Dillon on the way out says ‘Mr Dependable’

Former West Indies middle-order batsman Larry Gomes believes that Meryvn Dillon is on his way out of West Indies cricket.

He also feels spinner Dinanath Ramnarine should be persuaded to change his mind and return  and we may not see another Vivian Richards or Brian Lara in the near future. “Right now, it’s a bit difficult to say. The only person to get back into some form and score over 100 is Sarwan. “He is a good player but for some reason his form seems to be going up and down. He is not consistent as such. “He is the only player who can be a surety on the team,” Gomes said on the popular i95.5 FM Radio cricket programme last Thursday.

As to recently omitted West Indian fast bowler Dillon, who is a Trinidadian, but continues to disappoint on the tour in South Africa, Gomes declared: “It appears that he has to be coming to the end of his days. I mean, he’s not bowling fast, he isn’t getting any faster. He has reached a certain point now and there is only one way from there and that is downhill. “I have known him since at school at Toco Composite, and it was a bit disappointing on how he approached the game and so on.  To be a fast bowler you have to be aggressive. He didn’t bend as much back as he should have and maybe now it is a bit too late,” said the former left-handed batsman, dubbed “Mr Dependable.”

The retirement of former West Indies spinner Dinanath Ramnarine also was a cause of concern for Gomes. “I was surprised to read on the internet whilst in Canada his announcement of retirement. At that age, you know, he still has a number of years. “It was surprising to me and he has one of the better records as a spinner over the years, for the few matches he has played. His retirement is sad,” said Gomes. The Arima native said someone should try and talk him out of his decision. “I mean he is still young, as you said only 29 years old. To me he still has a lot to offer, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but for West Indies cricket. But again, with his new job there, as president of the West Indies Players Association, maybe he is more occupied with that and he is enjoying that maybe even more that actually playing cricket. “I don’t know the salary of the president of WIPA. But it is a pity though; somebody should go and talk to him very seriously about it,” he added. “Being president of the players’ association might be a conflict of interest as well, because he will have to negotiate with the West Indies Cricket Board and the players. “Maybe the last captain, Carl Hooper and himself had a bit of problems with that, so maybe there is a bit of conflict there,” he said.