HOBART, Australia, CMC – Dwayne Bravo made small, but vital contribution to Victoria, but they still lost their latest Twenty20 Big Bash match, when Tasmania crushed them by nine wickets on Tuesday.
The West Indies all-rounder made a run-a-ball 22, and shared an important 61-run, fourth-wicket stand with England Ashes-winning wicketkeeper/batsman Matt Prior, as Victoria reached 107 for eight from their allocation of 15 overs in their rain-affected match at Bellerive Oval. Bravo struck just two boundaries, but Prior, fresh from Ashes success against Australia, made an immediate impression, when he smoked five fours and two sixes in 51 from 29 balls, as they rescued Victoria from a perilous 20 for three in the fifth over.
Bravo and Prior fell to discarded Australia off-spinner Jason Krejza as he finished with three wickets for 13 runs from two overs.
Prior was caught and bowled off a top-edge slog/sweep in the 11th over, and Bravo was caught at deep mid-wicket pulling a full toss.
Pakistan discarded fast-medium bowler Naved-ul-Hasan took three for 18 from his quota of three overs.
Bravo, whose bowling has gone off the boil since his return from an ankle injury, then failed to make an impression with the ball, conceding 16, including the winning runs, from 1.3 overs.
Jonathan Wells with an unbeaten 51 from 33 balls and George Bailey with 31 not out guided Tasmania to victory with 21 balls to spare in an unbroken 59-run, second wicket stand.
West Indian involvement in the Big Bash continues today, when the big-hitting Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard feature in a clash between Western Australia and South Australia in Perth.
