Gray: Ramdin still region’s top gloveman

FORMER West Indies fast bowler Tony Gray believes Denesh Ramdin’s ability behind the stumps is superior to all the other wicket-keepers in the Caribbean, saying the new Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) wicket-keeper may find it challenging to fill his shoes.

After spending four years at TKR, where he won two titles, Ramdin has signed to play with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the upcoming 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League. Ramdin, 35, was not one of the ten players retained or signed by TKR earlier this week.

Gray said Ramdin is the top gloveman locally with Steven Katwaroo and Joshua Da Silva among the other leading players. In the region, Gray also holds Guyanese Anthony Bramble and Barbadian Shane Dowrich in high regard. Among the top wicket-keeper batsmen are TT’s Nicholas Pooran and Barbadian Shai Hope, according to Gray.

On Ramdin’s departure from TKR, Gray said, “That is the nature of franchise cricket. You see it all over the world...sometimes a player has a better deal in another franchise. When you looking at organising and structuring a team you have to look at the best fit and sometimes you have to look at the balance of the team.”

Gray added, “I think Ramdin is still a very good player, a good all round player. It is not easy all of the time to be motivated, but once he can be motivated and perhaps a novelty item playing somewhere else will help...I think he could still contribute immensely to any franchise once the motivation levels are there.”

Asked where he would rank Ramdin among the region’s best wicket-keepers, Gray said, “I think he is still the best gloveman...I am not sure that he is the best wicket-keeper batsman, but I think that he is still the best gloveman in the Caribbean.”

Gray said TT and Guyana produce quality wicket-keepers because they are accustom to a heavy diet of spin bowling. “If you have good spin bowlers you would normally have good wicket-keepers. Bramble is an excellent wicket-keeper because he has to keep to (Veerasammy) Permaul and (Devendra) Bishoo and these guys. The same thing with Ramdin, Katwaroo and Joshua is (also) improving because he has to keep to (TT spinners) Imran Khan, Khary Pierre, Akeal Hosein, Yannick Ottley and Bryan Charles.”

Gray said the new man behind the stumps for TKR may find it difficult to replace the most experienced wicket-keeper in the region.

“I think (it will be difficult) to a certain degree...it depends on the wicket-keeper that you get. If you playing Amir Jangoo he is very young in the business still and the intensity level of a T20 game would mean that he will have to improve very quickly.”

Gray said if a wicket-keeper is not use to playing games consistently he will struggle with the workload of wicket-keeping and batting. The former West Indies cricketer said the coaching staff must manage wicket-keepers by reducing their time spent training.

“The management staff of TKR has to be very astute when they are managing wicket-keeper batsmen who are not experienced or accustomed to that level of consistent intensity.” Gray drew reference to Hope, who has had to manage a heavy workload over the last few years with West Indies.