Carlos Brathwaite still in negotiations with BBL franchises
The T20 captain of the West Indies cricket team Carlos Brathwaite has become one of the world’s most popular names after his astonishing batting against England at Eden Gardens during the last over of Twenty20 World Cup final, where he smashed four consecutive sixes to win the trophy.
The Windies skipper said that he is still in negotiations with more than one Big Bash League franchise for the sixth edition of the tournament.
As quoted from Cricket.com.au, Brathwaite said "There are couple of Big Bash franchises who have shown interest in me. Joining the tournament would depend on my availability, the contract and the franchise. It is with my agent at the moment and not much more I can say to be fair. We are just waiting to see."
BBL franchises Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat have already filled up their international slots of BBL 2016 but several other clubs seem to be interested in signing Braithwaite.
Earlier this year, the general manager of the Hurricanes, Michael Roberts described the West Indies batsman as “the perfect Big Bash model player”.
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The 28-year-old came to prominence when he scored 59 runs on his Test Debut against Australia in Melbourne. Brathwaite was later snapped by the Delhi Daredevils to play in the Indian Premier League this year.
After his heroic performance at the Eden Gardens, the Windies skipper could not meet the high expectations set by fans and pundits. In spite of his poor performances, Brathwaite’s signature is still in demand.
Speaking about his BBL experience, the skipper said, "I experienced Big Bash briefly during the tour of Australia when I went to watch couple of games. It was nice atmosphere and the standard of cricket was pretty high as well.”
“It is just a matter of looking forward to it and be part of it if possible and then learn whatever I can from the players of the state teams because Australia transition very well from state cricket to international cricket. I myself can learn a lot from what they do at the lower level so that I can improve myself as a cricketer domestically and internationally."
Brathwaite’s West Indian team play India in two T20s on August 27 and 28 in Florida. This will be the first T20 match the Windies will play since winning the World T20 title in India earlier this year.