Source: Loop
Discarded West Indies allrounder, Carlos Brathwaite, has been appointed by Warwickshire County Cricket Club to captain its T20 side Birmingham Bears, in next year’s Vitality Blast.
Braithwaite is also the team’s overseas player.
In 2016 Brathwaite was named captain of the West Indies T20 side after playing just eight T20 internationals. Earlier that year he famously hit four consecutive sixes in the ICC’s T20 World Cup final to propel the Windies to victory over favourites England.
The powerfully built allrounder will be available for the entire 2022 campaign, having helped the Bears reach the quarter-finals for the first time in four years last season, his first with the club.
Braithwaite was the leading wicket taker for the Bears in the 2021 Vitality Blast, taking 18 scalps at an average of 17.61. He also scored 183 runs, including 52 in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 104 with Sam Hain to secure a home win over local rivals Worcestershire Rapids. He also smashed 44 off 18 balls against Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge.
“Edgbaston is a very special place to play at and it was great to get a taste of the atmosphere last year,” Brathwaite said.
“Hopefully we can welcome thousands more fans to get the Eric Hollies Stand rocking next year and make Edgbaston the real fortress for the Bears which it’s renowned for,” he added.
Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Paul Farbrace, said that awarding the captaincy to the vastly experienced Brathwaite – who has also won the BBL with Sydney Sixers, played for Multan Sultans in the PSL and, most recently, CPL side Jamaica Tallawahs – “removes some pressure from Will Rhodes as club captain.”
“Will can play with a lot more freedom as a result,” Farbrace said. “Carlos gets exactly what we are trying to achieve in T20 cricket. We want to play brave and entertaining cricket, that gets the crowd excited, and there’s never a dull moment with Carlos with either bat or ball in his hand. He’s a match winner”.
Farbrace added that “Since joining earlier this year, Carlos has been a great addition to the dressing room and he is popular with all of the squad… his experience of playing, and winning, some of the biggest short-form tournaments in the world has been invaluable in supporting the development of our young players.”
