Skipper impresses
Ramdin in the runs at T20 trial
By Roger Seepersad
Story Created: Dec 28, 2011 at 11:54 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 28, 2011 at 11:54 PM ECT
Trinidad and Tobago skipper Denesh Ramdin smashed an unbeaten 48-ball 60 to lead his team to a convincing 78-run win over an Imran Khan XI in the national team's first practice match ahead of January's Caribbean Twenty20 in Antigua and Barbados.
In overcast conditions at the Queen's Park Oval Port of Spain yesterday, Ramdin, who has taken over the captaincy of the national team from Daren Ganga, who stepped down from the post last month, slammed two sixes and three fours in his top score to help his side post a competitive 133 for six after they were struggling at 23 for three in the fifth over.
Samuel Badree then spun the Ramdin XI into a winning position, taking three for ten off four overs to help reduce Khan's team to 17 for four in the seventh over of the chase. They were eventually restricted to 55 for seven off their 20 overs.
When Ramdin's team batted, they lost both openers in the first two overs, with pacers Shannon Gabriel (two for 26) and Navin Stewart (one for 26) each playing a hand.
Gabriel struck first to remove Justin Guillen (two) with the final ball of the opening over, as the left-hander tried to go over mid-on but only succeeded in giving Derone Davis an easy catch.
Stewart tested Lendl Simmons (zero) with some good deliveries and after beating the edge more than once, finally got his man with the West Indies opener edging one to wicketkeeper Mario Belcon, who took a low catch with the score still on two.
Jason Mohammed (12) put on 21 with left-hander Kjorn Ottley (24) before he was caught by Evin Lewis off Daron Cruickshank, which brought skipper Ramdin to the crease.
Ottley excited the handful of spectators with a big six over the "Trini Posse" stand off left-arm spinner Javid Ramdhanie but it was the spinner who got the last laugh, trapping the left-handed batsman lbw for the second highest score of the match.
Before he departed, Ottley put on 48 runs for the sixth wicket with his captain to give the innings some momentum.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Davis bowled a tight line to contain the scoring, conceding just ten runs from his four overs, forcing Ramdin's team to take some risky singles to keep the scoreboard moving.
Ramdin then upped the tempo in the closing stages as he struck Imran Khan for consecutive sixes, over long-on and wide long-on, to bring up his 50 and to take his team to triple figures in the 17th over.
Pacer Daniel St Clair also contributed to the cause, conceding 14 runs off the penultimate over, which included three wides and a no ball, to help Ramdin's team to a respectable total.
When Khan's team batted, they were off to a slow start after Badree's early blitz. The spinner bowled Belcon (two off nine balls), had Evin Lewis (14 off 20 balls) stumped by Ramdin and sent back Marlon Barclay (zero) caught at slip by Guillen to give his team the upper hand.
Kevon Copper then put his team in full control, pulling off a brilliant low, diving one-handed catch at midwicket to remove Daron Cruickshank (one) off the bowling of Rayad Emrit with the score still on 17.
From then on, it was an uphill task for Khan's men who were not up to it. The two highest scores came from Lewis and the skipper (14 off 26 balls) with Stewart scoring 11 off 33 balls.
None of the other batsmen scored more than three.
It was an easy win for Ramdin's team but the T&T skipper will want some stiffer competition in the second practice match today at the same venue from 11 a.m. before leaving for Antigua next month to start their Caribbean T20 title defence.
T&T open their T20 campaign against the Windward Islands on January 9 and will want to get some further quality practice matches to ensure they are ready for the tournament, especially after being restricted to indoor sessions over the last two months because of rain.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Skipper_impresses-136353648.html
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