West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin is looking forward to some rest and relaxation following the Hero Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 after being left out of the West Indies ODI side for the tri-series in Zimbabwe in August-September featuring the hosts and Pakistan.
A newspaper report yesterday said the West Indies Cricket Board selectors had opted to drop Ramdin from the ODI squad for the upcoming series but the WICB has not sent out any official correspondence to confirmation the selection of any team.
Ramdin, who is the captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the CPL, said he was not aware of the move by the West Indies selectors “but if that is the case I will have some extra time to spend with my son (Adair).”
Former West Indies skipper Sir Richie Richardson has described the new Under-15 youth cricket tournament being put on by the national cricket association as one of the possible solutions for rejuvenating West Indies cricket. Sir Richie, who is also manager of the West Indies senior men’s team, said trying to turn regional cricket around at the senior level will not yield positive results, but believe the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) is on the right track. “We always talk about the end product and the game at the highest level, and that’s where we make the most noise,” he said. “Currently, there is a lot of noise being made and people are unhappy so they have the right to make noise, because our cricket is in a very bad situation. At the moment, both at the Leeward Islands level and the West Indies level, so it’s important for us to focus on the area that we can do something about.
Windies wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin has been dropped from the West Indies limited overs team for the all important tri-nation series set to begin in Zimbabwe from August 19. Ramdin was cut from the team, which needs to win this tournament to get the necessary points to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.
The West Indies are currently eighth on the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings and Pakistan follows closely on their heels in ninth position. By the September 30 cut off date, the top eight sides in the world will advance to the Champions Trophy. The West Indies cannot catch seventh place Bangladesh after their win over South Africa recently, so they have to beat Pakistan and Zimbabwe in this tri-nation tournament to maintain their eighth spot in order to qualify.
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has said that he will be out of action for "two to three months" to address his long-standing back problem with surgery. Speaking after Jamaica Tallawah's loss 27-run loss to Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the Caribbean Premier League, Gayle said: "I have a charity game on the 2nd, but after that I will be out of cricket for two to three months. I am going to do a surgery on my back. "So I need some time for recovery. Maybe December, before I actually get back in cricket as well. You have got to wish me luck with that surgery and then I will be back strong. Who knows, we will see what happens."
