Ramdin awaits Windies recall

Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin is hopeful that his strong showing on the domestic circuit will earn him a recall to the national side.

"I have been working hard over the last couple of months," Ramdin told the Trinidad Express. "The selectors said that I haven't been getting runs but so far I scored runs in the middle and I am just waiting for a call."

Ramdin was the third-highest run scorer for T&T in the Regional four-day competition, making 460 runs, at an average of 41.81 with one century from eight games. He was also the leading wicketkeeper in the competition with 27 dismissals.

"Any player [who gets dropped] will want to go out there and look to prove himself. I went out there and did it with the gloves. I tried to score 500-600 runs; I fell short by a bit. I think the break was good for me. I came back home and I did a lot of fitness work."

Ramdin, who has played 42 Tests, 81 ODIs and 22 Twenty20 games for West Indies, last featured for them during the home series against South Africa in May-June 2010. He had a disappointing run in that series making 34 runs from five ODIs and 63 runs in three Tests. Ramdin lost his place to Carlton Baugh for West Indies' tour of Sri Lanka later that year and was also cut from the West Indies' central contract list. This prompted the T&T board to arrange for Ramdin to work with former West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge.

Ramdin said he had viewed his batting footage from when he was in form and was working on a few things that had helped him. "I am missing it a bit [playing for the West Indies], but I am just waiting and using my time wisely and when I get the opportunity, hopefully, I can play for the next seven or eight years straight."

Ramdin received support from T&T Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath who questioned the wicketkeeper's exclusion from the national squad despite his strong showing on the domestic circuit. "What more must Denesh Ramdin do to attract the attention of the regional selectors? What more must a cricketer do to show he is able, fit, ready and in form?" Bassarath said during the press launch of the TTCB Premiership Twenty20 Cricket Festival at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain.