After some encouraging all-round performances for West Indies B, David Bernard was promoted to the Jamaica side for the 2002-03 season, and excelled in the Carib Beer series by scoring 551 runs at an average of 45.91, and taking 26 wickets. A tall, stylish batsman, Bernard hit 91 - his maiden first-class half-century - including one six and 13 fours against an experienced Leeward Islands attack, and had a first-class bowling average of 23 at a stingy economy rate.

He got his Test call-up against Australia in 2003 but was dropped just after one poor game. He played four ODIs that year and went back to domestic cricket. A solid 2008-9 domestic season got him a place on the trip to England and then the four home ODIs against India.

Then in July 2009 Bernard received a Test recall in the most unusual of circumstances. A day before the start of the first Test against Bangladesh in St Vincent, the original West Indies squad announced it was going to boycott the match over contract disputes with the board. The WICB scrambled to get a replacement side ready and Bernard found himself in it. He was the leading run-scorer for West Indies in that series, with three half-centuries.