ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Veteran wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin says the infusion of youth in the West Indies one-day team is great for the long term development of the side.
The Trinidadian was speaking after arriving here as part of the squad which will take on Pakistan in a three-match series starting Friday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
West Indies selectors have included the uncapped trio of Kraigg Brathwaite, Evin Lewis and Alzarri Joseph in the 15-man squad, which is led by Jason Holder.
“It is very important that you use these youngsters and that they learn as much as possible quickly and gain that experience for the next four, five years going forward,” Ramdin said here Monday.
“Young Evin Lewis is in the set-up as well, Kraigg Brathwaite is going to make his debut hopefully in the 50-overs format. It augurs well for them playing both formats.
“I think the future looks good. It’s all about hard work and how badly a player wants it.”
While the 23-year-old Brathwaite is poised to make his One-Day International debut, he has already played 31 Tests and is the vice-captain of the Test side.
The 24-year-old Lewis, meanwhile, is an attacking opener who has played five Twenty20 Internationals while Joseph, 19, made his Test debut last month after starring in the World Cup-winning Under-19 side earlier this year in Bangladesh.
Overall, the squad appears a balanced one, with the likes of experienced players Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard Darren Bravo and Sunil Narine, along with the youth of Carlos Brathwaite and Johnson Charles.
Ramdin, who was part of the side which reached the final of the Tri-Nations Series in the Caribbean last June, said it was important West Indies performed well in the upcoming games and built on their recent success.
“It’s a very important series for us. We did well in the Caribbean in the Tri-Nations Series so we’re going to take a lot of positives out of that series there and put it into this series,” Ramdin pointed out.
“A couple guys got some centuries in that series for us and bowlers did well – Shannon Gabriel was outstanding in that series. Sunil Narine should do well in these conditions so backed up with good batting and fielding, we should do well here.”
“I think they are going to be some good batting wickets,” the 31-year-old said.
“Something that will play a key part is the heat so we need to conserve that energy, rest when we can, take in a lot of fluids and put in some hard work when we are not playing so we can be prepared for those hard days when they come.” (Windiescricket.com)
