Dubai [UAE], October 10 (ANI): Former West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo hailed WI skipper Shai Hope as "one of the best in the world" following his heroics against India in the second T20I at Ranchi on Friday.
Bravo was speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the World Championship of Legends Season 3, where he is representing West Indies Champions. Back in India on Friday, Hope smashed a 45-ball century, helping WI pull of a sensational 250-run chase, their highest in T20Is against India, levelling the five-match series 1-1. This century continues Hope's love affair with India as he scored his third century on the tour, including two ODI tons. Two of these three tons have come in a winning cause.
Speaking about the West Indies right-hander, who also breached the 11,000-run mark in international cricket on Friday, Bravo expressed hope that the skipper's heroics will earn him the respect and conversation among the best.
"He is a great player. He is one of the best in the world, and I am very happy to see that he continues to show the world his talent. Hopefully, people talk more about him, and he gets the respect he deserves. And, you know, uh, it is good for West Indies cricket as well, and hopefully they can win the next game and win the series," said Bravo.
Between 2017 to 2023, Hope featured in 26 T20Is, scoring 493 runs in 24 innings at an average of 22.41 and a strike rate of 124.49, with two fifties. His T20I stats have seen a massive glow-up since 2024, scoring 1,404 runs in 46 matches and innings at an average of 37.95 and a strike rate of 145.95, with two centuries and 11 fifties, with a best score of 102*.
Hope is WI's fifth-highest T20I run-getter with 1,897 runs in 72 matches and 70 innings at an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 139.69, with two centuries and 13 fifties. He is the only player besides Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis (two each) to have multiple T20I centuries.
This year in 14 T20Is, Hope has scored 494 runs in 14 innings at an average of 44.91 and a strike rate of 145.72, with a century and four fifties and a best score of 102*.
Overall in T20s, Hope has scored 6,246 runs in 232 matches and 227 innings at an average of 31.86 and a strike rate of 129.63, with five centuries and 32 fifties and a best score of 118*.
Coming to the ODIs, the batter is WI's second-highest century-getter with 21 tons, just five away from toppling Chris Gayle (25 tons). Hope has scored 6,590 runs at an average of 51.48 with 21 tons and 32 fifties in 158 matches and 152 innings.
This year is shaping up to be WI skipper's best year across formats, with 1,229 runs scored in 27 matches and 28 innings at an average of 53.43 and a strike rate of almost 88, including four centuries and seven fifties, including a best score of 162*.
Speaking on playing in WCL Season 3, Bravo expressed how exciting it is to play with his old teammates and compete against the players of his era once again.
"You get the opportunity to play with teammates you played with, you have played your entire career alongside, and to get back in the same dressing room, the same environment, to get back competing again against teams that we play also in our era. It is good to see some of the greats of the game keeping their body in shape and coming to compete and try to win a tournament," he said.
So far, West Indies Champions have won two matches and lost one, sitting third in the points table. In their previous match against Bangladesh Champions, knocks from Chadwick Walton (90*), Chris Gayle (56) and Lendl Simmons (20) helped WI chase down 219 runs with five wickets in hand.
West Indies Champions owner Ajay Sethi also spoke on his relationship with Bravo, "I was the founder of St. Lucia Zouks in 2013; that's the first team I took in CPL (Caribbean Premier League). Bravo, I met him a long time back during functions. I find him to be a great gentleman with a great heart. He is very sporty and takes good care of his team, which I really like. We have formed a great bond over time." (ANI)
"Hopefully, people talk more about him": Dwayne Bravo hails WI skipper Shai Hope
