18 July, 2022 wasn’t the best day for cricket fans as three of their celebrated cricketers bid adieu to international cricket. The West Indies were the worst hit as two of the three retirement were those of Caribbean veterans Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin. The 3rd one was that of England’s Ben Stokes (from ODIs).
Simmons played an important part in West Indies’ T20 WC 2016 win. His 52-ball-81 in the semis carried his side to the finale against England which they ultimately won.
Denesh Ramdin, a wicket-keeper batter, was a test regular. He played 74 games in the format and even captained in 13 of them. Ramdin was also a part of The Windies’ 2012 and 2016 T20 WC triumphs.
Ramdin & Lendl Simmons pen emotional notes on social media
The 37-year-old Trinidadian duo of Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin featured in 144 & 284 int’ls respectively.
Lendl Simmons took to Twitter to declare that his time at the international stage was up with immediate effect. He also expressed gratitude for the backing that he got from his nation. Here’s what he wrote-
“When I wore the Maroon colours of the West Indies cricket for the first time on my debut in ODIs on December 7th, 2006, little did I know that my international career would have lasted 16 years.”
“I want to thank the West Indies Cricket Team for the opportunities, & I wish the new crop of WI players all the best.”
Denesh Ramdin, meanwhile, announced his retirement on Instagram.
“The past 14 years have been a dream come true. I fulfilled my childhood dreams by playing cricket for Trinidad and Tobago, and the West Indies. My career afforded me the opportunity to see the world, make friends from different cultures and still be able to appreciate where I came from,” an excerpt from the veteran wicket-keeper batsman’s post read.
The duo intends to remain active in T20 Leagues across the world & entertain the fans for a little while more.