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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Bravo is the 'New Big Dog'

Bravo is the 'New Big Dog'

By K Kumaraswamy
Last updated on: October 03, 2006 18:09 IST
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Dwayne Bravo believes he can be the next great all-rounder after Sir Gary Sobers from the West Indies.

Bravo, whose all-round abilities will be crucial for Windies' defense in the Champions Trophy starting this weekend, said he was aware the team has missed an all-rounder for long and he was keen to fill that void.

"There is a big void there. Those are big shoes to fill in as top all-rounder," Bravo said.

"I think Sobers is the best all-rounder this game has seen and I have a long way to go. But I am only 22, so I can try and improve my game."

Bravo made an impact on the Indian minds when he cleaned up Yuvraj Singh with a slower ball to give his team a one-run victory in the second ODI in the Caribbean early this year.

Bravo said the slower one he had mastered over the years was his "lethal weapon" and intends to use it to deadly effect in the Champions Trophy.

"I developed it after watching international cricket on television," he said.

"Courtney Walsh had a good slower one, Waqar Younis, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis too. But what I bowl is my own variety.

"I started by bowling it from a short run-up and then from a long run-up," Bravo said.

"Mostly bowlers use in the death to slow up the scoring but I bowl it in the middle overs as well to keep the batsman thinking by varying the pace."

Bravo has skipper Brian Lara as his role model, and even calls himself the New Big Dog, derived from the batting legend's nickname Big Dog in his home town Trinidad.

Lara in turn has heaped praise on the youungster, mentioning him as a future great, and the fact that both hail from the same island has made critics talk about the two in the same breath.

Bravo, however, said there was no comparison between the two.

"Lara is 37 and I am 22. There is a big gap in terms of experience and achievement. And he is a batsman, I am an all-rounder.

"It is not Lara but other players also think highly of me. But then it is not just about me but other young players as well," he said.

"Dwayne Smith is equally a good all-rounder and there are four or five players who are really good."

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K Kumaraswamy
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