Ramdin’s hundred one of the best: Sir Richie

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Former West Indies stroke-maker Sir Richie Richardson has hailed Denesh Ramdin’s recent hundred against Bangladesh as one of the best ever one-day innings.

Ramdin slammed 169 in the third One-Day International at Grenada’s National Stadium, to help pilot the Windies to a convincing 91-run victory in the three-match series.

“Denesh has been in tremendous form for the last 18 months or so and I was thinking to myself that he probably should have batted a bit earlier at number four so when he was given that opportunity I was very, very pleased,” Sir Richie said.

“The knock he played here in the final ODI was exceptional, one of the best ODI knocks we’ve seen. One thing in an ODI or Twenty20 is that you have got to go out there and hit the ball all over the park but what he is very good at is finding the gaps.”

Ramdin was promoted to number four in the order and responded by smashing eight fours and 11 sixes in an innings that required a mere 121 deliveries.

He put on a record 258 for the third wicket with Darren Bravo, who scored 124, as West Indies amassed 338 for seven batting first.

The knock was Ramdin’s second career ODI century and second in four months following his 128 against England on their tour of the Caribbean back in March.

Sir Richie, one of the dominant one-day players of his era, said he admired the way Ramdin went about his innings.

“He plays his shots but he doesn’t swipe. He plays proper cricket shots, and he is able to rotate the strike, he’s able to score as quickly as anybody else,” said the former West Indies captain.

“It’s just good to see that someone has put in the work and it’s now paying dividends.”

Ramdin, the Windies Test captain, has played 112 ODIs since making his debut ten years ago, and averages just under 25.

He is averaging 54 over the last two years.