ICC World Cup 2019 | 'I almost thought it was a curse' - Carlos Brathwaite opens up about 'Remember The Name' tag
Three years after his heroics in the World T20 Final in 2016, West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite has opened up about the 'Remember The Name' tag - a tag he initially thought was a curse. Brathwaite has also opened up about finally coming to terms with the tag, accepting and living with it.
When Carlos Brathwaite smacked Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the 2016 World T20 Final to hand the Windies their second World T20 Final, little did he know that he would then go on to carry a tagline with him for the rest of his life. "Remember the name - Carlos Brathwaite" said an ecstatic Ian Bishop as Brathwaite hit the fourth six off Stokes, and Brathwaite had become an overnight sensation and a Cricketing superstar.
However, things have been pretty rough for the Barbadian ever since "that" night, having almost gotten weighed down by the tag. He has now opened up about how the tag has affected him, revealing how he almost shied away from the tag.
"I think it's about firstly accepting the 'Remember The Name' tag. I think I shied away from it a bit. I almost thought it was a curse. It was about accepting that what I did will be remembered for a long time, accepting that I had the privilege of doing it, you know just I guess adorn all the good messages, all the admiration I've received on the streets and on social media," said Brathwaite, in an interview to Cricbuzz.
The 30-year-old spoke about acceptance and putting the tag to rest and also said that his sole focus was on Cricket. "Because when I do poorly there'll be the other side as well. So I've accepted it and am actually comfortable to hear it again, it's put that to rest in a way and I'm able to crack on my career and take care of the small processes that eventually turns into positive or negative results," said Brathwaite.
Brathwaite also admitted to succumbing to the weight of the expectations but also spoke about finding ways to deal with it, and now hopes to kickstart his career once again and start afresh. "I always thought I had it in control. Evidently, it didn't. I guess it was the expectations that weighed me down a bit. I didn't have the performances I wanted to. But I found ways to deal with it an hopefully the performances in this World Cup can be a springboard to a long a successful career." he added.
Brathwaite almost pulled off another heist in the ongoing World Cup with a glorious century against the Kiwis but fell agonizingly short of taking his team home. He has now revealed how he's had nightmares about that very innings, thinking if he should have just taken a single off the last ball instead of going for a six.
"I guess at that time I was obviously upset that we didn't get the over the line. But I didn't really understand the magnitude of the emotions. I had a few sleepless nights before the India game... should I have gone for a single, should I have gone for a six," Brathwaite said.
"I guess it comes with the territory. I'm happy to get an international century. It's been a long journey and I'm happy with the technique and process I'm using now. I'm beginning to bring slightly more consistency so I'm happy with that. It's all part of the process and the journey." the West Indian all-rounder concluded.
Brathwaite and the Windies will now be gearing up to face India in August, with the Windies scheduled to play three T20s, three ODIs and two Tests against the Men in Blue.
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