West Indies wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin has said it would be “amazing” for a youthful side if they were to beat world number ones England during their ongoing Test series. The tourists showed plenty of heart in taking England into the fifth day of the first Test at Lord’s before going down to a five-wicket defeat concluded Monday to fall 1-0 behind in the three-match series.
Now they are in Nottingham, where the second Test at Trent Bridge starts on Friday, looking to improve on a run of just two wins in their last 31 matches at this level and a sequence of 15 Tests without a win on English soil dating back to 2000. “It would be amazing for the young team we have to go out there and win a Test match against the number one team in the world,” said Ramdin, speaking at Trent Bridge, on Wednesday. “We showed some fight against Australia back in the Caribbean but in English conditions, we are in their backyard where it is very tough to beat them. “But, having said that, they are beatable once we bowl the right areas, get wickets and our batters put runs on the board. “The confidence is still high. Everyone thought we would lose inside four days (at Lord’s) but the guys showed character and fight. If we had a batted a bit better in the first innings we could have probably won.”
However, Ramdin, a veteran of 43 Tests, said occasional lapses were costing the West Indies dear. “You could just have one bad session and you lose a Test match,” said the 27-year-old Trinidad and Tobago keeper. “We need to be more consistent than that.” When Ramdin made his Test debut in 2005, Australia were still the kings of the five-day game. Now it’s England who are on top and Ramdin believes playing in English conditions is an even harder task than playing Test cricket in India, long regarded as one of the toughest challenges for touring teams. “When I just started the team that was on top was Australia. I think England have a formula they have put into place and that’s why they are number one in the world at the moment. “They play hard, they use their conditions well, the batters get runs and put their bowlers in a position to win games. I think it’s easier to play in India than in England.”
Broad seeks new Trent Bridge triumph: Stuart Broad will be back on his home ground when the second Test against the West Indies starts here on Friday, with the seamer keen to follow up last year’s Trent Bridge triumph.
In 2011 the 25-year-old paceman took a hat-trick against India at Nottinghamshire’s headquarters as England won the second Test by 319 runs. “That was definitely one of the highlights of my career,” Broad said Wednesday. “I love playing at Trent Bridge. It’s a fantastic ground. The home support is brilliant and looking back to last summer it was great to get the win.”
Broad, recalling his hat-trick, added: “We got the new ball when India were in a very strong position and when the sun is out, Trent Bridge can play very well for the batsmen. “Rahul Dravid played particularly well for his hundred. I remember Straussy (England captain Andrew Strauss) said, ‘Let’s go for broke, let’s try to hit the stumps. “‘Don’t worry too much about the runs because we need to make to make some breakthroughs.’ Fortunately that worked me,” he added. With the tourists on 273 for five in reply to England’s first innings 221, Broad had India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni caught for five. Next ball Harbhajan Singh was lbw and the ball after Broad bowled Praveen Kumar. “I don’t think it could have been much better,” Broad said. “It was a Saturday evening about 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), the crowd was really lively. It went wild. The atmosphere was incredible when I bowled Kumar.”
Now Broad, the son of former Nottinghamshire and England opening batsman Chris, is looking for more Test success at Trent Bridge where England will look to consolidate their position as the world’s number one ranked Test team.
He comes into the middle leg of this three-match series having taken 11 for 165, including a Test-best seven for 72 in England’s five-wicket first Test win over the West Indies at Lord’s concluded Monday. That performance helped propel Broad to joint-third in the International Cricket Council Test bowling rankings alongside his England new-ball partner James Anderson. England off-spinner Graeme Swann is fifth in a list headed by South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn, who is set to tour England later in the season.
“To have Swanny, Jimmy and myself all in the top five is testament to how far we’ve come as a team,” Broad said. “Jimmy and I work together on most aspects of our bowling so for us both to be in the top three or four is brilliant for both of us. It’s an honour to be up there. “In international cricket you always have to be at the top of your game and keep performing,” added Broad, who has now taken 158 wickets in 46 Tests at a shade over 30 apiece. “You keep pushing yourself in training to get better. “Having the strength of competition that we have is important in that. Someone like Steven Finn would be in most Test teams in the world at the moment and he’s having to wait patiently for his opportunity.”
