Dwayne Bravo

The Patriots finished third in the points table and they will face the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second semi-final which takes place later that same day.

It was the bowling of Ali Khan and the batting of Kieron Pollard who took the Knight Riders to victory, a win they wrapped up with an over to spare.

The Patriots got off to a steady start thanks to Joshua Da Silva who had been pushed up to open in the absence of the injured Devon Thomas. The young wicket-keeper batsman kept things steady after Chris Gayle was dismissed for 5 when he edged a ball from Ravi Rampaul through to Denesh Ramdin.

Da Silva went on to top score, making 50 from 45 balls, but there was no really substantial partnership in the Patriots innings. Sherfane Rutherford and Dwayne Bravo both made 25 but just as it looked as if they would launch in the death overs they were both dismissed in the midst of a 10-ball period that saw the Patriots lose four wickets.

Rather than exploding over the line, the Patriots limped to 147-7 with Ali Khan the star for the Knight Riders, claiming 3-19 on his return to the starting line-up.

The Knight Riders chase got off to a sedate start as they reached 34-1 at the end of the PowerPlay. The only wicket to fall in the first six overs was that of Lendl Simmons who was dismissed by a brilliant Fabian Allen catch at backward point off the bowling of Naseem Shah.

Two wickets in three balls pinned back the Knight Riders innings with Ramdin and Colin Munro both dismissed. Things changed when Pollard came to the crease as he made his way to fifty from just 20 balls.

Pollard was dismissed just two balls after passing his fifty but the Knight Riders lower order saw them to victory.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 150-6 (Pollard 51, Udana 25; F Ahmed 2-16, F Allen 1-9) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 147-7 (Da Silva 50, Bravo 25, Rutherford 25; Ali Khan 3-19, Udana 2-28)  by four wickets

The Windies posted 167-6 and successfully defended the total to ensure everything is still left to play for in Saturday's final match in the T20 series. 

South Africa, who last won a T20 series in March 2019 against Sri Lanka, have not successfully chased a target above 160 since February 2018 when they beat India.

West Indies enjoyed a superb opening over, plundering 20 from the bowling of Aiden Markram – their most in the first over of a T20 and the most by any team batting first in this format.

South Africa responded well to that early setback, however, taking six wickets in the next 15 overs, with George Linde in particularly impressive form, the 29-year-old putting in the most economical performance of his T20 career, conceding just 16 runs in four overs.

The Proteas undermined their efforts in the closing stages as they conceded 66 runs in the final four overs. 

Pollard and Fabian Allen scored six sixes in that period, while the former hit three in three balls off Kagiso Rabada, who bowled his most expensive T20 over.

The impressive Pollard brought up a sixth T20 half-century and his highest score in seven innings as Lungi Ngidi's (0-48) two death overs cost 30 runs. 

Allen suffered what looked like a dislocated shoulder as he tried to cut off a Temba Bavuma sweep as South Africa attempted to start their chase strongly, with his overs made up for by Pollard and Andre Russell. 

Quinton de Kock did his best to drive his team forward, the former captain scoring a second successive half-century (60) and a sixth T20 fifty in his last 15 matches, but no other South Africa batter scored more than 20.

Bravo rolls back the years

Bravo made light of Allen's absence with a superb display. He took the wickets of Linde, de Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi and Ngidi in 12 balls in the closing stages of the match to eventually finish with career-best figures of 4-19.

Rabada sums up Proteas' woes

South Africa's chances of victory collapsed during a dismal final four overs, with Kagiso Rabada particularly generous. His penultimate over of the innings proved to be the most expensive at 25 runs, while he did not complete a full quota of four overs for the first time in a T20 match since his debut in 2014. 

Pollard will join the likes of Mark Wood and Glenn Maxwell for the Spirit in the 100-ball per team tournament.

His Trinidadian countrymen Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo will turn out for the Northern Superchargers and Oval Invincibles, respectively, while Andre Russell was the first selection for the Manchester Originals. All four West Indians were taken at the highest price range of 125,000 pounds sterling.

The second edition of the Hundred will run from August 3-September 3. The inaugural edition in 2021 was won by the Southern Braves.

Also, among the players retained are Khary Pierre, emerging players Jayden Seales and Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster and Akeal Hosein.

International retentions and signings will be announced later, the franchise said Tuesday. This year teams can retain as many players from their 2019 squads as they wish. They could also transfer players to other teams and sign emerging players.

“Over the last five years, TKR has built the franchise by consciously bringing back players from Trinidad & Tobago and also developing local talent. We are delighted that all ten of our Caribbean players in the TKR squad for 2020 are from Trinidad & Tobago,” said Venky Mysore, Director of TKR.

The CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26 but the tournament organizers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments.

 A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.

TKR have also confirmed the retention of Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Akeal Hosein and Jayden Seales.

The Knight Riders have also secured the services of Dwayne Bravo who will be returning to the franchise from the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. They will also have Mark Deyal as part of their setup in 2023 with the batter joining the Knight Riders from the Saint Lucia Kings.

The decision to retain the aforementioned players is good news for Head Coach Phil Simmons.

“We are very happy to be able to retain most of the Caribbean players from last year’s TKR squad. The experience of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Nicholas Pooran coupled with Dwayne Bravo’s return gives our squad a very strong core,” the former West Indies head coach declared.

“In youngsters like Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, and Mark Deyal, we have some of the best young talent from Trinidad representing TKR.

“We’re looking forward to the remaining international signings, and I am excited by the player draft coming up soon to complete the roster and put together a strong squad for CPL 2023.”

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL draft show which will be broadcast at the end of June. 

The tournament gets underway on 16 August with the final taking place on 24 September. There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

Batting first, Dubai Capitals mustered 152-5 from their 20 overs. In reply, MI Emirates scored 152-2 from 16.4 overs.

Dubai Capitals owed their total to George Munsey who scored 51 from 43 balls, Sikander Raza, 38, and Rovman Powell, 30. No other batter got into double figures against the tight bowling of Trent Boult 2-19 and Rashid Khan 2-20. Darren Bravo who dismissed Powell took 1-35.

Whatever struggles Dubai Capitals had on the pitch were barely evident when MI Emirates batted as Fletcher scored an unbeaten 68 from 45 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes along the way.

Pooran, who was named Player of the Match, was even better with his unbeaten 66 coming from just 36 balls and included three fours and five sixes as they raced to victory with 20 balls to spare.

Together, the Caribbean men scored 104 runs from 58 balls in what was a dominant performance.

The veteran all-rounder announced he was coming out of international retirement for T20s last December in the hope of playing at the T20 World Cup in Australia this year.

Bravo last represented the Windies against Pakistan in September 2016 and has 1,142 runs and 52 wickets in 66 T20Is.

Speaking about Bravo's recall, Harper said it was his work with the ball that was key in the decision.

"Dwayne Bravo was recalled with the specific intention of bolstering our 'death' bowling, which was identified as an area that really needs improving," he said. 

"His record in this department speaks for itself. He will also be able to act as a mentor to the other 'death' bowlers and lend his experience wherever needed."

Jason Holder is rested for the three-match series, while all-rounder Rovman Powell is recalled.

Squad in full: Kieron Pollard (c), Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Lendl Simmons, Hayden Walsh jr., Kesrick Williams.

The 38-year-old officially called time on representing the West Indies, following the close of a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign that ended with a loss to South Africa.  An uninspiring performance from the titleholders saw them lose four of the five matches played. 

Overall, Bravo made 295 appearances for the Caribbean team, winning two T20 World Cup titles and one ICC Champions Trophy.  Despite the disappointment of the most recent tournamet, however, Bravo, who only months ago claimed the Indian Premier League (IPL) title with the Chennai Super Kings, is not quite ready to walk away from the game completely.

“I will continue playing franchise cricket for a few more years as long as my body will allow me to,” Bravo said during the post-match press conference.

“My aim was to retire a few years ago, but with a change of presidency and change of leadership comes a change of heart, and I wanted to give back to West Indies because I was still in a good place physically and enjoy my cricket,” he said.

Bravo had previously announced his international retirement in October of 2018 but came out of retirement in 2019 to help West Indies defend their T20 title.  He is convinced now is the time for a new generation to step into the limelight.

“I think this was the right moment for me to walk away from the game, and allow the next generation and young players who I share a very good friendship with to come through.”

This comes as all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the upcoming tour due to a groin injury. The experienced 37-year-old sustained the injury on Saturday, October 17, while playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Bravo, the two-time T20 World Cup winner, will now return to Trinidad to continue his rehabilitation.

The 25-year-old Romario Shepherd made his international debut last year against Afghanistan and has so far played five One-Day Internationals and two T20 Internationals (T20Is). Shepherd said he intends to make the most of the opportunity.

“This is a great opportunity for me, and I want to take it with both hands. I was in the team before, last year and earlier this year, so I have a good feel of the game at this level. I’ve been training hard and working at all areas of my game so I’m ready,” he said.

Bravo, meanwhile, said he is disappointed that he will not be able to travel to New Zealand with the team.

“I was really looking forward to the tour of New Zealand as it has been so many months since I last wore maroon in Sri Lanka back in March and we are all so excited about building towards defending our T20 World Cup next year,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the injury I sustained on Saturday playing for CSK has not only ruled me out of the IPL but also the tour.  I’m making arrangements to return to Trinidad over the next few days where I will continue my rehab and treatment. I’m fully committed to representing the West Indies and I just need to get myself stronger again.”

The defending ICC T20 World Cup champions will visit New Zealand from November 27 to December 15.  They will start the tour with three T20Is, followed by two Test matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship.

FULL SQUAD:

Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King,

Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr and Kesrick Williams.

MATCH SCHEDULE

November 27: 1st T20I at Eden Park, Auckland

November 29: 2nd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

November 30: 3rd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

December 3-7: 1st Test at Seddon Park, Hamilton

December 11-15: 2nd Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington

Russell, who was disappointing during the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE mere weeks ago, hit nine fours and seven sixes in a 32-ball 90 that propelled the Gladiators to 159-0, a total that proved unreachable from Dwayne Bravo’s Bulls.

By comparison, Russell’s opening partner Tom Kohler-Cadmore, faced four fewer balls and hit three fours and three sixes to his unbeaten 59.

Together, they plundered the Bulls’ bowling attack that comprised Romario Shepherd (0-29), Dominic Drakes (0-33) Ravi Rampaul (0-28) and Bravo (0-32).

Russell would complete his standout performance taking 1-25 as the Delhi Bulls, which had won the toss and chose to field, could only muster 103-7 from their 10 overs, despite a 20-ball 42 from Chandrapaul Hemraj.

It was virtually a solo effort from Hemraj, who hit two fours and five sixes in his knock as Romario Shepherd (9) was the only other Caribbean player who contributed with the bat as Sherfane Rutherford,  Drakes and Bravo all failed to score.

Fittingly, Russell bowled Shepherd with the last ball of the match.

Odean Smith played his part taking 2-20, similar figures to Hasaranga da Silva. Tymal Mills was the best of the Gladiator bowlers with extraordinary figures of 2-4 from his two overs.

 The Patriots won the toss and elected to field first and a disciplined bowling performance restricted the Tallawahs to 166-8, a total that appeared under par for the track.

 In reply, the Patriots proved that assessment to be accurate as they made it four wins from four with another dominant batting display led by the tournament’s top scorer Sherfane Rutherford.

 The Tallawahs got their innings off to a lightning start with the hard-hitting duo of Chadwick Walton and Kennar Lewis putting on a blistering partnership of 41 runs inside 3.3 overs. 

 However, once Paul Van Meekeren dismissed Kennar Lewis that led to a shift in the innings with the Patriots tightening the screws courtesy of some economical bowling by captain DJ Bravo.

 Things were to go from bad to worse for the Tallawahs when Walton had to retire hurt, tweaking his hamstring after running a quick single.

 It took an enterprising counter-attack by Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite in the back end of the innings to revitalise the Tallawahs and this was further boosted by some late blows by the lower order to ensure they posted a respectable total.

 The Patriots made a similar start in their innings, with Evin Lewis bringing the early fireworks, but the wickets of Devon Thomas and Asif Ali in quick succession followed by Evin Lewis left the game in the balance.

 If things were finely poised Sherfane Rutherford and Fabian Allen made light work of the equation, a fantastic display of power-hitting saw the pair smash 55 runs from 20 balls to seal the win at a canter.

Scores: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 169-4 (Rutherford 50*, Lewis 39; Russell 1-31, Powell 1-34) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 166-8 (Brathwaite 27, Walton 26; Bravo 3-25, Van Meekeren 2-27) by six wickets

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first and posted a very challenging 166-3 buttressed by a sparkling partnership between Mohammed Hafeez and Shimron Hetmyer.

In reply, the Patriots fired once more with the bat to chase down the target led by Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 59 from 34 balls.

The Amazon Warriors had paced their innings superbly and they had Hafeez to thank, his 70 runs from 59 balls anchored the innings allowing Hetmyer to play his natural game.

The pair put on a 101-run partnership from 67 deliveries, but both fell in successive balls in the 18th over. Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King then scrambled some late runs to ensure the Amazon Warriors posted their highest score of the tournament so far.

A target of 167 looked like a hard task, but the Patriots openers Evin Lewis and Devon Thomas laid the foundation for the chase with an opening stand of 69.

The introduction of Imran Tahir proved crucial for the Amazon Warriors as he removed both openers to swing the game back in their favour.

However, the heroes from the Patriots opening game, Rutherford and Dwayne Bravo forged another match-winning partnership to bring the Patriots to the verge of victory.

Bravo was dismissed with 18 runs still needed but Rutherford made light work of the equation with his second 50 of the tournament to seal a memorable win.

 The Patriots paired Sheldon Cottrell and Alzarri Joseph with the new ball, but they leaked boundaries to Simmons and Amir Jangoo. But Jangoo’s senior T20 debut was cut short by an excellent pick-up and throw off his own bowling by Cottrell to run him out.

Joseph hit Colin Munro on the hand, and when play resumed after a short shower Munro was unable to continue. Simmons took 11 off Rayad Emrit including a Hero Maximum and then lofted Jon-Russ Jaggesar over midwicket. He followed up with a cut for four, and the Knight Riders were well set at 52/1 off the Powerplay.

Jaggesar and Dominic Drakes kept the Knight Riders boundary-less between the Powerplay and drinks, and Darren Bravo edged just short of Chris Lynn at short third man. At halfway the Knight Riders had only progressed to 68/1.

Simmons and Darren Bravo managed only singles off Emrit. Joseph hit Darren Bravo in the head, but all was well, and Bravo ended a 35 ball streak without a boundary with a pull for four. Simmons too broke free, pulling Emrit for another Hero Maximum, before bringing up 50 off 42 balls with a single.

Simmons hitting Jaggesar straight over his head for his fourth Hero Maximum to bring up the Knight Riders hundred, then cut for four as the Knight Riders took 15 off the over. Emrit went to Cottrell, but he went for 17 as Darren Bravo lofted a Hero Maximum and Simmons picked up two fours. After 15 overs, the Knight Riders were 125/1.

Darren Bravo also hit Drakes for six, bringing up the 100 partnership off just 66 balls. Simmons pulled another Hero Maximum and Bravo creamed a four through extra-cover, making the 16th over another productive one. Emrit went for just four off his last, and Joseph started the 18th well, but Simmons bludgeoned two Hero Maximums to take himself into the 90s and the Knight Riders past 150.

A Patriots bowler finally got a wicket, Cottrell getting Darren Bravo strangled down the leg-side in a good 19th over that went for just 3. Drakes got two wickets in two balls, as Simmons pulled to Cottrell to fall short of a century and Tim Seifert leading-edge and was well caught by Lynn. Raza survived the hat-trick ball, and stand-in captain DJ Bravo smashed the last ball of the innings for a Hero Maximum.

Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre took the new ball for the Knight Riders, and the latter picked up the dangerous Lewis, Tambe, belying his 48 years, took an athletic catch. Lynn and Joshua da Silva broke free off Pierre, each hitting a Hero Maximum with Da Silva also sweeping for four, but even an over of 18 only took the Patriots to 34/1 after six.

Tambe and Anderson Phillip put the squeeze back on, with only one boundary between the Powerplay and drinks, and at halfway the Patriots needed almost 12 an over. A Tambe maiden pushed that above 13, and with Da Silva going at barely a run a ball and Lynn going at well under four an over there had to be an acceleration soon.

It didn’t come off DJ Bravo, and while Da Silva drove Tambe for four, he was deceived by the Indian leg-spinner and drove a catch back to the bowler. At the end of Tambe’s outstanding spell, the Patriots were 67/2 off 13 and needed well over 15 an over.

Lynn climbed into a DJ Bravo full toss, but then sliced high in the air and was well caught by Raza to end a disappointing innings. Ben Dunk smashed Raza’s first ball for four but off his second got a reverse sweep all wrong and popped up a simple catch to Seifert. With five overs left, Drakes and Ramdin were staring at a required run rate of 18.

That figure jumped above 20 as Pierre’s last over went for just seven, and Ramdin could only find midwicket when he tried to take on Raza. Raza did the work himself to pick up his third, taking a good diving caught-and-bowled as Drakes toe-ended an attempted straight hit. After 17, Raza had figures of 3/8 and the Patriots needed 27 an over.

Hosein picked up a deserved wicket late in his spell, getting Joseph stumped with one flung wide of off-stump. He celebrated by running to hug his childhood friend Khary Pierre. Imran found himself with three slips for company as Hosein finished off the 18th over, and the game was now officially unwinnable.

Emrit added to the Hero Maximum charity fund off Phillip’s 20th, but the Patriots didn't come close to winning this one, and the Knight Riders had made it eight wins from eight without breaking a sweat.

Summary: (Trinbago Knight Riders 174/4 (Simmons 96, DM Bravo 36; Drakes 2/35, Cottrell 1/32) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 115/7 (Lynn 34, da Silva 29; Raza 3/15, Tambe 1/12, Hosein 1/15, DJ Bravo 1/17) by 59 runs)

Upcoming Fixture: Wednesday 2 September - Match 24: St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors (5:30 pm),  4:30 pm Jamaica at Brian Lara Cricket Academy

Barbados Royals won the toss and put the Patriots in to bat but despite a flurry of early wickets, a fantastic 115 run partnership between DJ Bravo and Sherfane Rutherford ensured the Patriots set the highest total of the tournament so far with 175-5.

In reply, the Patriots were never under threat as they produced an excellent bowling display to keep the shackles on the Royals throughout.

The Royals took full advantage of their decision to field first by removing both openers, Evin Lewis and Devon Thomas, in the first three overs before Oshane Thomas bowled Chris Gayle to leave the Patriots teetering at 38-3 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Bowling with real zip, Oshane Thomas was to strike once more removing Asif Ali in the eighth over as his hostile spell resulted in exemplary figures of 3-22 from his four overs.

Patriots captain Bravo entered at the fall of the fourth wicket and along with Rutherford, they consolidated the innings before exploding into life in the final seven overs.

Their 115-run partnership in 70 balls ensured the Patriots laid a platform for Fabian Allen to add late fireworks at the death to power the Patriots to a very imposing 175-5

Much like the Royals, the Patriots made early inroads with their bowling dismissing both openers inside the first three overs. Although they needed a calamitous run-out to get them on their way when Johnson Charles found himself at the same end as Glenn Phillips.

Through the middle overs, the Patriots put a stranglehold on the game forcing the run rate up and putting pressure on the Royals batsmen to play high-risk shots.

Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers fell without making a significant indent on the scorecard and although Shai Hope anchored the innings with a well-constructed 44 his dismissal with six overs to go left too much to do for the remaining batsmen.

Azam Khan showed a few signs of his potential with some late blows, but the Patriots closed out the Royals innings with minimum fuss.

Scores: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 175-5 (Rutherford 53,  Bravo 47*; Cottrell 2-39, Drakes 2-13) beat Barbados Royals 154-7 (Hope 44, Khan 28; Thomas 3-22, Amir 1-20) by 21 runs.

The 37-year-old Bravo, who recently set the milestone of claiming 500 T20 wickets in this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), picked up a knee injury that delayed the start of his India Premier League (IPL) campaign.  Bravo started the IPL four games late but found himself sidelined a few games later, this time with a groin injury.

The injury led to Bravo being ruled out of the team’s tour to New Zealand.  The player’s previous CPL season had also been hampered after he suffered a broken finger.  While admitting it is a source of concern, Simmons has assured the player will remain in the minds of the selectors once he can recover sufficiently.

“It’s a concern because he was injured in CPL and now he’s injured in IPL,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom press conference call from the team’s training camp in New Zealand.

“There’s a break now, so he will go home and do what is necessary for him to be fit enough to play and there are a few series and also another IPL before the World Cup.  So, there’s a lot of chance for him to go and get himself fit and we will see what his fitness is like heading into the tournament.”

The 36-year-old recently returned to the team ahead of the ongoing T20 series against Ireland, after nearly four years out of action.  The return to the fold was an unhappy one as Ireland registered a rare win over the hosts.  There were a few bright sparks, however, with Bravo himself claiming 28 for 2.

The veteran all-rounder would also have witnessed up close the new generation of players tasked with taking Windies cricket back to the top.  He admits that he is impressed so far and eager to play a part.

“I feel good to know that I am among this talented squad here and I think these guys have 10, 12 years in front of them where they can dominate world cricket at some point,” Bravo said.

“My role is not to come back and try and take anyone’s spot or to play every game but to try and share whatever knowledge I have and have gained over the years. I believe with a captain like Polly and a coach like Phil (Simmons) that these young players can produce great things for West Indies in times to come.”

The West Indies still have one fixture remaining against Australia but have officially been eliminated after losing to Sri Lanka on Thursday.  Overall, the team lost three matches and won one.  The West Indies' lone win so far came against Bangladesh, after losing to England and South Africa to open the tournament.

Ahead of the World Cup, the 38-year-old Bravo had suggested that the tournament would be his last for the region, after a long and decorated career.

I think the time has come," Bravo to the ICC Cricket media channel.

 "I've had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I'm very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long,” he added.

Since making his debut in 2006, against New Zealand, Bravo went on to represent the West Indies 90 times in T20 internationals.  Overall, he has made 223 appearances for the Caribbean team in all formats.

"To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain [Daren Sammy] on the left here. One thing I am proud about is that the era of cricketers we had we were able to make a name for ourselves on the global stage and not only do that but have silverware to show for it,” he added.

As for the current campaign, Bravo admitted that it did not go the way the team wanted it to, but that he hoped to be able to still pass on his knowledge to the upcoming generation.

"For me now I want to try and pass on whatever experience and information I have with the younger players," he said. "I think in the white-ball formats West Indies cricket have a bright future and it's important for us to keep supporting the guys and keep encouraging them.

"It wasn't the World Cup we expected, it wasn't the World Cup we wanted as players. We shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves, it was a tough competition, we should keep our heads high."

They join the likes of Andre Fletcher, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein, Raymon Reifer, Sherfane Rutherford, Ravi Rampaul, Kennar Lewis and Dominic Drakes as West Indians participating in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Other big names participating include England's Moeen Ali and Alex Hales as well as Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

The ILT20 is set to begin in January next year in the UAE and is competing with South Africa's T20 League for players. There will be six franchises consisting of 18 players each.

The 2023 edition of the ILT20 will have 34 matches. All the teams will play each other twice, before four playoffs, including the final, spread across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Despite starting the series in strong fashion, the West Indies were beaten eventually beaten 3-2 after failing to successfully chase a target of close to 170 in three of five matches.

Fabian Allen had the team’s highest average with 67 in four matches, followed by Evin Lewis with 35.60 in five and Andre Fletcher 32.50 from two matches.  However, there will have been major concerns about some of the team’s seasoned batting stars who struggled to find a way into the series.

Veteran batsman Chris Gayle played four games and averaged just 18.66, with a high score of 32.  Andre Russell averaged 15.50, also in five games, with a high score of 25, team captain Pollard had a high score of 51, but also struggled, managing to average just 22 in five matches.

A few of the team's younger, but seasoned T20 players also struggled, with Shimron Hetmyer averaging 19 and Nicholas Pooran 17.75.

The panel of selectors has come under pressure in some quarters for picking the veteran’s trio of Gayle, Fidel Edwards, and Darren Bravo.  However, while Edwards picked up two wickets in two matches and Bravo was the leading wicket-taker with 10, the spotlight has continued to shine on Gayle’s struggles.

“Certainly, Bravo was the leading wicket-taker and Fidel played a couple of games and started to get into stride in the second game.  But from a batting perspective we expect quite a bit more from the senior guys,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“Maybe we just got carried away with the manner and the method that we used to win that first game from a batting perspective and just thought that we could continue in the same vein and found ourselves in a hole in the middle overs because South Africa adjusted their approach.”

The win was the first of the campaign for the Patriots, but it did not come easily.  In fact, chasing 162 for victory, the team seemed set for a third straight loss after needing 22 from the final over.  Some big hitting from Dwaine Pretorius, however, put away some wayward bowling by Romario Shepherd.

The team’s campaign began with losses to the Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Royals and despite getting on the board Bravo, who has himself battled injuries early on, believes the team has plenty of adjustments to make.

“Even with this win we still have a lot to improve and when we get into the dressing room we will highlight those moments,” Bravo said following the match.

“To restrict them to 160 odd we would have been happy at the halfway stage because they are a very good batting line-up.  We know they have quality spinners but with our line-up, we don’t believe spin is a threat to our line-up.  At key moments we kept giving our opposition some momentum to come back into the game.  These are the things we have to talk about, even though we won, we made a lot of mistakes.”