Samara Ramnath – From street cricket to the Women’s CPL

PLAYING cricket on Ramnath Avenue is paying off for Samara Ramnath. Samara, from the time she was four or five years old, would join her older brother Rajeev, her cousins and friends on the road in Charlieville to play cricket.

Samara, 16, is already starting to make waves in cricket as she has been selected to play in the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) for the second consecutive season. Samara will join top-rated players on the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) squad like Deandra Dottin, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen, Jemimah Rodrigues and Anisa Mohammed. Samara has also captained the TT Under-19 team, the West Indies Under-19 team and has played for the TT senior team.

When a team from Newsday visited Samara and her family on August 16 the community was buzzing with activity as about 20 children and adults were playing cricket, or watching, at Ramnath Avenue. The street is named after the Ramnath family as most of the families in the area are related.

The youngsters were not putting on an act for Newsday, as playing cricket on the street is a regular occurance. Windballs (tennis balls) have to be bought often as they are lost in nearby yards. It is a cost that is worth it, as those windballs are producing stars on Ramnath Avenue.

“My brother and I played backyard cricket and eventually we trained at Kumar Rampat Cricket Academy,” Samara said.

Samara Ramnath plays cricket with her brother Rajeev, second from left, and family members. – Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

Playing on Ramnath Avenue has developed Samara’s character. “Especially with my confidence,” she said. “Playing with boys and then playing with girls my confidence is boosted.”

Rajeev, 20, said his sister never wanted to sit and watch. “She would always be the first girl coming to play. She would be the first one to bat, she wants to bowl, she wants to do everything. Cricket in this village is basically a culture you could say,” Rajeev said.

In 2022, at 14, Samara was already playing cricket for the TT Under-19 team.

An off break bowler and right-handed batter, Samara knows the areas she has to develop to improve her skills. “For me, my weakest is my batting. My dad (Doon) and I have been practising a lot with my batting. I am improving, slowly but surely.”

Like most spinners, Samara experiments with various deliveries to outfox batters. “Now and then I use the leg break and I am still working on the arm ball.”

Having another aspiring cricketer under the same roof is a plus for Samara as advice is right down the hall.

“Leading up to the (regional) Under-19 tournament, Rajeev and I sat down and I made him draw out a field on a piece of paper. For different bowlers I made him set fields and from there I just learned and went into the field and set that same exact field on the paper.”

She is growing as a captain, taking “everything as a learning experience.”

“I am a captain that likes to make everybody feel comfortable.”

Samara could not ask for a better start to her WCPL career in 2023 as she grabbed the wicket of West Indies star player and Barbados Royals skipper Hayley Matthews.

Samara Ramnath with her family at Ramnath Avenue, Charlieville. – Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

“It felt really unreal (to take that wicket),” Samara said.

Her TKR team-mate Mohammed is an off break bowler like Samara and the teenager would seek advice on bowling. “I learnt a lot from her being an off break bowler. From her it’s about the field placing because that will really give me problems. Learning about field placing from Anisa helped me a lot.”

Rajeev, 20, encourages Samara to believe in herself. “She is more of a shy and quiet person. My father use to tell us you can’t be laid back always in life. I think that is how we grew up, a little laid back. He inspired us to be more talkative, see what your players want and to be more confident.” Rajeev is a former TT Under-19 captain.

Samara, with an eye to play in major franchise cricket leagues around the world, wants to grab the wickets of more world-class batters. “Once I get the opportunity to showcase my talent I think I want to take Hayley’s wicket again and most of the international players wickets.”

Samara believes there are many gifted youngsters in the region that can fill the void when the more senior players retire.

Samara’s mother Reshma was not an avid cricket fan, but when she met Doon that changed. Reshma now knows the rules of cricket and can serve as a scorer and also sit down and talk about cricket with her children and husband.

Samara Ramnath with her trophies and medals. – Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

The parents are proud of their children and urged everyone to support their children’s dreams. Doon said, “When those children see their parents it is a different mindset they have. When they are seeing that support in the pavilion they try to put out 100 per cent. I encourage parents to do it if they could afford to.”

Doon and Reshma travel with their children, especially throughout the Caribbean, to see them play.

Rajeev has given his sister the title as the best cricketer in the family. “I am sure it’s Samara…look how far she has reached. She has reached further than me so far. She has made it to CPL, West Indies Under-19 team and TT senior team.”

 

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