Ramdin:A true Red Force

Denesh Ramdin, captain of Trinidad and Tobago, with the coveted trophy. (Picture by Kenmore Bynoe.)

By Ezra Stuart | Tue, January 24, 2012 - 12:03 AM

Move over, Red Plastic Bag! The Trinis painted Kensington Oval red on Sunday night.

And their new T20 captain Denesh Ramdin is thanking the Windward Islands for their Caribbean T20 double delight.

Ramdin said the first-round loss to Darren Sammy’s Islanders was just the wake-up call Trinidad and Tobago needed to rebound and win the Caribbean T20 for the second straight year, taking home the US$62 500 first prize.

But most importantly, they also qualified to represent the Caribbean in the global Champions League for the third time in four years.

“We have a great bunch of players in this team and a superb support staff and that is what did it for us. We are known as the Red Force and we showed we are a true force,” he told reporters after the match amid celebrations just before midnight.

“We didn’t get it right in the first match in Antigua. The Windwards gave us a kick up the backside, but we came back as a good strong force against Leewards and against Guyana as we found our range. After that it was smooth sailing because we know we have match-winners in all departments,” Ramdin said.

He said he was expecting a tougher fight from Jamaica in the championship match, which was watched by about 10 000 spectators.

“We thought Jamaica would’ve been stronger in the final but our bowlers did a fantastic job in the first six overs, and that squeezed them. After that we knew we had the trophy in our hands,” Ramdin said.

He also lauded the team’s two premier all-rounders, Kieron Pollard, who was named the tournament’s MVP, and Dwayne Bravo, who got the Star Of The Match award in the final for his stroke-filled 49, adorned with four sixes and three fours off 34 balls.

“Once you have Brav and Polly on the field, it makes the job of captain that much easier. They can do damage to the opposition and make life very difficult for them as we saw here,” he said.

Ramdin was also full of praise for spin duo Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, medium pacer Kevon Cooper and West Indies seamer Ravi Rampaul.

“We have a great bowling unit and that is what led us through this tournament. They did everything right,” he said.

The West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman also thanked the hundred fans who journeyed from Port-of-Spain to Bridgetown.

“It was great to see the way our fans came out and supported us here in Barbados for the semi-finals and the final. It was like a home away from home.

They have been fantastic, both here and back home. They backed us all the way and we went out there and did it for them,” he noted.

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Posted by RANDY BRIDGEMAN 4 months ago: Ramdin said all the right things one would expect from a winning captain. But they’re not invincible. Seems the other teams are psyched out when playing against T&T. Big swiper Pollard is a force to be reckoned with, no doubt. When he hits a ball, it stays hit. However, if he goes early, the opposition has a better than even chance to win. With another T20 championship under their belt which means an automatic ticket to the Champions League, don’t be surprised to hear calls again in some quarters for T&T to go it alone. Ganga is gone now, but the feeling remains. We shall see.