Bravo: Had to take a break to refocus

Dwayne Bravo, who had himself rested from the ODI series against India after playing just two matches, says he needed the break to get back his lost focus ahead of the Test series.

"I'm not happy about the way my cricket is at the moment. I honestly believe I can do a lot better, so I would like to use this time to stay away from the game and refocus, reflect and use this opportunity to get rest and to try and get back my focus again," Bravo said, explaining why he asked to be rested midway through the series, which his team is now trailing 0-3.

Bravo was unimpressive in the matches he played, scoring 44 runs and going wicket-less against a second-string Indian team. In fact, his form has been indifferent this season and in the 10 one-dayers he has played, Bravo has averaged 24.37 with the bat, while his seven wickets have come at 47.71.

"Sometimes in international cricket, because of the hectic schedule, it is difficult to catch form in the middle of tournaments and series, so I just asked for a break from the game for the remainder of the ODI series and look to rejoin the team for the beginning of the Test series," he said.

Bravo also listed the various injury problems that have been bothering him for quite a while now.

"At the beginning of the World Cup, I was coming back into my own in the warm-up games. I was feeling like I was getting back into my prime form again. And then in the first game in the World Cup I twisted my knee and that was a big setback for me," said Bravo.

"After spending eight weeks out of the game and re-joining the team for the Pakistan ODI series with just one warm-up game after surgery, I struggled for momentum. At the latter end of the series, I started getting my momentum again.Then I went off to the IPL, which was also a hectic time over there," Bravo said.

He added: "Obviously, there are some technical aspects you could improve on, but it's more about regaining the focus and self-belief that I had before. Picking up injuries and being out of the game for so long is always difficult. It takes time," he added.

Bravo urged the ICC to create a window for the IPL to cut down on player burnout.

"All international players would love to see a window (for the IPL), but as for now, you just have to try and balance it as much as possible," he said. Bravo thanked the West Indies Cricket Board and coach Ottis Gibson for letting him take the break.

He continued: "The selectors and the coach (Ottis Gibson) were very understanding and allowed me to step away from the game and I'm very happy for that."

"I hope people respect my decision. I still have a lot of passion and desire to represent West Indies. In the long run, I believe I will benefit and West Indies cricket will benefit," he said.

The first Test is scheduled to start at Sabina Park, Jamaica from June 20.

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"Lord's window break a freak accident"

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior says he didn't break the Lord's dressing-room window during the second Test vs Sri Lanka deliberately, saying it was a "freak accident".

He went on to say that he actually felt stupid about the whole incident.

The 29-year-old was run out on 99 on the final day of the drawn match and landed in a controversy after a window in the dressing room was shattered, leaving a spectator in the members' area with minor cuts from the broken glass.

Prior was merely reprimanded by the ICC after the incident and the wicketkeeper also played it down.

"Every time I looked up at the pavilion during Sri Lanka's second innings, I just saw this big broken window and I felt stupid more than anything else," Prior told 'London Evening Standard.'

"When you make a scene like that, you're thinking, 'Oh no, what are people going to say?' It didn't look good, obviously, and I'd just been run out, but people were putting two and two together and coming up with five, seven, nine and 10," he added.

Prior asserted that he was not angry and did not throw his gear around.

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Raina: Seniors deserved a break

India's stand-in cricket captain Suresh Raina has backed the decision of top players including Sachin Tendulkar to skip the tour of the West Indies.
India wears a depleted look in the West Indies with Tendulkar and regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni opting out and Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh ruled out due to injuries and illness.
Raina, who will lead the side in Saturday's one-off Twenty20 and the five-match ODI series after that, said he is looking forward to the challenge of steering a young and inexperienced side.
"(Being captain) is a great challenge to me and I'm really looking forward to that," Raina said after the team's arrival.
"We have good players who want to do well in this series. They have done well in first-class cricket and the IPL or in the World Cup team."
Raina said the senior players "deserved a break" and it was chance for the youngsters to make a name for themselves.
"We have a young team and they are focused on doing well for India and I am excited to see how they perform over the next few weeks," he was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.
West Indies have been struggling for quite a while, the most recent of their debacles coming against Pakistan. Darren Sammy's men were handed a 2-3 ODI series loss Pakistan but Raina refused to take them lightly.
"The West Indies team has been playing good cricket for the past few months and we are not going to take them lightly," he said.