BOTH captains Sunday acknowledged the importance of the innings that Barbadian all-rounder Dwayne Smith played at the top of the order in the West Indies four-wicket victory over Ireland in the one-off One Day International at Sabina Park.

The 30-year-old, who replaced Jamaican Chris Gayle in the ODI squad, cracked an attacking 55 and shared in an opening stand of 100 with Kieran Powell (57), as the West Indies tallied 205-6 in response to Ireland’s 202. Bravo, the West Indies 50-over captain, said that Smith made the difference with his 53-ball innings, laced with five fours and three sixes.

“He has been playing good cricket for awhile now, he is one of our more talented players and a key member of the team. I am happy that he got the chance to represent today (Sunday), and I am hoping he grasps the opportunity with both hands,” Bravo told the Jamaica Observer after the match.

William Porterfield, the Ireland skipper, cursed his team’s luck for falling short in the runs department, but felt Smith’s positive approach at the start, set up the home team’s successful chase.

“We were 30 or 40 runs short of a competitive total and we lost wickets at a regular basis, which never really allowed us to pick up on our momentum. The batsmen didn’t get a lot of runs which allowed the West Indies to play a lot more freely.

“Dwayne Smith played really well, he took a lot of pressure off the West Indies because in the first 10 overs he got them off to a flyer, and with a bit more runs on the board, we might have been able to put a squeeze on him,” he expressed.

The Irish men will now head back home and start their preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh, which begins next month.

Bravo was subsequently named Man-of-the-Match for his three for 36 off nine overs and two balls, to which he followed up with a knock of 35 off 29 balls, inclusive of five fours and a lone six.

The Trinidadian said the much-talked about Sabina Park batting strip was better than the ones they played on in the two Twenty20 games prior, at the same venue, but said there is still room for improvement.

“A much better wicket than the two previous games, definitely, but there is still some work to be done and I hope that the people who are in charge of Sabina will do some work on the wicket because it is still slow,” he said.

Bravo also expressed satisfaction at the victory, despite it not being as comprehensive as they would have liked. He now has his sights set on the upcoming limited-overs series against England.