Darren Bravo aims for more after maiden ODI century

St. George’s (Grenada), Feb 24 (IANS/CMC):

Middle order batsman Darren Bravo says he is aiming for more big scores after recording his maiden century in One-Day Internationals to help the West Indies trounce Zimbabwe.

Bravo put on a batting master class which spurred the West Indies to a commanding victory over Zimbabwe in the first ODI at the national stadium Friday.

The stylish left-hander made 100 not out – reaching the coveted milestone off the final ball of the innings – as the West Indies posted a huge score of 337-4.

“A first century in a winning cause is a great feeling. The hard work is paying off and the aim is to continue and get more big scores. I have focused on batting through the innings and taking it down to the end,” said Bravo.

“I knew I had enough time and once I batted through the innings something special would happen. I will be looking to press on in the second match on Sunday.”

Bravo was dominant as he added 80 for the second wicket with Johnson Charles, who cracked a brilliant 130 off 111 balls.

It was his fifth international century overall, adding to the four he has scored in Test cricket.

“I never panicked. I soaked up a lot of balls at the start of the innings as I tried to get myself in,” he said.

“Johnno (Johnson Charles) was going great guns so my role was just to support him and turn over the strike, as it was a right-hand/left-hand combination.”

The 24-year-old started his innings slowly but picked up momentum in the final ten overs, reaching his century off just 71 balls with nine fours and four sixes.

Going into the final over he needed eight runs to reach the landmark, and got there off the last ball.

“I knew that once I got in I could pick it up at the back end and that is what happened. The batting power play was just around the corner so it was just a matter of playing it smart,” said Bravo.

“It was a good pitch and the ball wasn’t doing much so I just had to make sure I kept my shape and play to my strong areas.”

The home side then restricted the visitors to just 181-9 to win by 156 runs, marking their return to the Grenada National Stadium for the first time since 2009 in grand style.