Ex-Windies manager predicts success for Denesh Ramdin

Port of Spain, May 11 (IANS/CMC): Former West Indies team manager Omar Khan believes new Test captain Denesh Ramdin has the qualities necessary to be successful in the role.

Ramdin was appointed captain on Friday after the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) axed Darren Sammy following a 4-year tenure.

“Denesh is a very good tactician and a student of the game. This to me is a plus in any leader. He also has great team building capacity and this is sure to work for him at this time,” Khan said.

Khan, who has also worked with Ramdin in the Trinidad and Tobago national set-up as team manager, said one of Ramdin’s most important tasks would be to pull the team together as a unit.

“The job is difficult because captains have to deal with players from different cultures. He would have a challenge in getting players from different cultures to play with one purpose. But this is why the selectors have the faith in him by giving him the nod,” Khan explained.

“They obviously think he can achieve the goal of having the players play with a common purpose and now he has to repay that faith by achieving this.”

Ramdin has already led West Indies in 1 One-Day International (ODI) and 3 Twenty20 Internationals but has never captained in a Test. He takes over a team ranked No.8 in Test cricket and who are coming off disastrous Test tours of India and New Zealand.

Khan, however, said he did not foresee failure for Ramdin.

“Ramdin has been around for quite a while in regional cricket. He has played with the current group all his career and has enjoyed good relations with them. So, I think he will be good as captain.”