Sonny Ramadhin – Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1951
Sonny Ramadhin (born 1 May 1929) was a West Indian cricketer, and a
dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first (of many) West Indian
cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers
of the Year in 1951
Ramadhin was born in Esperance Village, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1929.
His birth certificate had no first name, simply the descriptive “Boy”.
This easily turned into Sonny, giving rise to his “official” name.
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Sonny Ramadhin was a 21-year-old who had played two
first-class match along with Valentine. |
He was introduced to cricket at the Canadian Mission School in Duncan
Village, Trinidad, but did not bowl while in school. Under the captaincy
and coaching of Oscar Roach, who was also born in Esperance Village, he
later played for the Palmiste Club and the Trinidad Leaseholds team
where he showed remarkable bowling prowess.
He and fellow spinner Alf Valentine dominated the English batting in
the 1950 series, taking 59 wickets between them.
West Indies won the series by three matches to one, which was their
first series victory in England. When England returned to the West
Indies in early 1954, Ramadhin took 13 wickets in the first two Tests
and was instrumental in West Indies’ victory.
The 1950 triumph by the West Indies led Lord Beginner to write the
first in a deluge of calypsos celebrating West Indian cricketers, giving
rise to calypso cricket.
Though he was a wrist-spinner, Ramadhin’s leg-break hardly turned;
hence the description of him as an “off-spinner”.
In the 1957 tour of England Ramadhin still exerted his hold over
batsmen, taking 7/49 to dismiss England for 186 in the first innings of
the First Test at Edgbaston.
The West Indies made 474 and Cowdrey joined Peter May at 113/3 in the
second innings, still 175 runs behind. May and Cowdrey ruthlessly padded
away any ball from Ramadin outside off stump, where they could not be
given out leg before wicket.
May made 285 not out and Cowdrey 154 and together added 411 runs in
511 minutes, the third highest stand in Test cricket at the time, the
highest for the fourth wicket until 2009, the highest stand ever made
for England and the highest stand against the West Indies by any team.
Ramadhim was forced to bowl a heartbreaking 98–35–179–2, the most
overs by a bowler in a first class innings, and was never the same force
again. England won the series 3–0.
Ramadhin has lived in England since coming over to play league
cricket in the 1950s.
In 1964/65 he played for Lancashire, terminating his contract
abruptly when he lost form.
From 1968 until 1972, he represented Lincolnshire in the Minor
Counties Championship. His grandson, Kyle Hogg, is a right-arm
medium-fast bowler who has played for Lancashire since 2001.
In June 1988 Ramadhin was celebrated on the 75c Trinidad and Tobago
stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle.
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