CRICKET LOVELY CRICKET

It may be too early for cricket aficionados to suggest that West Indies cricket has finally turned the long difficult corner it’s been manoeuvering over the past fifteen years or so. Some had earlier incorrectly predicted a return to the glory days under Lara. Those who remember when West Indies ruled the roost have long hoped for the emergence of young sustainable talent to fill the large boots of such greats as the so-called three Ws (Walcott, Weekes, Worrell), Sobers, Hall, Griffith, Kanhai, Gibbs, Lloyd, Richards, Holden, Roberts, Marshall, Walsh, Croft, Haynes, Greenidge, Lara, Richardson. I count it a privilege to have witnessed the above (except Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott) at the peak of their game at Queens Park and Kensington Oval, Port-of-Spain and Bridgetown, respectively. The lows that West Indies cricket has experienced since the late 90s and early 2000s have been hard to bear.

I mark the fall of West Indian cricket to the disrespect displayed in preparation for the first post-Apartheid test series in South Africa, after Nelson Mandela had emerged President of the Republic. Why and when the quarrel arose among the young gladiators and West Indies cricket administrators is difficult to tell. This episode in our cricket history has never been fully explained. It could not have happened under Worrell, Sobers, Lloyd or Richards. West Indies cricketers did not appreciate the historic tour on which they had embarked. To explain their behaviour we had to return to C. L. R. James in Beyond A Boundary: “What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know?” Those words reminded us of the many life lessons to be learned from cricket.

For example, to play by the rules, to play as a team, to be on time for practice and matches, to be patient at bat on a difficult wicket, to attend regular practice and coaching sessions, to obey the umpires’ decision, above all to play hard and learn to concede defeat and congratulate the winning captain and his team. Yes, the game of cricket teaches all that and more as it prepares its exponents to face life as a batsman facing the horror of the ball alone. Such a cricketing mindset blossomed during the British colonial era and helped West Indies cricketers perform superbly against their arch nemesis and show that they were more than mere colonials; that they were equal to the task!

After political independence, there seemed little left to prove in cricket or elsewhere. There was, therefore, no need to teach the former racist South African regime any new lesson by a solid whipping on the cricket pitch. Notwithstanding such a wrong-header approach and the licking received on that first tour to South Africa, West Indies cricket had carved a place in the history of the game which is recognized worldwide. It was instructive to hear some commentators refer to their recent test series victory over England as a victory for cricket. 

Those who pay attention to social developments in Saint Lucia would have noticed the increase in cricket games all over the island, after Daren Sammy had taken the captaincy of the West Indies test team plus the T20 and One-Day games. It was comforting to see on the island a return to the spirit of the game. The above lessons can only help improve the lives of young cricketers, male and female. There are more successful cricket teams in all age groups representing the island in overseas competition than at any time previously. That is a good for the game and for the country, and we must thank persons like Charles and Calixte for their dedication to administering the game, and the reporters who bring prospective young cricketers to the nation’s attention. It’s time that Saint Lucia produced some world class greats in test match cricket.

Some critics opine that the top brass of Cricket West Indies can claim no credit for the success of the present team. These critics point out that the maturing Jason Holder and other players are a phenomenon whose time has finally come. These young men seem ready to put West Indies cricket on a new path to a better execution of the beautiful game of glorious uncertainties. In the same vein, some have taken issue with Daren Sammy for criticizing the employment of a foreign coach in preference to the indomitable Desmond Haynes, a competent Caribbean professional. My response to Daren’s critics is that Desmond Haynes would also have inspired the team to victory, because the end of the long period of “turning-the-corner” was finally here. I once watched the young Desmond Haynes at Victoria Park in Castries, in a match between Barbados and the Combined Islands, get out at 98; he cried like a baby. It would have been his first first-class hundred in regional cricket. By the way, dear reader, did you know that Victoria Park was renamed Mindoo Phillip Park, in 1980 after I had tabled a motion in the Allan Louisy Cabinet to that purpose? I was then the MP for East Castries. As for those who may know nothing of Mindoo, please educate yourself . . . now! 

The news of Jason Holder’s suspension for slow over rate in the second test match in Antigua goes against everything the game teaches. That is not cricket, old chap! The game of glorious uncertainties is being brought into certain disrepute by its administrators and adjudicators alike. Imagine batsmen are not punished for occupying the crease for hours upon hours regardless of the over rate, and are not punished for draining the energy and excitement out of the game by their low-scoring rate. That may be the reason test cricket has lost so many followers to the shorter versions of the game.

It’s incomprehensible that a bowler who won a five-day test in three days is punished with suspension for a slow over rate. This absurdity does cricket no good. Notwithstanding, the West Indies must play harder during the next test match in Saint Lucia and ensure a three-nil series win over England. On the other hand, cricket fans will hope that England performs much better so they can fully enjoy the game we all love. We hope to see the Daren Sammy stadium filled to capacity February 9-13 and also on March 2 and 5. It’s time again to sing Cricket Lovely Cricket as we once did—with feeling!