Was Dwayne Bravo utilised fully in Test cricket?
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was one of five players alongside Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Brad Haddin and Chis Rogers to retire from Test cricket following the team’s Ashes series loss.
While the others who have called stumps on their careers were generally praised by the Australian media for what they accomplished, Watson got the least glowing reaction.
In an ESPN Cricinfo article titled “flexible in skill, inflexible in body”, Watson’s Test career is summarised as one where he was given many chances by a succession of selectors, coaches and captains but due to injuries and technical faults, never fully became the Test all-rounder expected of him.
This mirror’s that of Dwayne Bravo’s Test career which features just 40 matches.
In the middle of the 2000s era, both Watson and Bravo had emerged with much hype. Bravo made his mark in two high profile overseas tours to England and Australia where he registered what remains his highest Test score and bowling figures.
West Indies clearly had their most genuine all-rounder since the great Sir Gary Sobers while Watson’s early performances made Australia feel he would become their version of Jacques Kallis.