TTCB’s Bassarath: Red Force feud worrying

PRESIDENT of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) Azim Bassarath described the feud between TT Red Force wicket-keeper batsman Denesh Ramdin, coach Mervyn Dillon and chairman of selectors Tony Gray as “worrying”. As a result, Bassarath wants to find a resolution when the team returns to Trinidad following their round six match in the West Indies Four-Day Championships in St Kitts.

Ramdin was among five Red Force players overlooked for the upcoming match against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, at Warner Park, that bowls off on Thursday. Yannic Cariah, Keagan Simmons, Kissoondath Magram and Daniel St Clair were also left out of the squad. Joining the team are Anderson Phillip, Imran Khan, Isaiah Rajah, Cephas Cooper and West Indies spinner Khary Pierre.

On Tuesday, in an interview on the Mason and Guest radio show, in Barbados, Ramdin made his feelings clear. Ramdin said the senior players are not respected, proper forms of communication are not used and players are dropped after failing in just one or two matches. “They’re not respecting our senior players...they are doing their own thing basically,” Ramdin said.

“Ravi Rampaul was available for the whole season and they just bypassed him. When you look around there’s no one who can bowl faster than this guy. He helps the younger players.”

Ramdin, who scored 16 runs in three innings in two matches for Red Force this season, said players believe their spot on the team is not secure and players are uncomfortable. “If I don’t make runs this game, I’m gone the next game,” Ramdin said.

Ramdin, discussing team selection, said, “They will call you and let you know when you get dropped, but when you get selected you have to read it in the news. It’s very disrespectful.”

In response to the situation, Bassarath told Newsday, “I heard about the exchanges...the team flies out on Monday so there would not be any opportunity to meet with the guys before the team flies out, but it is something that is worrying and definitely I think I should have a word with the three people that are involved.”

Gray, on having a meeting, told Newsday, “Yeah I am always open (to a meeting), it is part of my portfolio as a chairman of selectors. We have had meetings a lot of times during the course (of the year), more administrative and staff based meetings at the National Cricket Centre concerning different issues.”

The chairman of selectors said he tries to make communication clear with players. “I am always around players, I have always taken their phone calls, I have always called them and that sort of thing. I have always tried my best.”

Gray said after the last campaign a new approach was taken in an effort to listen to players’ needs. “After the four-day season last year, we had interviews with players, we had panel discussions with players. Me and Dillon sat down with each individual and talked about the issues that they would have had during the course of the season, their strengths and weaknesses, what we feel that they need to improve on. This was the start of something that was different, one day we dealt with 20-something players.”