The Trinbago Knight Riders have appointed Kieron Pollard captain for the 2019 Hero CPL season. They came to the decision after Dwayne Bravo injured his finger during practice and could miss a significant part of the season.

Despite three Twenty20 defeats at the hand of India, former West Indies captain believes the regional side is still on the improve, largely because of the change in the organisation's leadership.

Veteran Windies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has voiced support for discarded batsman Marlon Samuels, insisting leaving the experienced player out of the ICC World Cup squad was a mistake.

There was no space for the 38-year-old batsman when the final squad was announced last month, which could spell out the end of the player’s tenure with the regional team.

Samuels has been sidelined with a recurring knee injury since representing the regional team against Bangladesh last year.

  Some had, however, argued that the batsman should have been included based on his experience as a proven match winner and his willingness to appear for the team at the ICC World Cup qualifiers, an invitation that was declined by some players currently in the squad.

“Marlon Samuels is a surprise. I think Marlon Samuels was there with the team throughout the playoffs (World Cup qualifiers) and in the series after the team had qualified, so him being left out was a surprise to me,” Bravo said in a recent radio interview.

“They should have picked him. Marlon should have been in the squad. Being there throughout the playoffs, being an experienced guy in the middle – he should be there,” he added.

“Whether or not they start him [in the final XI] but I think he has done enough to be in the 15-man squad to go to England. It would have been his last World Cup.”

Samuels, who has insisted he is fit enough to play in the tournament, was not included in the 10-man reserve list announced last week either.

“I don’t know what was the thinking of the selectors. Obviously with guys like (Shimron) Hetmyer and Shai Hope in the side. Maybe he (Samuels) is not fit, I don’t know. Maybe something is wrong with him, who knows.”

Dwayne Bravo will remain at the Trinbago Knight Riders for the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20. 

The West Indies selectors have rewarded Sunil Ambris and John Campbell for the good work they did during the Walton Tri-Series in Ireland which concluded on Friday. 

Chennai Super Kings are a win away from successfully defending their Indian Premier League title after easing past Delhi Capitals and into the final courtesy of a six-wicket victory.

The Super Kings strangled the Capitals' batting line-up as Delhi disappointed in the second qualifier, in which they could only post 147-9.

And it was a total that proved easily within the grasp of Chennai, whose cause was aided significantly by excellent batting performances from Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson.

The duo each made half-centuries before Ambati Rayudu (20 not out) guided Chennai over the line with six balls to spare to set up a blockbuster final with Mumbai Indians on Sunday.

Shikhar Dhawan (18 off 14) and Colin Munro (27 off 24) each failed to build on strong starts, the impressive duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo combining to dismiss the latter, who swept to the West Indian at deep square leg.

Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel went within nine balls of each other to leave them 80-5 and, though Rishabh Pant (38 off 25), recovered the situation somewhat, a sub-150 total proved well under par.

Du Plessis and Watson's 81-run opening-wicket stand put the Super Kings in a commanding position they never looked like relinquishing, four leg byes sealing the success.

BRAVO BUILDS THE FOUNDATION

The Super Kings' attack has been superb, throughout the tournament, with spinner Imran Tahir so often the star.

Yet he took something of a backseat as Bravo, Jadeja, Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan Singh each took two wickets apiece.

It was Bravo, though, who was the standout. Eleven of his deliveries were dot balls and he conceded just one boundary in his four overs.

DU PLESSIS & WATSON DO THE DAMAGE

Any hope of the Capitals replicating the Super Kings' bowling display was swiftly taken away by Chennai's top two.

They put on 81 in just 59 balls and there was no reprieve for Delhi even after Du Plessis (50) was caught at deep square leg after hitting seven fours and a six. 

Watson (50) piled further misery on the Capitals, bringing up his 31-ball fifty with a slice for six over long on and, when he holed out from the next delivery he faced, Chennai needed just 39 runs for victory.

CHENNAI EYE REVENGE

Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi all finished on 18 points in progressing to the play-offs, but the Super Kings' progression means the top two will contest the final.

They will need no extra motivation having lost to Mumbai in the first qualifier three days ago, and should be confident of gaining revenge after this emphatic triumph.

Newly appointed Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt has insisted that the newly formed body is determined to dispel the 'myth’ that several of the team’s senior players are no longer interested in representing the team.

In recent years several of the region’s most high-profile players have found themselves at odds with the regional program’s selectors as heavy T20 league schedule has often clashed with the international game.  For various reasons T20 stars like Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, who retired from the sport last year, have not consistently represented the region.

Since taking over the office, however, Skerritt and his administration have dismissed the Courtney Browne-led selection panel and installed Robert Haynes.  The administration has since begun to reach out to the players, including Bravo.

“There's a myth that our elite players don't want to play for the West Indies. Over the last couple of weeks, we've engaged several of them and prior to the election, I personally engaged several of them and the desire and hunger to play for their West Indian colours is as strong as ever,” Skerritt said.

“What we have to do is to make sure we put systems in place that can respect the players and help the players to respect their responsibility when they are actually involved in West Indies cricket, and do it in a way that is clearly communicated and that there's mutual respect and understanding,” he added.

“I have no doubt that in the hearts and in the minds of all of these players, the performance of the West Indies team and being involved in a successful West Indies team setup is important to them.”

Dwayne Bravo put the brakes on Delhi Capitals to set up a six-wicket Indian Premier League win for Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. 

The Super Kings produced a brilliant bowling performance to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first match of the tournament, bowling their opponents out for 70, and they were on the money again to make it two victories out of two. 

Delhi lost their way on a slow and low track at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground after Bravo (3-33) dismissed the dangerous Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram in the 16th over. 

There was to be no late onslaught for a Capitals side that won their first game, Shikhar Dhawan also falling to Bravo for 51 in their total of 147-6. 

Ravindra Jadeja recorded figures of 1-23 from his four overs after Deepak Chahar put the squeeze on at the start of the Delhi innings, claiming 1-20. 

Shane Watson made 44 to get Chennai off to a strong start and MS Dhoni was unbeaten on 32, with Bravo hitting the winning runs in the final over.

CHAHAR SETS THE TONE

While Bravo claimed key wickets later in the innings, it was a disciplined spell from Chahar that kept Delhi in check. 

The seamer bowled his four-over allocation straight through, conceding just two boundaries and limiting the Capitals' gains with 12 dot balls. 

Chahar deserved more than just the one wicket he claimed, which came in the fifth over when Prithvi Shaw (24) was taken by Watson at midwicket.

BRAVO BURST TOPPLES CAPITALS

All-rounder Bravo's first over went for 17 runs as Dhawan and Pant attempted to provide some impetus to the innings. 

Bravo responded by removing Pant - who had made a match-winning 78 not out against Mumbai Indians - for 25, with Shardul Thakur taking the catch at deep square leg to prompt a dance from the West Indian. 

Ingram followed two balls later, picking out Suresh Raina in the covers to leave Delhi on 122-4, and Thakur clung on again to see the back of Dhawan, who hit seven boundaries in his half-century.

WATSON WHIRLWIND, DHONI DELIVERS YET AGAIN

Watson and Dhoni showed there is no substitute for experience in the Super Kings' successful run chase. 

Former Australia all-rounder Watson flexed his muscles at the top of the order, smashing three sixes in a swashbuckling 26-ball knock before he was brilliantly stumped by Pant off Amit Mishra (2-35). 

Raina and Kedar Jadhav chipped in with 30 and 27 respectively, but it was Dhoni who thrived in the role of finisher yet again, frustrating Delhi on a testing track before Bravo whipped Kagiso Rabada for four to win it with two balls to spare.

Retired Windies star Dwayne Bravo has tipped team to be a handful at upcoming ICC World Cup, following several positive performances against a highly ranked England.

The Jason Holder-led Windies squad stunned the visiting England 2-1 in a three-Test series and came from behind to tie the ODI series between the teams at 2-2.  Both series featured dominant performances from the regional team, which surprised their opponents, pundits and fans alike.

Bravo believes the team is a perfect mix of youth and experience and is confident they could play the role of spoilers in an open tournament.

"We have some good young players who have been improving and developing well and it’s good to see the way the team is doing against England, which is the number one side,” Bravo told Times of India.

“I have talked to captain Jason Holder and others and I believe this team will be a threat to all teams in the World Cup, which is going to be a very open tournament this time,” he added.

“Anyone can do well on a given day but I feel confident about West Indies as we see a good mix of experience and youth.”

The 35-year-old Bravo retired from international cricket last year.

Retired Windies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has lamented a lack of opportunity to make a bigger impression at the international level.

The 35-year-old called time on his international career last year, following a 12-year stint with the regional team.  At the time of his retirement, the Trinidadian native had, however, not played Test cricket since 2010 or an ODI game since 2014.  In T20 international’s Bravo had fared a bit better playing his last match against Pakistan in 2016.

During his playing days, Bravo was among a group of senior players that often found themselves at odds with the regional governing body (then WICB) and infamously captained the team that abandoned the tour of India in 2014 over a wage dispute.

The player, however, continued to play T20 League cricket going on to be considered as one of the best all-rounders in the world.

“I could have achieved a lot in international cricket, but it was cut short.  I am happy that I was able to represent West Indies at the international level.   Not too many people get the opportunity to represent their country,” Bravo said.

 “I am fortunate enough to have been a part of the West Indies set-up for more than 12 years.  I enjoyed every moment of it.  I haven’t achieved much (at international level), having not got too many opportunities.  Such is life.  There are some things you don’t have control over.  But my career went on and my brand developed even bigger without playing international cricket because I was able to play around the world and fans welcomed me.”

Lahore Qalandars selected AB de Villiers as first pick in the Pakistan Super League draft and Steve Smith was snapped up by a yet-to-be-named franchise on Tuesday.

De Villiers was the prized selection as a 'Platinum' player for a tournament which gets under way in February.

Mohammad Hafeez, Carlos Brathwaite and Yasir Shah will be among the former South Africa captain's Qalandars team-mates.

Banned ex-Australia skipper Smith was recruited by a 'sixth team' - formerly Multan Sultans - to play alongside the likes of Mohammad Abbas, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

Defending champions Islamabad United brought in former England batsman Ian Bell and secured a return for his compatriot Samit Patel.

Kieron Pollard will play for Peshawar Zalmi, while fellow West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was picked by Quetta Gladiators.

Former Windies captain Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Denesh Ramdin believes the return of the former Windies senior players to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force bolsters his side’s chances of winning the Regional Super50 competition that bowls off next week.

Windies T20 stars Chris Gayle and Andre Russell will look to take their explosiveness to the game’s shortest format after being drafted for the second edition of the T10 League tournament in Dubai.

Fawad Ahmed was the man that stood between the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and a second consecutive Hero Caribbean Premier League final appearance, and he is hoping he can produce again on Sunday when the Trinbago Knight Riders take on the Guyana Amazon Warriors.