Since last Friday’s editorial thanking Shivnarine Chanderpaul for his 21 years of exemplary service to West Indies cricket, we have learnt that former West Indies cricketer and ex-president of the West Indies Players’ Association Dinanath Ramnarine is planning a gala dinner in Trinidad to honour Mr Chanderpaul. This is welcome news and we expect that similar tributes are being contemplated here.
Without taking anything away from the need to show our appreciation to the ‘Tiger’, how much more fitting would it be, in this our 50th anniversary year, to honour all Guyanese who have represented the West Indies in international cricket, especially those who have played the highest form of the game, Test cricket?
After all, our Test players, from Maurice Fernandes in 1928 to, most recently, Rajendra Chandrika, have arguably done more than most in the history of our young nation to garner international recognition and put Guyana on the map. Some, admittedly, have had more success than others but all have their place in our rich cricketing tradition.
First, there were the pioneers before the Second World War (Fernandes, the Barbados born British Guiana resident CR ‘Snuffy’ Browne, Vibart Wight, Francis de Caires, Charles Jones and Cyril Christiani), when it was common for the West Indies to pick a few players from the host territory, against the touring Englishmen, in order to keep costs down.
The 1948-1957 period saw Test caps won by Robert Christiani, Berkely Gaskin, John Trim, Bruce Pairaudeau, Leslie Wight, Clifford McWatt and Glendon Gibbs, with the twinkle-toed, attacking Christiani becoming the first Guyanese to make a Test century and the first Guyanese to have an extended run in Tests even though he had to bat in the shadow of the Three Ws throughout his career.
Then came the explosion – an explosion of talent, nurtured mainly on the sugar estates, which saw the emergence of a sustained crop of world class performers. Among them were two of the greatest cricketing talents of all time – the dashing batting maestro Rohan Kanhai and the off-spinner with the heart of a fast bowler, Lance Gibbs, who on the 1975-76 tour of Australia would claim the world record for the highest number of Test wickets, 309.
In rapid succession came Ivan Madray, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Charlie Stayers and Ivor Mendonca, with Kanhai, Butcher and Solomon establishing Guyana’s reputation for producing batsmen of quality and Solomon immortalised when his direct hit from the outfield ran out Ian Meckiff, causing the First Test against Australia in 1960-61 to end in a glorious tie.
These were the men who, in the midst of the anti-colonial strife of the 1950s and the troubles of the early 1960s, contributed to the cause of self-determination and self-realisation, by showing that Guyanese – and West Indians – could stand as equals and compete in an often unjust world order. By their deeds on the playing field, they announced to the world the imminent coming of age of a nation, even as they carried the aspirations of a people on their young shoulders.
It was therefore serendipitously appropriate that Clive Lloyd would make his Test debut in December of the year of our Independence. This was the man who would become one of the most successful Test captains of all time, leading the West Indies into an era of unprecedented world dominance in Test cricket and to two World Cups to boot. Guyanese and West Indians now knew that they could not only be competitive globally but that they could also be world beaters.
Lloyd was followed by Steve Camacho, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharan, Leonard Baichan, Colin Croft, Faoud Bacchus and Roger Harper, who all played with him, as well as Sew Shivnarine and Milton Pydanna, who were selected during the Packer-era controversy.
Then came Clyde Butts, Carl Hooper, Clayton Lambert and Shiv Chanderpaul, and in their wake, a plethora of names, as West Indies cricket foundered, but amongst whom Hooper, Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan stood out, continuing Guyana’s tradition of brilliant batsmanship.
We expect that the government will, this year, pay tribute to some outstanding Guyanese in several areas of endeavour. We know that musician Eddy Grant will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. This is all well and good. We propose, however, that those reputable cricket administrators still around join forces with the government, private sector and the likes of Professors Winston McGowan and Clem Seecharan, and Ian McDonald, to find a suitable way to honour our cricketing heroes.
Some are indisputable greats of the game, others, just good and a few, mere journeymen. But all have represented their country and their region, and kept the Guyanese flag flying high across the cricket world. This is justifiable cause for appreciation. Some have already gone beyond the final boundary. Messrs Solomon, Butcher, Gibbs and Kanhai are, respectively 85, 82, 81 and 80 not out. Yes, some have already received national honours. But all should still be recognised in our golden jubilee year for their achievement in wearing the maroon cap and their incalculable contributions to nation-building and national pride.
