Ramdin confident Red Force can end dismal season well

– Team on momentum hunt ahead of Super50

By Clifton Ross

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Captain, Denesh Ramdin wants his team to finish the 2017-18 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel Regional Four-Day Championships with a win against defending champions Guyana Jaguars when the final round bowls off on Thursday at Providence.
The Jaguars recently retained their title with two matches in hand, making their run as champions four consecutive seasons long to be labelled as the most dominant side since the introduction of the Professional Cricket League (PCL).
Ramdin told

Guyana Times Sport on Tuesday during the Red Force’s practice session at Providence that he was backing his team, despite them sitting in the last spot after nine rounds. He believed that once they play good cricket they can steal some of the Champs momentum and that itself will be used as fuel going forward.
“They (Guyana) have played some good cricket over the years and with their experience they went out again this year and won the title. It’s difficult to catch them, obviously they have already gone with the title but we can take some pride by coming out and playing well over the next four days,” explained the skipper.
It will be an uphill task versus the hosts as Ramdin’s men have been terribly under the weather this season, dangling in last place with just two wins from nine rounds but the wicket-keeper stressed that despite them not playing well, it was critical to use the lessons learnt while gathering as much momentum as possible ahead of the limited overs tournament.
“It will be tough to beat them because throughout the season we have been playing some poor cricket but after the last game we had a good talk with the guys, so hopefully we can make a change-around ahead of the Super50 tournament because a little momentum will be good for us,” said Ramdin.
Playing Guyana in Guyana is always tasking for the opposition but with the scintillating form the locals have been in since October when the competition bowled off, the 32 year-old was critical of his players not converting their starts but cautioned that they will need to tighten up versus the champs.
“As I said we want some momentum going into the 50 overs it’s going to be good for us to bat well here (Providence). It’s difficult to get started on this wicket, the guys need to carry on because 30’s and 40’s need to be converted into hundreds because it’s (Jaguars) a good unit, very competitive so we have to play really good cricket to beat them,” he admitted.
A veteran of 74 Tests and 139 ODI’s for the West Indies, the former international skipper with 702 runs under his belt in this season to date, has been among the best with the bat. Averaging well over 60 with three hundreds to his name, the veteran wicket-keeper said channeling his experience and playing smart cricket was the key to his success season.
“I’ve been spending time at the crease with my experiences coming back at this level, batting a lot of balls, putting away the bad deliveries while trying to form partnerships with the younger guys and helping them through tough situations. I think guys are giving away their wickets too easy, but it can only get better when these guys carry on and make big centuries.”
With not much to gain, except some much-needed momentum, Ramdin said he urged the youngsters to be more attentive going forward, adding that he wants to see round 10 culminate with either a win or exceptional individual performances.
“I want the younger players to accept the challenge which is important and I want a few of them to stand up. It’s a good opposition to get some runs against, if we get two centuries it will be nice for us to help build the momentum heading into the Super50,” ended the skipper.
The Red Force will now be seeking to put an end to the Jaguars unbeaten run and wrap up the 4-Dayers with a win come this Thursday, when the two familiar rivals collide at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence from 09:30h.