The unavailability of Denesh Ramdin for selection for nearly all of the 2014–2015 regional cricket season was the deciding factor in the decision to appoint a new national team captain. And Ramdin, the West Indies Test team captain who was among the players who recently pulled out of a tour of India, was told this at a meeting on Monday with officials of the T&T Cricket Board. In a media release yesterday, the T&TCB said that the scheduled 5 pm meeting was called with Ramdin and Darren Bravo, a senior national and Test batsman who failed to show and did not inform the T&TCB of his non-attendance.
Top of the agenda was the players’ continued role and involvement with the Red Force, following the debacle in India which has resulted in a claim for US$42 million from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The T&TCB team was led by its president Azim Bassarath and included Suruj, Ragoonath, T&TCB chief executive officer; board general-secretary Arjoon Ramlal, treasurer Sukesh Maniam, third vice-president Patrick Rampersad, and national team coach Gus Logie.
Ramdin, dressed in T-shirt and short pants arrived at 5.55 pm for the meeting and was met by Ragoonath and the T&TCB sought to get an idea of Ramdin’s willingness to represent his country following the cancellation of the Indian tour and the ongoing impasse with the WI Cricket Board (WICB). At the meeting Ramdin stated his commitment to T&T and his willingness to represent T&T once available and T&TCB president Bassarath informed him that the national selectors have made a recommendation for a new captain and vice-captain.
Reason put forward was that Ramdin was not expected to be available to represent T&T in the upcoming season because of the tight WI international schedule as he is current Test team captain.
Ramdin was expected to be leading the WI team in India at this time, followed by the tour of SA and then the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This schedule meant that WI players will be returning to the region in late March 2015 by which time the regional season would be at an end.
The regional season runs from November 14, 2014 through March 23, 2015. Both Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo, the regional and national ODI captain were expected to be very involved in these series hence making them unavailable to represent T&T. Leading all-rounder Rayad Emrit captained T&T last year with much success during Ramdin’s absence from the team.
