Dear Editor,
I am tired of listening to and reading a lot of piffle about Shivnarine Chanderpaul not being given the opportunity to break Brian Lara’s record of scoring the most Test runs by a West Indian batsman and being unjustly treated by the West Indies Cricket Board of Control.
Chanderpaul has a fantastic cricket record. According to Cricket Info he played one hundred and sixty-four Test matches. He batted two hundred and eighty times; scored eleven thousand eight hundred and sixty seven runs, including thirty centuries and sixty-six fifties. His average was fifty-one. He was not out on forty-nine occasions. Perhaps, we can allow him to play some more Test cricket in order that he can achieve an even fifty not outs.
Chanderpaul had ample opportunity to break Lara’s record, particularly when he was batting with the tailenders. What did he do several times? Instead of taking most of the bowling and scoring runs he often took a single off the first or second ball of an over, leaving nine, ten and jack to face the chin and spin music. The result is history. The bowlers cleaned them up. Chanderpaul’s average went up. He became world ranking and a few times the number one batsman in the world.
He read the bowling well on the field of play, but not off the field. He failed to read the straight ball usually bowled by the West Indies Cricket Board of Control at great players approaching the twilight of their career. The Board is certainly not altruistic in its interpersonal relationships with its employees. It is pernicious. Self-destructive at times.
Talk to Lance Gibbs. Discuss with Clive Lloyd. Confabulate with Vivian Richards. Text Desmond Haynes. Tweet Carl Hooper. Engage Brian Lara. Skype Dwayne Bravo and many other retired West Indian cricketers. All will say the same thing. They had wanted to play more Test matches but the Board unceremoniously abbreviated their careers. It was very quick to press the delete button.
Let us give Shiv another opportunity to continue contributing towards Guyana and West Indies cricket. Allow him to utilize his massive power of concentration. Use his knowledge, skill and attitude to influence our youth cricketers so that they will not only break his records but those of Brian Lara.
Shiv must continue to play, but beyond the boundary.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Conway