Dear Editor,
Former Guyana and West Indies test captain and star batsman did a presentation on his book ‘Colour Blind’ last Friday November 15 at Moray House. The event was well attended with a captive audience that listened to a presentation that included a short documentary, presentation by Alvin Kallicharran and questions and discussions. The book comprised of thirteen chapters, two forewords, and an introduction that made up its 229 pages. The content did not discuss Alvin’s records as a cricketer but delved into his journey as cricketer “overcoming adversities, hardship and struggle to achieve success.” The book is more or less patterned after CLR James seminal publication on West Indies cricket “Beyond the Boundary” that gave an insight into the politics and bias of the administration of West Indies cricket.
The first two chapters described Alvin’s humble beginning and ground roots. He grew up in a home with eleven siblings with both parents working in the sugar plantation. With such a large family food, clothing and other amenities will always be in short supply. However, he regarded the Port Mourant Community center as his second home. He pointed out that the community center was the heart of ‘my village’. It had a nice cricket field, scoreboard, pavilion, library and games area. Alvin saw the pictures of great cricketers and imagined himself being one of them. I, myself spent the best of my teenage days around the Port Mourant Cricket ground with the Roopmahal cinema in front and just opposite was the Port Mourant Hospital whose waiting area was the center of the most interesting discussions on politics, cricket, horse racing and current events by very knowledgeable and well- informed persons like Jainarine Harry popularly known as Harry Skeldon.
Alvin was in high praise for Clyde Walcott who was appointed as Welfare Manager in the sugar estate by Bookers. He stated that Walcott was a role model for many youngsters, further he brought better equipment and expertise into local cricket. He was eternally thankful that a man of his stature and ability chose to live among us and reach out to us. Social status, colour, or religion did not blind him as Walcott showed him what colour blind truly meant and that cricket could break all barriers. Even after Walcott left, Bookers continued to employ national cricketers like Burlin Saheed and Issac Seunarine as welfare officers that upkept the cricket ground that was responsible for the rise of a number of national cricketers. Ronald Austin who was present in the captive audience last Friday wrote in a tribute on the passing of Basil Butcher that Port Mourant was a nursery and laboratory for Guyana and West Indies cricket.
There was a discussion of leaders and role models in the sixth chapter in which Alvin held Lance Gibbs, who once held the world record for the highest number of test wickets in very high esteem that inspired him to take a serious approach to the game. Garfield Sobers demanded excellence. I met Sobers in Barbados while attending a CDB Directors meeting and he pointed out that Alvin’s stats in test cricket does truly reflect his talent. Many times, he carelessly threw his wicket away when he was well settled for a big score. The Third Test match against Australia in 1973 Queens Park in Trinidad, Alvin batted out the most difficult sessions without a false shot and was 92 not out at lunch with 65 runs needed and 5 wickets in hand – a West Indies victory was much anticipated. He came out after lunch and at the very first ball he flashed at a wide delivery from Max Walker and wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh did the rest. West Indies lost the test by 30 runs, a most disappointing end to a match West Indies never looked like losing.
In the first World Cup in 1975 the match between the West Indies and Australia was considered the clash of the titans with chief protagonist being Alvin Kallicharran facing up to the Australian speed merchants Dennis Lille and Jeff Thompson. Chasing a score of 192 Alvin played a memorable innings of 78 in which he blasted Lillee for 35 runs in 10 deliveries. He pointed out in his book Lillee was bowling to his strengths and “I took full advantage of it.” If there was a Man of the Series award in that World Cup it would have been Alvin since he followed up with another match winning knock of 75 in the semifinal against New Zealand.
West Indies went on to win the second World Cup tournament 4 years later in 1979. However, they suffered a shock defeat by India in the 1983 World Cup when they lost by 43 runs after a batting collapse. In this tournament Alvin was dropped from the side while nursing a broken finger and had a lean period in the tour to Pakistan. However, he recovered fully from injuries in 1983 and won the Wisden Cricketer of the Year Award in 1983 by scoring four double centuries for Warwickshire in English county cricket.
In reviewing the book, I expected a more critical analysis of the administration of cricket in the West Indies that he lightly touched upon but did not delve into more details. The poor performance of the West Indies, especially in the last two decades, is a subject of much discussion and analysis. It was shocking that a two-time World Cup champion was eliminated by losing to Scotland, a second tier team in the qualifying matches. Some analysis had in the past pointed to a breakdown of discipline by the players in the latter part of the 1990s that led to the current state of affairs but there is need for a deeper look at the problem.
Finally, it was a good gesture by Alvin to present his book at different forums, especially to the poor communities around the world. In Guyana, he made presentations to society of blind, Ptolemy Reid Centre among the unfortunate that act as an inspiration to the disadvantage. Today, in a world that is plagued by wars, protectionism, unilateralism and breakdown of law and order the message of the book Colour Blind was that any person can be successful in life once they set out objectives and work towards it. In a much divided world of sport, of which cricket is an integral part presents a greater forum for diversity and harmony. Alvin Kallicharran’s rise as an international cricketer is an interesting case study that there is opportunity to grasp regardless of your social stature in sport.
Sincerely,
Rajendra Rampersaud
