WICB gear for 75th anniversary

BRIDGETOWN: The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Saturday launched the 75th anniversary celebrations of West Indies’ entry into Test cricket with a colourful parade at Kensington Oval. A march past by the band of the Barbados Defence Force, flag waving Scotiabank Kiddy cricketers, and a brief ceremony during the lunch interval of the first Cable and Wireless One-Day International (ODI) between West Indies and Sri Lanka all formed part of the launch. The celebrations will be held in partnership with the University of the West Indies and with sponsorship from Shell Antilles & Guianas Ltd, current sponsors of the Shell Cricket Academy of the St George’s University in Grenada, as well as support from the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. The activities under the theme “75 Years of Windies Test Cricket: Uniting the Region, Exciting the World”, will have an educational focus to build awareness of the rich West Indies cricket legacy.

Reverend Wes Hall, president of the WICB, noted at the launch that on June 23 during St Lucia’s historic first Test match, the WICB would celebrate the actual anniversary of the first West Indies Test match with a special tribute to the 1928 team. Presentations will be made to representatives of their families who are being invited to St Lucia. Similar presentations will be made at Sabina Park during the Second Cable and Wireless Test Match between West Indies and Sri Lanka to representatives of the families of the members of the 1928 team from Jamaica. The WICB will also be launching a commemorative book entitled, A Nation Imagined, by Professor Hilary Beckles, a noted cricket historian and Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, and opening a photographic exhibition in Jamaica on June 28. Hall said while it was an honour to be president of the WICB, it was a very special privilege to be responsible for giving appropriate effect to the 75th anniversary of West Indies Test status. He observed that while we are celebrating the first steps onto the Test field on June 23, 1928 at Lord’s in England, it was also important to be aware of the many records set including the more recent ones of 375 in an innings by Brian Lara and 519 Test career wickets by Courtney Walsh.