Port of Spain (Trinidad), July 1 (IANS) All-rounder Dwayne Bravo says a meeting with West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has not convinced him that he should return to Test cricket because player conditions have not improved.
The outspoken Trinidad and Tobago cricketer says the incentives to return to Test cricket are not appealing enough and that player conditions have gotten worse. Bravo, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard met with Simmons who had expressed an interest in knowing if the players were interested in representing the West Indies in Tests, reports CMC.
“I met with coach Simmons and at the moment I am not prepared to come back to Test cricket. The conditions are not right for a return because it is even more unfair to us than before,” said Bravo, who last appeared for the West Indies in a Twenty20 series against South Africa in January.
Bravo was dropped from the West Indies squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and also overlooked for the limited overs matches against South Africa that preceded the World Cup. He was also replaced as captain of the One-Day International (ODI) team after he led a walkout of the Indian tour last October over a payment structure dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
“Right now we are hearing that the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) signed a new deal with WICB but we as players have no knowledge as to what is the deal. However, from what is on offer, at least what we have heard is much less. You can’t want players to sacrifice and come out and play for what they are offering. At the moment there is no incentive to come out and play Test cricket,” said Bravo.
Bravo is one of the leading T20 cricketers plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is leading the T&T Red Steel in the current Caribbean Premier League (CPL).