A LOT has happened in Darren Bravo’s life in the four years since Steve Waugh proclaimed him as ‘world cricket’s next superstar, no doubt’.
His entry into that elusive galaxy has been delayed through injuries and undisclosed personal problems, a combination that caused him to miss two Test series and 19 ODIs following Waugh’s prediction.
The disruptions created doubt and inconsistency, a setback for the richly talented left-hander whose record in his first 12 Tests identically matched that of his cousin, physical double and exemplar, the unmatchable Brian Lara (941 runs, average 47.05). It clearly informed Waugh’s bold opinion that gained credibility as his average jumped to over 50.
Suddenly, it went into decline as Bravo grappled with his various difficulties, dipping to its present 41.5; the unreasonable tag of the ‘new Lara’ soon vanished.
At this pivotal point in his career, he has been left a formidable challenge by the retirement from international cricket of another left-hander, the diametrically contrasting, seemingly indestructible Shivnarine Chanderpaul. After a remarkable span of 21 years, 164 Tests, 268 ODIs and a combined 41 hundreds habitually shoring up the batting of a progressively weakening West Indies team, he has