Ramdin: Weﾒre ready!
28/02/10
Digicel T20 International
Venue: Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Date: Sunday, February 28
First ball: 2 pm (1 pm Jamaica Time)
It’s a brand new series and the Windies will be looking to make a fresh start when they face Zimbabwe in the one-off Digicel T20 International. Captain Denesh Ramdin, who has taken over from Chris Gayle who has been rested for the match, believes his players have the bowling firepower, batting prowess, and fielding skills to get the better of the visitors.
It’s the first time the two teams will clash in a T20 International and should be good preparation for the five-match Digicel One-Day Series which follows. Ramdin said he enjoys the role of skipper in the short version of the game and is hoping for a similar result like last year when he led the Windies to a resounding victory over England at the same ground.
He said: “We don’t want to take Zimbabwe easy, they are competitive. It is for us to go out there and play our best cricket. We have a rough time in Australia so we know we have to hit the ground running. We start a new series and we are confident of doing well. We met with our new coach Ottis Gibson on Friday evening and he told us that we must put the past behind us and move on. We are looking to the future and with the new coach on board we are looking forward to great things from us as individuals and as a team. We’ve done well on this ground and we’re hoping to continue that. The guys are looking forward to it and we have a lot of guys who play T20 cricket very well … this is a chance for the young guys to go out there and execute.”
The West Indies have welcomed back veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul, who has made a full recovery from a hand injury. Also back from the injury list are: opener Adrian Barath, left-hander Darren Bravo and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn. The team is bolstered by three-dimensional allrounders – Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith and David Bernard.
“I think the young guys have to step up to the plate … the young players have to step up, take the opportunities and do great things for themselves and the team. We have options in this team and we believe we have what it takes to move forward in a positive way. This is a chance for everyone, including myself, to go out and accept responsibility and lead from the front,” Ramdin said.
Teams
West Indies (from): Denesh Ramdin (captain/wicket-keeper), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Darren Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Smith
Zimbabwe (from): Prosper Utseya (captain), Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu (wicket-keeper), Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Charles Coventry, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Shingirai Masakadza, Timycen Maruma, Chris Mpofu, Kyle Jarvis
Umpires: Norman Malcolm, Clyde Duncan
Television umpire: Goaland Greaves
Fourth official: K Barrsingha
ICC Match referee: Roshan Mahanama
