of Abu Dhabi T10, and has again been joined by coach Andy Flower, who has also made the switch from the Arabians to the Delhi Bulls.
Speaking ahead of the new season which takes place from January 28 to February 6 2021 in UAE, Bravo expressed his delight at playing for the Delhi Bulls.
“Obviously Abu Dhabi T10 is an exciting tournament and it’s something that we as players look forward to. It’s a competition with a new team for me in Delhi Bulls. I must be very honest that it’s a really hard tournament to win. What will work for us is the fact that both the coach (Andy Flower) and myself will be on the same page. We remember what we did while we were at Maratha Arabians – the format, structure, and how we can get our players to believe in our process. I think the same effort, energy and planning will go into this campaign,” said the Trinidadian.
“With the help of the coach, I think we will put our plans together and get the rest of the guys to buy into our concept and hopefully give it a crack. I’m excited about the new team, I’m happy and as I can see with my team – the likes of Lewis, Nabi, Rutherford – these are all talented players and I’m looking forward to playing with them,” added the former West Indies skipper.
Bravo only had words of appreciation for cricket’s newest avatar, “T10 is an exciting tournament and it’s a competition that is just the way T20 started a few years ago – being the hottest thing in the market, and attracting so many people around the world – I think T10 definitely can do something similar.
“I believe it can also help players prolong their careers, and as a bowler, I use it as an opportunity to challenge myself because it’s not a bowler-friendly tournament, and you come up against the best players in the world. So I use it as an opportunity to work on my skills and challenge and see how I can still compete at the highest level.”
Currently enjoying training back home in Trinidad and Tobago, Bravo also commented on the importance of fielding in a format like T10. “I believe fielding is very important. As I always tell people, every run you save on the field is one less run that you have to make. Therefore, as a group, it’s very important to put a proper fielding unit on the park.”
“It helps the bowlers when you have great fielders and it also helps the captain. It boosts the entire team spirit and helps you to win games,” added the 37-year-old.
With his Delhi Bulls team placed in Group A alongside Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers and Northern Warriors, Bravo is also looking forward to playing against his best mates.
“I am definitely looking forward to playing against my teammates – the likes of Pollard, Chris Gayle, Russell, Nicholas Pooran – we all have our individual rivalry amongst ourselves, and it’s about getting the bragging rights. It’s good that a tournament like this can bring all of us together and get us to compete against each other.”
