Joey Carew, the former West Indies batsman, has died at age 73, ESPN Cricinfo reported today. The cause of death is still unknown, but his eldest son Michael Carew suggested it might have been due to a blocked artery.
After playing 19 Tests for West Indies between 1963 and 1972, Carew went on to become a selector for West Indies cricket for 20 years, on and off, retiring from the post in 2006. He was the West Indies’ longest-serving selector. He also captained Trinidad & Tobago, becoming the first captain to win back-to-back Shell Shield titles for the regional side.
The report said that Carew died in his home in Woodbrook in Port of Spain yesterday. Family members are awaiting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. “We are not too sure of the cause of death, but I think it had something to do with a blocked artery,” his son Michael, who also played frst-class cricket for T&T, said. “We are awaiting the report from the autopsy to get the official cause of death. He was a leader, the head of our household, and he would be sadly missed.”
Carew scored one Test century and got his 1127 runs at an average of 34.15. He also took eight wickets with his legspin, ESPN Cricinfo reported. Christopher Martin-Jenkins once wrote of Carew: “Perhaps his greatest legacy to West Indies cricket, however, lies in the advice and encouragement he gave to a young left-hander from Santa Cruz in Trinidad. Brian Lara rewarded Joey Carew richly for the interest he showed in him.” Ironically, it was over a public dispute with Lara, when Lara was captain, over team selection that Carew stepped down from his post as selector, the report noted.
President of the West Indies Cricket Board Julian Hunte paid tribute to Carew, saying he had remained passionate about the game at all levels until the end of his life. “He reached the very top as a cricketer and remained astute and feisty in his assessment of the game and cricketers for the decades he served as West Indies selector,” Hunte said. “He was responsible for selecting some of the greats of West Indies cricket.”
Carew’s old opening partner, Guyanese Stephen Camacho, who is now secretary to the board of directors for the WICB, said Carew’s contribution as a selector was his most notable one to West Indies cricket. “He was a particularly fine captain and an astute tactician,” Camacho said. “Joey was a great friend of mine and his passing is an immense loss to West Indies cricket”, ESPN Cricinfo reported.
