Dear Editor,
Here, in “Little Guyana,” New York, pride has surged once again, as Guyanese and Caribbean cricket legend, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a former captain of the West Indies team, was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame, joining cricket’s most celebrated players. It is a deserving appreciation for this unsung hero from Unity village, who was denied the chance to become the leading test scorer in West Indies cricket, and “forced to retire,” when his career was unceremoniously derailed by Dave Cameron’s and the WICB’s whimsical and spiteful actions. The left-handed batsman scored 11,867 runs at an average of 51, with 30 centuries in an illustrious career of 164 Tests to end at the second place in the list of all-time West Indies run-scorers, 86 runs short of legendary Brian Lara with 11,953 runs.
After all, this was the man who personified longevity and tenacity, and survived while 519 Test batsmen perished at the other end, and sharing a record 771 different partnerships in Tests, worthy world records that speak volumes about his singular durability and dependability. Rahul Dravid, the Indian “Wall”, is next, but quite some distance behind at 453 Test dismissals at the other wicket, and 738 partnerships. Yet, Chanderpaul has rarely been given deserving accolades, like Dravid and Tendulkar. “That guy with the most Test matches for the West Indies, playing for over 20 years, I don’t think people in the West Indies understand exactly his contribution,” the great Brian Lara acknowledges, reminding us that Shiv was instrumental in his many batting feats, even conceding that his compatriot deserved to go past his record for the most Test runs by a West Indian. Indeed, Shiv famously faced 1,051 deliveries against India in 2002 without being dismissed, batting for 1,513 minutes.
Shiv has been the rock and anchor of the West Indies since 1994, a veritable Atlas, and has been one of the Caribbean’s most accomplished, yet overlooked heroes. Chanderpaul’s first Test century came in his 19th match, a testimony to his application and determination, after scoring as many as 15 half centuries in the previous 18 matches. He spent most of the initial phase of his career under the shadows of the legendary Lara. Shiv did not have the genius of Rohan Kanhai or Sir Gary Sobers, the power of Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge or Clive Lloyd, the dominance of Roy Fredericks, the technique of Alvin Kallicharran or the finesse of Carl Hooper, Lawrence Rowe or Ramnaresh Sarwan, but the statistical achievements he accumulated that determines how a batsman is measured-runs, centuries, averages-surpassed theirs. This is not to say he was better in the wider context by which batsmen are assessed, but it ensures that one cannot deny his status amongst the greats of the game. The ICC stamp is the imprimatur of greatness that puts Shiv in the top tier of cricket’s immortals.
Those who are critical of his doggedness fail to appreciate that he was often the lone warrior in many lost causes at a time when West Indian cricket sank to unfathomable depths, and responsibility forced him to eschew glamour and style for dependability, audacity for attrition. Chanderpaul has the record for the 4th fastest Test century, off just 67 balls against the worthy visiting Australians in 2002. In 2008, he hit a four and a six against the bowling of Chaminda Vaas, with 10 needed off two balls to win a One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka. He created history with Sarwan when they combined to help West Indies chase down a 418-run target at Antigua in 2003 against Australia, scoring 105 and 104 runs each. He was named the captain of the team to face the visiting South Africans in 2005 and celebrated it by becoming only the second player to make a double century on debut as a Test captain, scoring an unbeaten 200 in Guyana. Another absolutely stunning record Chanderpaul holds is that of being stumped for the first time after having batted in 266 innings, while batting with as many as 82 different Test partners.
When I interviewed him about the reason for his longevity and success, he told me that, “I have an immense skill and unique gift – concentration, a divine gift bestowed by Lord Shiva” I marveled at him, then in 2005, and he cemented that belief to all, subsequently. There is no doubt that he must have a divine connection when you survey his immense accomplishments, longevity and humility. Ian Bishop, now an international cricket commentator, said it best, in tribute to Chanderpaul, 2008 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, “I played several Test series with him (Shiv), and have seen more esteemed team-mates shrink in the face of the fastest bowling, but never Chanderpaul…That no other West Indian managed a score of more than 60 in the Tests speaks of the yawning gap between his skill, commitment and experience – and theirs.”
Sincerely,
Albert Baldeo
