Cricket-The Game is Bigger Than Us – Sir Garfield Sobers – By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
Sir Garfield Sobers
The captain of the West Indies Test team is more powerful that many Presidents and Prime Ministers. The West Indies is the only place on the planet where eleven players are chosen from different countries to represent a nation.
This creates its own problems and also has its advantages. In the old days insularity and individualism were common themes in West Indies cricket. But a smart captain was able to bring out the best in the players and to instill in them the importance of playing for country.
Frank Worrell articulated this vision. The Caribbean was more than a geographical expression, a collection of territories separated by the Caribbean Sea and trapped by the tides of insularity. Eric Williams argued that the
destiny of the far-flung territories lay in its ability to speak with a common voice. Continue reading
West Indies Cricket – Sobers Lament – Dr Dhanpaul Narine
West Indies Cricket and the Sobers Lament – By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
Sir Garfield Sobers
We could talk until we turn blue. We could debate all night, and yes, since we are West Indians no one could win us in an argument. When it comes to cricket, we know the stories. As the liquids flow, we could recite the statistics from memory. West Indies beat England in 1950 at Lords, with those ‘pals of mine.’
We know about the exploits of the three ‘W’s, the majesty of Sobers, the swagger of Richards, the improvisation of Kanhai, and the matchless motions of Holding and Marshall. In the 1975 World Cup, when the wickets were tumbling at Lords it was Lloyd and Kanhai that held the side together. We need to remind Stevan Riley that his ‘Fire in Babylon’ shouldn’t only be about ‘black men winning in cricket.’ It should be about all nationalities. There were brown men too and they excelled. Kanhai, Kallicharran and Chanderpaul were once West Indies captains.
READ MORE: West Indies Cricket- Sobers Lament
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