Star West Indies spin bowler of the 1950s Sonny Ramadhin died on Sunday aged 92. He was the first player of Indian origin to play for the West Indies.
One part of the famous spin duo involving Alf Valentine, Ramadhin made crucial match-winning contributions in the 43 Tests he played, taking 158 wickets at an average of 28.98.
Valentine was the left-hander, Ramadhin, the right-hander and went on to become one of cricket’s most iconic spin duos.
One particular series where cricket’s original ‘spin twins’ made waves was in the sport was in the tour of England in 1950. It resulted in West Indies’s first Test win in England. In that match, Ramadhin recorded a haul of 11 for 152. They took 59 wickets between them in that series.
“This iconic tour is part of our rich cricket legacy, which was pioneered by Ramadhin and others of his generation. His English exploit was celebrated in a famous calypso—and is still remembered more than 70 years later,” said Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt.
Ramadhin made his debut in 1950, the same year the Windies notched their first victory against England.
The bowler played only two first-class matches before being picked for the 1950 tour. Immediately after his first year for the national team, he was named as one of the five cricketers of the year by Wisden.
It is said that in his early years, Ramadhin was so “impossible” to play that even his wicketkeeper Clyde Walcott could not predict which way the ball would turn. Ramadhin would turn the ball either way without a noticeable change in delivery.
He played his last Test match in 1960 and continued playing county cricket. For almost the entirety of his national team career, Ramadhin was the only Indian-origin bowler for the side. Later, Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Inshan Ali and Raphick Jumadeen followed him.
Ramadhin’s grandparents had emigrated to Trinidad from India to work as indentured labourers.