PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Former West Indies vice-captain Deryck Murray has defended under-fire wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin, whose position in the regional squad has come under scrutiny of late.

Ramdin, who turned 25 last week, has been consistent with the gloves but has underperformed with the bat over the last several months.

West Indies selectors named three wicketkeepers — Carlton Baugh, Chadwick Walton and Devon Thomas — in a 29-man provisional squad earlier this week, sparking speculation that Ramdin’s hold on the gloves may be under threat

But Murray, a wicketkeeper who played 62 Tests between 1963 and 1980, said Ramdin was still the front-runner for the position, arguing he was still the best wicketkeeper/batsman in the region.

“I would not read too much into [the selections] other than those things, which is a natural thing in cricket,’ Murray told the Trinidad Express.

“I think it’s a good thing … he wouldn’t be an isolated player, doing his own things all the time. It should help him to improve.”

Ramdin averages 23 from 39 Tests and a miserable 19 from 76 One-Day Internationals, but his most recent form has been particularly worrying.

He has managed a mere 125 runs in his last eight ODI innings with a highest score of 30 against Australia and could only scrape scores of 8, 19, 12 and 21 not out against lowly Zimbabwe.

The right-hander’s form has been also dodgy in Twenty20s, with scores of 8, 9, 44, 9 and 23 from 36 balls in his last five innings.

Murray, the former head of Trinidad and Tobago cricket, said Ramdin needed to focus seriously on his batting and become more situation aware.

“He has made runs in a Test match, but he has not been consistent. I think Denesh’s problem is he relishes in the [nickname] ‘Shotter’ and that is his downfall. I think that is a stone around his neck, and he should concentrate on batting,” Murray contended.

“In each type of game, you bat to suit the situation and Denesh is a capable enough batsman to go out there and do that.”