Ramdin hopes to revive Red Force
STEPHON NICHOLAS Saturday, January 7 2017
Wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin is back as captain of the Red Force one-day team and will lead an experienced unit at the WICB Regional Super50 Tournament which gets underway on January 24 in Antigua and Barbados.
Ramdin regains the job three years after losing it to Dwayne Bravo. Back then, Chairman of the TT Selection Committee, Alec Burns, explained that the Trinidad and Tobago Crcket Board (TT CB) sought to sync their captains with the West Indies side after Bravo had replaced St Lucian Darren Sammy at the helm for One-day Internationals. Ironically, neither Ramdin or Bravo, are currently in the West Indies oneday set-up.
Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Ramdin, who had also lost the national four-day captaincy to Rayad Emrit in November 2014, said his issues with the TT CB are currently in the past and he is focused on reviving the fortunes of the national team which is currently in a funk in the four-day format. He believes winning the Super50 will instil confidence in the team and can augur well for the second half of the four-day competition.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for 2017 for the team to gain some confidence in this Super50 competition because of the situation where we’ve found ourselves in the four-day at the bottom of the table. Hopefully, with some of the senior guys around the younger players, that will give them some confidence and share some experience and do well in the 50 overs tournament. “With my leadership and skills at the highest level, hopefully that will play a part in the entire team and we can go out and show a good outing for ourselves. I have the support from all the guys and the coach (Gus Logie) as well as the Board. I think what transpired in the past is behind me so I’m just going to represent the country which is important and do the best that we can do,†he declared.
Asked if he expected to be handed the reins of the team after a somewhat acrimonious relationship with the Board in the recent past, Ramdin explained: “They had asked me before. I had a little think about it and said ‘why not give myself the opportunity to go out there and represent my country’. There are some young fellas who don’t have the amount of experience and at the moment we’re lacking that in the team. So hopefully myself, Rayad (Emrit), Shannon Gabriel, Jason Mohammed, we can share that experience with the younger fellas and going forward, once that confidence is there they can have a better second half to the fourday tournament.†On his own form, the 31-yearold, whose grandmother recently passed away, admitted he will need to amp his training in the next few weeks to hit stride.
“I haven’t picked up a bat in the last four weeks. Hopefully the next three weeks is going to be very intense and push a lot of work. I’ve been doing a lot of fitness which is good. (I’m) going to hit a lot of balls and put myself in match situations. We have some practice matches coming up at the Cricket Centre and the Oval,†he added.
On the difficulty of playing abroad after the last three tournament were held in Trinidad, Ramdin acknowledged: “It will be a bit tricky. Playing on our soil we’ve gotten accustomed to it last couple of years. There are a lot of senior players who will not be around like the Bravos (Dwayne), (Sunil) Narine, who have played a part in the past and won this tournament.
It gives the opportunity for younger players.†The TT CB has explained that Darren Bravo’s availability is subject to a matter with the WICB being resolved.
TT Super50 squad: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Kyle Hope, Evin Lewis, Kjorn Ottley, Jason Mohammed, Nicholas Alexis, Roshon Primus, Ravi Rampaul, Shannon Gabriel, Khary Pierre, Jon Russ Jagessar, Imran Khan, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit.
