AFP/Port of Spain
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has been suspended from his team’s encounter with Sri Lanka for the fifth match of the Tri-series, to be played at the Queen’s Park Oval today.
In a decision handed down by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe, it was explained that the all-rounder faces the sanction due to his team’s second minor over-rate offence in a 12-month period. The West Indies were determined to be one over short of the required over-rate during the fourth match of the series against India on Friday.
It follows on a similar infraction less than a month earlier during the final group match of the Champions Trophy against South Africa at Cardiff on June 14. Bravo pleaded guilty to the offence and as the West Indies team did not contest the charge, there was no need for a formal hearing on the matter.
Coming hard on the heels of a 102-run loss to the Indians in that rain-affected fixture, Bravo’s suspension represents a further setback to a home side that is now in danger of losing momentum completely after they concluded the first half of the league schedule with two wins from two matches at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
While they remain at the top of the standings with nine points, another heavy defeat to the Sri Lankans followed by an Indian victory over Angelo Mathews’ side in the final preliminary match on Tuesday could, depending on the net run-rate calculations, see the West Indies squeezed out of the July 11 final.
Kieron Pollard will be at the helm again with Devon Smith the automatic replacement for Bravo in the batting line-up.