Bravo Gets Kent County Contract

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will play for Kent in the English Cricket Championship at the end of June, according to a CMC Sports report.

Bravo's manager Tim Nafziger announced the news late Friday after the 22-year-old right-hander signed the deal at his offices in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

It is not clear if this means that Bravo will automatically decline a retainer contract from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Bravo has also reportedly inked a private endorsement deal with bMobile, a Cable & Wireless subsidiary and was planning to turn down the retainer contract anyway. This could not be independently confirmed by CaribbeanCricket.com.

Nafziger said that his firm - Media 21 had been trying for the past three years to get a contract for Bravo and was extremely happy that the Santa Cruz-born player would be off to participate in the County championships.

"What got the club interested was Dwayne's performances against Australia last year and what sealed the deal, was the back-to-back man-of-the-match performances against India in the ODI series recently," Nafziger said.

"These days, with all the limitations in place, getting a contract in England is like finding a needle in a hay stack, so this opportunity is really a great one for Dwayne," Nafziger added.

Bravo is expected to get his first outing two days after he arrives against Somerset in a Twenty20 game.

"This is the ideal opportunity for Dwayne at this point in time. It is no secret that once a player gets a taste of English conditions, his game advances. Looking at the international schedule, it works out great for Dwayne."

"He joins Kent after the West Indies/India series and leaves on September 25, which gives him time before the West Indies' next international assignment in October."

The last West Indian cricketer to play for Kent was former captain Carl Hooper.