Veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says he has high hopes that the upcoming crop of West Indies cricketers will develop into world beaters.

Bravo, who turns 37 in October, returned to the regional side’s Twenty20 (T20) squad months ago after close to four years on the outside.

In January, hosts West Indies drew 1-1 with unfancied Ireland in a three-match T20 series after the second outing was rained off. But thanks to sublime hitting from another returning veteran, Andre Russell, they thumped home team Sri Lanka 2-0 in early March.

“I think [Head Coach] Phil Simmons and [Captain] Kieron Pollard have something good going, and Caribbean people will be happy to see the team start winning again,” Bravo told the Jamaica Observer via a telephone interview.

“I know the team is very talented, there’s no doubt about it. I am a big fan of the current players, and now I’m able to be in the dressing room with them. These players, to me, they are just as dangerous as anyone else around the world,” he said.

Though West Indies are defending champions after claiming their second title in 2016, the performances in recent years have been inconsistent amidst turmoil mostly between a number of senior players and the previous Cricket West Indies (CWI) administration.

The new CWI board, led by President Ricky Skerritt, has since calmed the waters, and opened the door for players like Bravo to re-enter the fold.

Bravo, an outstanding fielder throughout his career, has represented the regional team in 71 T20 Internationals, claiming 59 wickets and tallying 1,151 runs. He has played 455 T20 matches overall, taking 497 victims and amassing 6,307 runs.

Before his return against Ireland, his last T20 International was against Pakistan in 2016. While still playing in franchise leagues around the globe, he announced his retirement from international cricket in October 2018. However, last December he confirmed his intent to come out of T20 International retirement.

The skilful all-rounder believes that, with time, the team will gel and produce more consistent positive results on the pitch.

“Obviously, as a team when you are not winning cricket games that tends to hamper your confidence as a player. You don’t know where your next win is coming from; you’re not sure where your next run is coming from.

“But the more all of us play together and the more these guys play and the more they win it’s the more confidence they will get as players, and then the team collectively will benefit. [Shimron] Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen, Brandon King, Keemo Paul, [Sherfane] Rutherford, and all these guys are going to be some really dangerous players — they are already dangerous players. And I think with more time and experience they will learn from their mistakes.

“With the likes of Pollard, Russell and [Sheldon] Cottrell, myself and Sunil Narine… to give guidance, they are going to learn a lot. I see that West Indies cricket is definitely in good hands with [these] young talents. The problem is just to make sure we manage the players properly and give them the opportunity to represent, make mistakes and have failures, but still continue to back them to learn,” Bravo stressed.

The 2020 T20 World Cup is scheduled for later this year in Australia.

Listen online at jamaicaobserver.com