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No gear, no worries as Carlos sends reminder

You may remember the name, but Carlos Brathwaite did not remember to bring his equipment for his Big Bash League debut

Carlos Brathwaite arrived in Australia without any batting gear, bowling boots or match practice but the Sydney Thunder recruit looked well-equipped in his maiden KFC Big Bash League outing.

Having unexpectedly received a last-minute offer to replace injured West Indies teammate Andre Russell at the Thunder, Brathwaite jumped on a plane from England where he was holidaying with his girlfriend.

The allrounder arranged to have his cricket gear shipped from Barbados but after it became clear it wouldn't arrive on Tasmanian shores in time for his BBL debut against the Hobart Hurricanes, he was forced to making do with borrowed goods.

Fellow Bajan Hayley Matthews, who was coincidentally playing a Rebel Women's Big Bash League match for the Hurricanes in a curtain-raiser to the men's game, has the same bat sponsor as Brathwaite and lent him three pieces of willow.

"Hayley lent me three of her bats to choose from, bless her," Brathwaite told bigbash.com.au after the Thunder's six-wicket win.

"I know Hayley quite well. We're both affiliated with Trident Sports as ambassadors.

"She was playing in Hobart just before us, so she was here and her kit was here and I grabbed a couple of bats off her."

Matthews, who was on hand to collect her goods back off Brathwaite after the match, confirmed her bats were a lot lighter than Brathwaite's, as Channel 10 commentator Mark Waugh suggested on air.


And on the footwear front, Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins had a spare pair of old bowling boots that fit his new Thunder teammate perfectly.

"Thanks to Patty Cummins who lent me his shoes," Brathwaite said. "I don't think I'll be giving them back, they feel nice on my legs."

Cummins fires in 149km/h yorker in Hobart

While cricketers are notoriously fussy about their gear, a more pressing concern for Brathwaite was his lack of preparation.

The 28-year-old admitted he hadn't bowled off his full run leading into the match, but said having a clear mind aided him in his first game Down Under since playing his first two Tests at the MCG and then the SCG last summer.

Last summer: Brathwaite's entertaining SCG knock

"I was a bit nervous to be honest," he said. "I hadn't put any gym work in or any practice in the lead-up.

"I only bowled off five steps in the two practice days we had before.

"But it was probably for the better, I didn't have any demons in my mind. It was just a matter of getting out there and trusting my instincts.

"I went for a few more runs than I expected or would have wanted but I was just happy to contribute to a win.

Brathwaite finished with 2-31 from three overs in a disciplined Thunder bowling effort, claiming the important wickets of Dan Christian and Jono Wells to halt the hosts' momentum towards the end of their innings.

Brathwaite dabs his way to two wickets on BBL debut

The accompanying celebrations for the first BBL scalp were memorable, the devout Manchester United fan following in the footsteps of the club's French midfielder Paul Pogba to 'dab' – the trend of dropping his head while raising his arm and elbow with a flourish.

And when Wells skied one high over the leg-side, Brathwaite prematurely started celebrating while Clint McKay at square-leg did his best to judge the high ball. 

Thankfully the former Australia ODI quick held on, prompting a delighted Brathwaite to unleash a triple-dab.

Australia and Sydney Thunder batsman Usman Khawaja celebrated a half-century in the recent Sydney Test with a dab, sparking a social media frenzy.

But while Brathwaite said his inspiration was Pogba, he hopes Khawaja approves of his twist on the popular gesture.


"It brings a bit of excitement to the cricket, the crowds love the celebrations and we play for the crowd," he explained.

"It was a little fun. I was a little pumped at that point in time (of his second wicket), they had a good partnership going so I was stoked to break the partnership

"It'd be good to get to dab with (Khawaja). We'd probably do a little dance and dab on the side.

Uzzie dabs his way to SCG half-century

"I met him in the IPL, stole a bat off him. I think he would be pleased.

"I'll have to message him on Twitter and ask him how my dab looked in comparison to his."