I am still learning, says Brathwaite

The explosive Carlos Brathwaite, who shot into fame with four consecutive sixes off England’s Ben Stokes in the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup to guide West Indies to a famous win, is not sure of playing all the matches for Sunrisers but is ready to chip in whenever he gets a chance. He said he is still trying to learn and develop both as a cricketer and as an individual.

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Friday, the 29-year-old, big-hitter from the Caribbeans says that Sunrisers have a very successful management team with the likes of [Tom] Moody, [V.V.S] Laxman and [Muthaiah] Muralitharan that ensures the players enjoy the best atmosphere both on and off the field.

“Obviously, since the core team is almost the same, I am looking forward to the guys who have been IPL champions and great performers. Willing to pick up a few new things about the game itself,” Brathwaite said.

On Sunrisers, the big West Indian says it is a very strong team on paper despite the massive loss of Warner who was not only a champion batsman but also a great captain. “But, it is such a strong unit that his absence will be covered. It is a question of putting the quality available on paper right out there on the field,” he said.

“I don’t think I will probably play all the games because of the quota of overseas cricketers in the playing eleven. For any team, balance is the key. May be, I may play some games later on, come down as a seamer, not early in the innings for sure, who can take wickets which should be a bonus and score quick runs,” he said.

“Sunrisers is known for closing out the innings and the current line-up is virtually an Indian attack comprising [Bhuveneshwar} Bhuvi, [Siddharth] Kaul and Sandeep [Sharma]. Bowling in death overs has been its biggest strength,” Brathwaite said.

Braithwaite predictably refused to talk on the recent ball-tampering controversy. “I have no comment on that as I have not played Test cricket for long. And, it (controversy) is all so well-documented, it is best you leave it there and move on,” he said.