Great West Indian cricketers

On that fateful day, a packed crowd of 18,000 was about to witness the clash of the titans, WI vs Australia in the final of the inaugural Prudential — sponsored World Cup. At the start of this 60- over match, I sat glued to my radio. I listened in awe to the thunderous sounds of skipper Clive Lloyd’s heavy willow belting the formidable Australian pace attack of Lillee, Thomson, Walker and Gilmore to all parts of the field.

Lloyd’s match winning 102 off 82 balls, Kanhai’s crucial score of 55, along with the panther-like fielding of 23 years old IVA Richards who accounted for the three out of five runouts, catapulted WI to a nerve wracking 17-run victory over the Kangaroos.

Looking at taped highlights later on, I saw Lloyd proudly accepting the Prudential trophy from the Duke of Edinburgh, as thousands of West Indians erupted in unbridled joy and celebrations. A truly great moment in West Indian cricket history.

Following our early exit from the 20/20 tournament, and the usual excuses for our poor performance, some critics have called for the disbanding of the team and allowing single islands to compete on the world stage. I totally reject this suggestion. Yes, our cricket is in a state of crisis. Indeed, this is the new golden era of WI cricket — gold earrings and gold chains! We cannot allow the current crop of jokey players to conveniently forget the role of past great players who shaped the great teams under Worrell and Lloyd.

Don’t these jokers (and critics) understand the concept of West Indian nationhood? In the face of continuing political and economic differences, WI cricket is the only true unifying force in the English-speaking Caribbean.

I strongly suggest that the WICB and WIPA make it mandatory for current and future WI players to register at the CLR James Cricket Research Centre at UWI, Cave Hill in Barbados where a higher degree in Cricket Studies is offered. In conclusion, I ask the current crop of jokers to remember the illustrious words of Sir Neville Cardus (1888-1975) who in 1933 extolled the ‘‘Caribbeanness’’ of the first great West Indian all rounder, Trinidad-born Learie Constantine (1902-1971):

“Constantine is a representative man, he is West Indian cricket, as WG Grace was to English cricket.”

REZA ABASALI

San Juan