West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, has cautioned against judging a cricketer’s ability and capability to make valuable contributions to teams just based on their age alone.
The much-travelled 36-year-old T20 specialist made history earlier this week after capturing his 500th wicket in the format while competing in the Caribbean Premier League for Trinbago Knight Riders. As far as the CPL goes, the historic achievement marked his 100th in the competition.
In 12-years, Bravo has played for numerous T20 franchises around the world, including playing a major role in two T20 World Cup titles for the West Indies. Though not quite at the absolute top of his game these days, he remains an impact player for any team he represents. With pressure often placed on players to retire, once they approach 40, Bravo has insisted he feels in great shape.
”Anyone who challenges or questions our age – I don’t think anyone of us, our performance has dipped or dropped because of our age,” Bravo recently told EspnCricinfo.
“As a matter of fact, most of us even perform just as good or even better. Age is just a number. Don’t judge a player by his age but judge him by his performance and his ability to continue to play.”
The likes of Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, and Bravo have all defied age, performing brilliantly for their franchises all over the world.