By NAN Sports Editor
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 18, 2016: The West Indies Cricket Board and one of its players is in another brouhaha and the world is watching.
Cricket fans have taken to Instagram to voice support for West Indies batsman Darren Bravo, after he was pulled off the West Indies cricket team in the ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe and sent home for a tweet that slammed West Indies Board chairman Dave Cameron.
Bravo’s tweet came in response to a interview Cameron did with SportsMax TV, a Caribbean television network in which he said of Bravo: “It is explicit that if your averages are not above a certain level it tells you what contracts you get. It is very, very explicit. His averages in the last two years have been declining, so what do you do? Reward poor performance or do you encourage him to get better?”
Bravo responded with a tweet saying he had never been offered a Grade-A contract. “You hav been failing 4 d last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51,” he tweeted.
The tweet resulted in the WICB replacing Bravo on the team and giving him a ticket back home due to what they termed “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour, which is contrary to his contractual obligations to the WICB.”
The clause in his “match/tour contract,” the release said, “clearly states not to make any statement in or to any form of media (which shall include, without limitation, print media, television, radio, internet or any social networking media), or any other public statement, which would bring yourself, WICB or any official or authorized representative of WICB or the game of cricket into disrepute, and your agreement to use all such media in a responsible manner.”
But Bravo seems unfazed by it all. He took to Instagram on Nov. 12th to post a photo of his back under the caption: “Home Sweet home” while on Nov. 11th, he posted: “Say what you want I have nothing to prove. So go ahead and judge me, just make sure you are perfect for the rest of your life.”
Fans responded, leaving no doubt whose side they are on.
“They say that the proof is in the pudding. This just proves how big of an idiot this man really is. Thank God your talent doesn’t activate only when you play for the West Indies. God will open other doors, dbu. Chin up and let the empty vessels make their noise,” one fan posted on Instagram.
While another posted: “Someone had to do it! Because Cameron is indeed an idiot!”
Others offered encouraging words like “Keep ya head up” and “Be strong” while still others dubbed the board a “dictatorship” and said they “wish as fans they could do something to get rid of the board.”
“Let’s rally,” one poster urged while another agreed: “We need to take a stand or this nonsense will never end. Something is wrong with this board and it’s chair.”
“We West Indians must be able to make this Board accountable. They continue to destroy the only true form of unity we have in the Caribbean. Enough is enough, all players must unite against this dictatorship, today it might be Darren but if left unchecked the whole team will be at risk,” added Lennardapplewhite.
Meanwhile, former Windies skipper Darren Sammy also responded to Bravo’s original tweet?
“Daaaaaaaaaaaam youngster you get crossed,” Sammy joked.
Bravo was West Indies’ second-highest run getter in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Before that, he had a poor Test series against India at home, scoring only 139 runs in seven innings. Since November 2014, Bravo scored 1089 runs in 17 Tests for West Indies, a tally that is second to Kraigg Brathwaite’s 1258 runs in 20 matches.
West Indies had initially named their squad for the series – which also includes Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka – on October 13th. On November 4, they had announced an updated squad, with wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich and fast bowler Miguel Cummins brought into the 15, replacing experienced batsman Marlon Samuels and teenage fast bowler Alzarri Joseph. West Indies play their first game of the series on November 16th against Sri Lanka, in Harare.
