West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from international cricket. The T20 World Cup 2021 match against Australia will be his last for the national team.

'Champion' cricketer, Dwayne Bravo, made a big announcement as West Indies suffered their third defeat of the 2021 T20 World Cup, going down to Sri Lanka in the Super 12 contest on Thursday. Bravo, who has been one of the finest all-rounders in the shortest format of the game for more than a decade, has decided to hang up his boots after the end of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Having represented West Indies for 18 years, Bravo has been at the centre of some of the finest achievements of the team over the years. The veteran all-rounder had arrived in the T20 World Cup 2021 hoping to help Windies defend their title but things have hardly gone as planned for the men from the Caribbean. 

Speaking on ICC's post-match Facebook Live show, Bravo announced his decision to call it quits. "I think the time has come," he said. "I've had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I'm very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long.

"To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain (Daren Sammy) on the left here. One thing I am proud about is that in the era of cricketers we had we were able to make a name for ourselves on the global stage."

Bravo was the centre of West Indies' successful T20 World Cup campaigns in 2012 and 2016. In the shortest format for the national team, the 38-year-old has a total of 78 wickets in 90 matches. He also has 1245 runs to his name with the bat. 

West Indies' final group-stage match of the 2021 T20 World Cup against Australia will be the last for Bravo in international cricket.

It still, however, isn't the end of Bravo in the sport as a player. The all-rounder is expected to continue plying trade for various franchises across the globe in T20 leagues. Be it the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League, or other franchise-based cricketing leagues across the world, Bravo has created a legacy for himself with his performances. He is expected to continue going on that path for one or two more years at least.