Big blow for West Indies as THESE players announce international retirement

Denesh Ramdin played 284 matches for West Indies, while Lendl Simmons represented the side in 144 matches.

Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons

West Indies top-order batter and veteran limited-overs specialist Lendl Simmons on Tuesday (July 19) announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect, with his sports agency '124notout' posting a lengthy message on social media.

The talented batter finished his career with a total of 3,763 runs for West Indies from 144 matches over all three formats. The 37-year-old Simmons played five Tests, 68 ODIs and an equal number of T20Is.

Simmons is best known for his exploits in ODI cricket having made two centuries and 16 half-centuries for the Caribbean side.

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Simmons' highest ODI score of 122 came against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2011, but in recent times the 37-year-old has exclusively been seen at T20I level for West Indies. Simmons helped the West Indies claim the 2016 T20 World Cup in India with his superb unbeaten half-century against the hosts in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium one of the highlights of his career.

Meanwhile, Simmons has indicated that he will continue to play domestic T20 tournaments, with the right-hander having previously won two IPL titles with the Mumbai Indians last decade.

Notably, the announcement by Simmons comes less than 24 hours after fellow West Indies international Denesh Ramdin called time on his international career.

Ramdin played his last match for West Indies in a T20I in December 2019. However, he will continue to play franchise cricket.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce my retirement from international cricket. 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," wrote Ramdin on his Instagram.

"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," he stated further.

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The wicketkeeper-batter has failed to find a team at the upcoming edition of the CPL, despite having represented Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders from 2013 to 2021.

He has played 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is. He started out in Test cricket, making his debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2005.

He played a part in West Indies T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016.

Ramdin led West Indies in 17 matches - 13 Tests, three T20Is and an ODI after he was named West Indies' Test captain in 2014, taking over from Daren Sammy, who had retired from the format. Jason Holder replaced him at the helm in 2015.