image source, Jack Kira/BBC
- author, Sophie Harcombe and Jack Killer
- role, BBC Sport and BBC Radio Somerset
With the exception of Bridgwater CC, who welcomed former West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite on his debut last weekend, there are not many local cricket clubs that can call up a World Cup winner for a league match.
Brathwaite, who signed for the Somerset club last week, played against Midsomer Norton in the National Club Championship on Sunday, April 28, hitting 48 hits, including a 66, as Bridgewater won by 142 runs, and with the bat. made an immediate impact.
“The good thing is that no matter how high a level you're playing, cricket brings you back to reality pretty quickly. So I don't play on the field thinking I'm better than the players on my team or the opponents. I will never stand up,” Brathwaite told BBC Radio Somerset.
“He runs around the park with one ball in and is a great leveller.
“It's about respecting the game, appreciating the privileges you've been given to reach the heights you've reached, and trying to give back to others in the locker room and around the game.”
Brathwaite has played in England before, playing for Kent in 2021 and 2018 for Birmingham Bears and T20 Blast respectively, and has made over 260 T20 appearances and scored nearly 2,500 runs in his career. are doing.
It was Jake Lintott, a former Bears teammate who now plays at Bridgewater, who convinced Brathwaite to join as an overseas player.
“My calendar was empty at that point, so I thought, 'Why not?'” Brathwaite said.
This is not the first time the club has been named after a star player. Former South African bowler Alphonso Thomas spent a few seasons with the club in 2017, while a number of Somerset County players have passed through their ranks, including batsman Will Smeed.
Piers McBride, the club's head coach, said: “I think this will add real excitement to the Saturday League of West Country cricket.”
“A World Cup winner doesn't get much bigger than that, but we all as a cricket family are grateful that he's not only coming to Bridgwater, but helping our young people. I am so grateful for that.”
“Just having him in the locker room is an incredible experience for them. It really energizes everyone.”
Brathwaite is currently available for a few games for Bridgewater and is expected to return to the club in the second half of the season as he hopes to reach double digits in appearances.
“I hope that I can inspire one or two players, young or old, to become better people, whether it be cricketers, fathers or brothers,” Brathwaite said.
“I would be happy if I could be a part of that.”
