PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — A decision to invest in cricket nets at his home has paid dividends for West Indies marquee left-hander Darren Bravo, especially with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic having halted competitive cricket in the Caribbean.

The 31-year-old, who recently returned to the West Indies side for the one-day tour of Sri Lanka, said he had been able to stay fit during the break so as to be ready for whenever domestic or international cricket resumed.

“A couple months ago I decided to build my own cricket nets at my home. I invested in a bowling machine and stuff like that,” Bravo said.

“So I’ve been training. My brother [Dwayne Bravo] comes across from time to time and we do some physical training as well but more so I tend to spend a lot of time in the nets with the bowling machine…

“So things have been working out. I’m just trying to stay as fit as possible and trying to improve on my skills as much as possible. Hopefully we can be back out pretty soon.”

Cricket West Indies has put a pause on its domestic itinerary because of the outbreak and may be forced to cancel some international series if the pandemic continues to impact the region.

Bravo remains one of West Indies’ most experienced batsmen with 54 Tests and 113 One-Day Internationals under his belt.

However, he was dropped last October from tours of Afghanistan and India following a poor run of form, resulting from a protracted layoff owing to a public spat with former Cricket West Indies President Dave Cameron.

He scored heavily in both the recent Super50 Cup and the first class championship and though he never got going in the three-match series against the Sri Lankans, an 88-ball hundred in a warm-up against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI was enough to convince many of his return to form.

“I had the opportunity to go back and play in the Super50, and I think I did well,” Bravo said.

“I think the opportunity to come back and play more cricket and spend more time out in the middle, that did a lot for me, and gave me a lot of confidence to move forward.”

He added: “[They were] not ideal performances [in Sri Lanka] but I think the camaraderie and the way we went about playing Sri Lanka, I think [captain] Kieron Pollard and [coach] Phil Simmons are doing a fantastic job.

“All in all, the team is coming along nicely. Obviously the people in the team is our strong point, but having said that, the team is gelling nicely, and I’m sure in the not too distant future as long as we continue playing as a team and keep believing in ourselves, things can change for us.”