1
April 25, 2024, 02:18:33 AM
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Pages: [1] 2
2
What about Track & Field / Bigup
« on: July 08, 2010, 04:54:52 PM »
Just spoke with Ronnie tonight and encouraged him to come here and hail up the massive. Told him of your unwavering support and he appreci-loved it! LoL
3
What about Track & Field / Mr Ato....prediction update time.
« on: June 24, 2010, 03:00:43 AM »
You have seen the bullet start return.
You have seen the mid race separation restored and finally on several occasions this year, you have seen the all new finish. Running thru the tape, high knee lifts etc. All this before mid June. I dont even talk about times run.
Still want to hold fast to your prediction that he wont run a PB this year?
I am a generous man. I will give you a chance to reconsider and save you a seat on the bandwagon!
LoL
You have seen the mid race separation restored and finally on several occasions this year, you have seen the all new finish. Running thru the tape, high knee lifts etc. All this before mid June. I dont even talk about times run.
Still want to hold fast to your prediction that he wont run a PB this year?
I am a generous man. I will give you a chance to reconsider and save you a seat on the bandwagon!
LoL
4
Cricket Anyone / Marlon Samuels
« on: March 22, 2010, 06:00:05 AM »
'Go get 'em, Sammy!'
From the sports Desk
BY HARTLEY ANDERSON
Sunday, March 21, 2010
THE cricketing world anxiously awaits the return of a classy right-handed batsman named Marlon Nathaniel Samuels.
When he first arrived on the international scene at the turn of the century, the elegant stroke-maker drew almost blasphemous comparisons with former Jamaica and West Indies batting stylist Lawrence Rowe and the 'Master Blaster', Sir Vivian Richards.
If those associations sound conflicting, perhaps it's because Samuels had the capacity to caress deliveries to the boundary with an effortless flick of the wrist, as well as to dispatch deliveries with utter disdain and timing when he was in the proverbial 'ackee' of his game.
Oh yes, it's the same Samuels whose promise was so great that as a 19-year-old with a single first-class match under his belt, he was called up as a replacement in the third Test at Adelaide and made an auspicious debut in a cameo first innings against the mighty Australians during the 2000-2001 series Down Under.
On that occasion, Samuels made only 35, but his composed accumulation of runs epitomised confidence, guts, maturity and poise that not only belied his teenaged years, but also threatened to embarrass his seasoned teammates who up to then were mere target practice against the most combative of rivals this game has ever known.
Of added significance was that the arrogant youngster appeared to be unperturbed at the prospect of facing the world's best in the form of Glen McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Collin Miller -- to the amazement of the Aussie commentators. It got even better when he picked up two wickets with his part-time off-spin.
To many fans who witnessed Samuels' first Test innings, the game had heralded a new star and it appeared as if the struggling Caribbean side had struck real gold.
Yet Samuels' big impression simply emanated from a straight bat and the execution of what his coaches at Kingston College would have been preaching during his formative years.
And that's how it really started for the tall, talented Jamaican who thereafter struggled with injuries and inconsistency, and was never a fixture in a Windies side desperately in need of stability in its batting order.
After racking up a modest Test average of 28.73 from 29 matches including two majestic centuries, and 30.27 from 107 ODIs in an international career that spanned seven years, an underachieving Samuels left the game under a cloud of shame when he was banned for two years by the ICC for associating with an Indian bookmaker.
Samuels' tragic demise rests both in his unfulfilled potential -- for knowledgeable pundits testify that there has never been a more authentic one in regional cricket -- as well as the circumstances leading to the decision to ban him.
Puzzlingly, the four-man panel elected by the WICB to decide Samuels' fate said it found him in violation of the ICC code of conduct, but said he had not acted "dishonestly or in a corrupt manner", and was "an honest cricketer... who has never betted on cricket matches".
Former captain Richie Richardson, who voted against Samuels, later rued his decision and subsequently declared that the ICC ban was unfair. But all that is in the past.
On May 9, Samuels will be free to resume his career, and is he raring to go. According to a recent interview, the 29-year-old Jamaican expressed a desire to reclaim the No 4 spot in the West Indies batting line-up, which could then read: Chris Gayle, Adrian Barath, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Samuels, Shiv Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash and Dwayne Bravo -- quite formidable on paper.
Happily, during his exile Samuels kept a low profile, out of the public's gaze, and also kept in wonderful shape in the nets.
My intuition suggests that having had time to reflect, and with the tremendous benefits of hindsight, 'Sammy' is now ready to show his true batting genius.
Having been tossed about in the whirlwind of international cricket for close to eight years, the soft-spoken player will return a much calmer and more serious cricketer who is aware of the fickleness of human nature and the essence of time.
Further, he will be cognisant of the opportunities to shape destiny and make his own indelible mark whenever he walks to the crease from here on.
But most of all, the silky batsman will be acutely aware of the fateful slip which denied him the chance to become a millionaire as a 'sure pick' in the Stanford XI that netted a whopping US$1 million per man in its winner-take-all Twenty/20 match against England two years ago.
Perhaps destiny did indeed conspire against a talented young cricketer in the past. However, with time still on his side, both he and his many fans are no doubt whispering, 'Go get 'em, Sammy!'
From the sports Desk
BY HARTLEY ANDERSON
Sunday, March 21, 2010
THE cricketing world anxiously awaits the return of a classy right-handed batsman named Marlon Nathaniel Samuels.
When he first arrived on the international scene at the turn of the century, the elegant stroke-maker drew almost blasphemous comparisons with former Jamaica and West Indies batting stylist Lawrence Rowe and the 'Master Blaster', Sir Vivian Richards.
If those associations sound conflicting, perhaps it's because Samuels had the capacity to caress deliveries to the boundary with an effortless flick of the wrist, as well as to dispatch deliveries with utter disdain and timing when he was in the proverbial 'ackee' of his game.
Oh yes, it's the same Samuels whose promise was so great that as a 19-year-old with a single first-class match under his belt, he was called up as a replacement in the third Test at Adelaide and made an auspicious debut in a cameo first innings against the mighty Australians during the 2000-2001 series Down Under.
On that occasion, Samuels made only 35, but his composed accumulation of runs epitomised confidence, guts, maturity and poise that not only belied his teenaged years, but also threatened to embarrass his seasoned teammates who up to then were mere target practice against the most combative of rivals this game has ever known.
Of added significance was that the arrogant youngster appeared to be unperturbed at the prospect of facing the world's best in the form of Glen McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Collin Miller -- to the amazement of the Aussie commentators. It got even better when he picked up two wickets with his part-time off-spin.
To many fans who witnessed Samuels' first Test innings, the game had heralded a new star and it appeared as if the struggling Caribbean side had struck real gold.
Yet Samuels' big impression simply emanated from a straight bat and the execution of what his coaches at Kingston College would have been preaching during his formative years.
And that's how it really started for the tall, talented Jamaican who thereafter struggled with injuries and inconsistency, and was never a fixture in a Windies side desperately in need of stability in its batting order.
After racking up a modest Test average of 28.73 from 29 matches including two majestic centuries, and 30.27 from 107 ODIs in an international career that spanned seven years, an underachieving Samuels left the game under a cloud of shame when he was banned for two years by the ICC for associating with an Indian bookmaker.
Samuels' tragic demise rests both in his unfulfilled potential -- for knowledgeable pundits testify that there has never been a more authentic one in regional cricket -- as well as the circumstances leading to the decision to ban him.
Puzzlingly, the four-man panel elected by the WICB to decide Samuels' fate said it found him in violation of the ICC code of conduct, but said he had not acted "dishonestly or in a corrupt manner", and was "an honest cricketer... who has never betted on cricket matches".
Former captain Richie Richardson, who voted against Samuels, later rued his decision and subsequently declared that the ICC ban was unfair. But all that is in the past.
On May 9, Samuels will be free to resume his career, and is he raring to go. According to a recent interview, the 29-year-old Jamaican expressed a desire to reclaim the No 4 spot in the West Indies batting line-up, which could then read: Chris Gayle, Adrian Barath, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Samuels, Shiv Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash and Dwayne Bravo -- quite formidable on paper.
Happily, during his exile Samuels kept a low profile, out of the public's gaze, and also kept in wonderful shape in the nets.
My intuition suggests that having had time to reflect, and with the tremendous benefits of hindsight, 'Sammy' is now ready to show his true batting genius.
Having been tossed about in the whirlwind of international cricket for close to eight years, the soft-spoken player will return a much calmer and more serious cricketer who is aware of the fickleness of human nature and the essence of time.
Further, he will be cognisant of the opportunities to shape destiny and make his own indelible mark whenever he walks to the crease from here on.
But most of all, the silky batsman will be acutely aware of the fateful slip which denied him the chance to become a millionaire as a 'sure pick' in the Stanford XI that netted a whopping US$1 million per man in its winner-take-all Twenty/20 match against England two years ago.
Perhaps destiny did indeed conspire against a talented young cricketer in the past. However, with time still on his side, both he and his many fans are no doubt whispering, 'Go get 'em, Sammy!'
5
What about Track & Field / W Indoor Champs 2010, 400m race
« on: March 15, 2010, 08:19:09 AM »
What happened to Ronny Q? He seemed to just pull up injured in his 1st round heat.
6
Cricket Anyone / Love him or not, Gayle is pure Fyah! LoL
« on: December 17, 2009, 05:23:07 AM »
Australia v West Indies, 3rd Test, Perth, 2nd day
Gayle walks on air as West Indies fly back
The Bulletin by Peter English
December 17, 2009
Text size: A | A West Indies 2 for 214 (Gayle 102, Dowlin 55) trail Australia 7 for 520 dec (Katich 99, Watson 89, Haddin 88, Hussey 82, North 68) by 306 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
No, Chris, we should be bowing at you: Gayle kneels down to mark his awesome century © Getty Images
Related Links
News : Sparks fly at the WACA
Bulletin : 1st day bulletin
Players/Officials: Sulieman Benn | Chris Gayle | Brad Haddin | Marcus North
Matches: Australia v West Indies at Perth
Series/Tournaments: West Indies tour of Australia
Teams: Australia | West Indies
Chris Gayle whipped up the fifth fastest century by balls faced in Test history as West Indies refused to be blown over on a dramatic and heated day in Perth. Gayle unleashed the controlled fury of a captain who had watched his bowlers struggle for penetration with a 70-ball hundred that catapulted his side to 2 for 214, a promising collection which still leaves them 306 behind.
Australia felt chirpy after declaring at 7 for 520 but were soon silenced by Gayle's hot blade as he clumped 102 within 25 overs. The WACA has hosted some brutal innings and this one probably included the biggest six at the ground, with one of his straight sixes off Nathan Hauritz landing on the roof of the towering Lillee-Marsh Stand.
That rocket, which was powered by his charge down the pitch and a free-flowing swing, took him to 91 and it was appropriate that his century came with another six, this one sailing over the sightscreen. It was his fourth clearance off Hauritz and sixth of the innings, prompting him to drop to his knees for a praiseworthy celebration. Everyone watching deserved to be bowing down at him.
After a hard-working, unbeaten 165 in Adelaide, which re-floated his side after their three-day defeat in Brisbane, Gayle followed up in his traditional style. This was a batsman preening and flexing, exterminating the frustration of time in the field.
Sulieman Benn, the giant spinner with a seriously grumpy alter ego, had signalled that West Indies would not slip away meekly when he started a lengthy confrontation with Brad Haddin that ended with Mitchell Johnson pushing the bowler away. Gayle then showed the right sort of aggression for a modern cricket field, an innings containing defence and leaving with Twenty20-style explosions thrown in.
Gayle is without two of his best batsmen - Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath are out injured - on a surface with a reputation for supporting fast bowlers. He didn't care. His team might look fragile but he was not going to be pushed around. Four boundaries were taken in Johnson's opening two overs to set Gayle's tempo and he would calm down only momentarily.
The debutant Clint McKay was initiated with a four in front of point first ball and returned after tea to be swatted down the ground and lifted for a six to long-on. Gayle barely followed through and with his score on 79 from 46 balls there was a chance he could tackle Viv Richards' record of 56 deliveries. It didn't happen but, like Adam Gilchrist's 57-ball effort in Perth during the 2006-07 Ashes, it didn't matter.
Strokes that would usually wedge in the mind were replaced at the speed of a wedding-ceremony slideshow. When Gayle flicked Doug Bollinger over square leg to bring up his half-century from his 34th ball it seemed like the shot of the series. An effortless swing cleared the fence on one of the world's biggest grounds and the batsman's heart-rate would not have fluttered. More grunt followed the grace.
Smart StatsAustralia's total of 520 is the second-highest score that did not feature a single century. Only India's score of 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand is ahead on the list and featured six fifties against Australia's five.
Marcus North and Brad Haddin scored the 14th and 15th half-centuries for Australia in this series, but the hosts are yet to register a hundred.
Chris Gayle's century was the fourth for the visitors in the same time.
If the Australian batsmen fail to register a century in the second innings, this would become only the ninth time that Australia have gone through a series of at least three matches without a century.
The 15 half-centuries Australia have scored is already the highest scored by any team in a Test series where it did not score any centuries.
The Australians were in shock and awe, especially Hauritz, who will do well not to have nightmares of Gayle's right leg stepping down at him. Ricky Ponting kept Hauritz on hoping for a mis-hit, and there was an edge on 81 that was spilt by Michael Clarke at first slip. If Gayle missed a century it would have been a bigger crime than the physical confrontation of Benn and Johnson.
He didn't and after such carnage his dismissal was as weak as the winds in the eye of a storm, a limp waft at a short ball floating to Shane Watson at point. Bollinger was the bowler but the noise that followed was for Gayle's innings of 72 deliveries, which also had nine forgotten fours. As he exited to the first ball of the 24th over he had all but 34 off his side's 136.
Travis Dowlin was the almost silent partner but his 55 was hugely valuable until he scooped a catch to gully off Johnson. By stumps the tourists had Ramnaresh Sarwan on 42 and Narsingh Deonarine on 10, while Johnson, McKay and Hauritz were left to tend their bruises.
It was a day for runs, none of which went to Ponting. He did not bat due to his injured left elbow, but closed the innings midway through the second session after Haddin had built on the work of Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey and Marcus North. On another day Haddin's 88 from 91 balls would have been the most memorable and North's confident 68 would have been discussed with appreciative nods. Sorry, but Gayle's special circumstances relegated them to small mentions.
Australia resumed the second day at 3 for 339 and quickly lost Hussey for 82, with Haddin soon doing his best to impersonate Gilchrist. Gayle did a better job, but Haddin's collection was important in inflating Australia's total, which is still intimidating despite West Indies' forceful reply.
Haddin threatened to become the first Australian of the series to score a hundred, but instead became the 15th local to reach a half-century during a purposeful innings that gained intensity with his elongated debate with Benn. The complicated exchange inadvertently brought in Johnson when the bowler pointed at Haddin and accidently brushed his partner's shoulder.
It had all begun when Haddin took offence at Benn and Johnson running into each other when the bowler was fielding in his follow-through. The ultimately harmless episode was an unnecessary and ugly period that showed both teams have some fight left after three weeks of play. It didn't help Benn though, as he returned 1 for 87 off 28 overs, but added to the excitement of a breathless day.
Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo
Feeds: Peter English
Gayle walks on air as West Indies fly back
The Bulletin by Peter English
December 17, 2009
Text size: A | A West Indies 2 for 214 (Gayle 102, Dowlin 55) trail Australia 7 for 520 dec (Katich 99, Watson 89, Haddin 88, Hussey 82, North 68) by 306 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
No, Chris, we should be bowing at you: Gayle kneels down to mark his awesome century © Getty Images
Related Links
News : Sparks fly at the WACA
Bulletin : 1st day bulletin
Players/Officials: Sulieman Benn | Chris Gayle | Brad Haddin | Marcus North
Matches: Australia v West Indies at Perth
Series/Tournaments: West Indies tour of Australia
Teams: Australia | West Indies
Chris Gayle whipped up the fifth fastest century by balls faced in Test history as West Indies refused to be blown over on a dramatic and heated day in Perth. Gayle unleashed the controlled fury of a captain who had watched his bowlers struggle for penetration with a 70-ball hundred that catapulted his side to 2 for 214, a promising collection which still leaves them 306 behind.
Australia felt chirpy after declaring at 7 for 520 but were soon silenced by Gayle's hot blade as he clumped 102 within 25 overs. The WACA has hosted some brutal innings and this one probably included the biggest six at the ground, with one of his straight sixes off Nathan Hauritz landing on the roof of the towering Lillee-Marsh Stand.
That rocket, which was powered by his charge down the pitch and a free-flowing swing, took him to 91 and it was appropriate that his century came with another six, this one sailing over the sightscreen. It was his fourth clearance off Hauritz and sixth of the innings, prompting him to drop to his knees for a praiseworthy celebration. Everyone watching deserved to be bowing down at him.
After a hard-working, unbeaten 165 in Adelaide, which re-floated his side after their three-day defeat in Brisbane, Gayle followed up in his traditional style. This was a batsman preening and flexing, exterminating the frustration of time in the field.
Sulieman Benn, the giant spinner with a seriously grumpy alter ego, had signalled that West Indies would not slip away meekly when he started a lengthy confrontation with Brad Haddin that ended with Mitchell Johnson pushing the bowler away. Gayle then showed the right sort of aggression for a modern cricket field, an innings containing defence and leaving with Twenty20-style explosions thrown in.
Gayle is without two of his best batsmen - Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath are out injured - on a surface with a reputation for supporting fast bowlers. He didn't care. His team might look fragile but he was not going to be pushed around. Four boundaries were taken in Johnson's opening two overs to set Gayle's tempo and he would calm down only momentarily.
The debutant Clint McKay was initiated with a four in front of point first ball and returned after tea to be swatted down the ground and lifted for a six to long-on. Gayle barely followed through and with his score on 79 from 46 balls there was a chance he could tackle Viv Richards' record of 56 deliveries. It didn't happen but, like Adam Gilchrist's 57-ball effort in Perth during the 2006-07 Ashes, it didn't matter.
Strokes that would usually wedge in the mind were replaced at the speed of a wedding-ceremony slideshow. When Gayle flicked Doug Bollinger over square leg to bring up his half-century from his 34th ball it seemed like the shot of the series. An effortless swing cleared the fence on one of the world's biggest grounds and the batsman's heart-rate would not have fluttered. More grunt followed the grace.
Smart StatsAustralia's total of 520 is the second-highest score that did not feature a single century. Only India's score of 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand is ahead on the list and featured six fifties against Australia's five.
Marcus North and Brad Haddin scored the 14th and 15th half-centuries for Australia in this series, but the hosts are yet to register a hundred.
Chris Gayle's century was the fourth for the visitors in the same time.
If the Australian batsmen fail to register a century in the second innings, this would become only the ninth time that Australia have gone through a series of at least three matches without a century.
The 15 half-centuries Australia have scored is already the highest scored by any team in a Test series where it did not score any centuries.
The Australians were in shock and awe, especially Hauritz, who will do well not to have nightmares of Gayle's right leg stepping down at him. Ricky Ponting kept Hauritz on hoping for a mis-hit, and there was an edge on 81 that was spilt by Michael Clarke at first slip. If Gayle missed a century it would have been a bigger crime than the physical confrontation of Benn and Johnson.
He didn't and after such carnage his dismissal was as weak as the winds in the eye of a storm, a limp waft at a short ball floating to Shane Watson at point. Bollinger was the bowler but the noise that followed was for Gayle's innings of 72 deliveries, which also had nine forgotten fours. As he exited to the first ball of the 24th over he had all but 34 off his side's 136.
Travis Dowlin was the almost silent partner but his 55 was hugely valuable until he scooped a catch to gully off Johnson. By stumps the tourists had Ramnaresh Sarwan on 42 and Narsingh Deonarine on 10, while Johnson, McKay and Hauritz were left to tend their bruises.
It was a day for runs, none of which went to Ponting. He did not bat due to his injured left elbow, but closed the innings midway through the second session after Haddin had built on the work of Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey and Marcus North. On another day Haddin's 88 from 91 balls would have been the most memorable and North's confident 68 would have been discussed with appreciative nods. Sorry, but Gayle's special circumstances relegated them to small mentions.
Australia resumed the second day at 3 for 339 and quickly lost Hussey for 82, with Haddin soon doing his best to impersonate Gilchrist. Gayle did a better job, but Haddin's collection was important in inflating Australia's total, which is still intimidating despite West Indies' forceful reply.
Haddin threatened to become the first Australian of the series to score a hundred, but instead became the 15th local to reach a half-century during a purposeful innings that gained intensity with his elongated debate with Benn. The complicated exchange inadvertently brought in Johnson when the bowler pointed at Haddin and accidently brushed his partner's shoulder.
It had all begun when Haddin took offence at Benn and Johnson running into each other when the bowler was fielding in his follow-through. The ultimately harmless episode was an unnecessary and ugly period that showed both teams have some fight left after three weeks of play. It didn't help Benn though, as he returned 1 for 87 off 28 overs, but added to the excitement of a breathless day.
Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo
Feeds: Peter English
7
What about Track & Field / trini on di move
« on: October 31, 2009, 09:11:50 AM »
By Clayton Clarke, TrackAlerts
PORT OF SPAIN; Trinidad: Olympic and World sprint relay silver medallist, Emmanuel Callendar of Trinidad and Tobago, has ended his association with his coach Glen Mills and the Racers Track Club where he had trained for the past two seasons with triple world record holder Usain Bolt.
Callendar did not disclose the reasons for the decision for the split but did say that he and his agent are working on his next move.
“I am back home in Trinidad training by myself,” was all that Callendar would say at this point.
Callendar, who moved to Jamaica just over two years ago, has been training alongside multiple world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica.
Callendar ran the third leg as part of the TT quartet which landed silver behind Bolt’s Jamaica team both at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and this year’s World championships in Berlin, Germany.
The 25 year old has reduced his personal best in the 100m three times in 2009 from 10.13 seconds in 2008 to 10.05 and advanced to the quarter finals in Berlin. In the 200m he dropped his pb to 20.40 from 20.69 in 2008. He made it to the semifinals in Berlin.
Your Ad Here
On Thursday, TrackAlerts.com broke the story that Barbadian Andrew Hinds and a few other notable athletes have joined the Mills-coached group.
PORT OF SPAIN; Trinidad: Olympic and World sprint relay silver medallist, Emmanuel Callendar of Trinidad and Tobago, has ended his association with his coach Glen Mills and the Racers Track Club where he had trained for the past two seasons with triple world record holder Usain Bolt.
Callendar did not disclose the reasons for the decision for the split but did say that he and his agent are working on his next move.
“I am back home in Trinidad training by myself,” was all that Callendar would say at this point.
Callendar, who moved to Jamaica just over two years ago, has been training alongside multiple world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica.
Callendar ran the third leg as part of the TT quartet which landed silver behind Bolt’s Jamaica team both at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and this year’s World championships in Berlin, Germany.
The 25 year old has reduced his personal best in the 100m three times in 2009 from 10.13 seconds in 2008 to 10.05 and advanced to the quarter finals in Berlin. In the 200m he dropped his pb to 20.40 from 20.69 in 2008. He made it to the semifinals in Berlin.
Your Ad Here
On Thursday, TrackAlerts.com broke the story that Barbadian Andrew Hinds and a few other notable athletes have joined the Mills-coached group.
9
What about Track & Field / The caribbean back in 1948 ...interesting video!
« on: September 03, 2009, 09:17:13 AM »11
What about Track & Field / A great bunch of guys....
« on: August 24, 2009, 02:59:34 AM »
TnT is 3rd fastest relay nation. Carib Power!!!!!
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235030-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-2009/199528-trinidad-and-tobago-nr-4x100-2nd-iaaf-world-championships
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235030-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-2009/199528-trinidad-and-tobago-nr-4x100-2nd-iaaf-world-championships
12
What about Track & Field / Rhatid, Ato turn possumist now?
« on: August 15, 2009, 11:59:51 AM »
Man seh dat he said Asafa was playing possum on NBC.
Possumists unite!
LoL
Possumists unite!
LoL
13
Cricket Anyone / Lara tribute from India
« on: August 12, 2009, 05:30:41 AM »
Ponting and Tendulkar's records pale before Lara's artistry
Jamaica Observer
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Dear Editor,
Ricky Ponting overtook Allan Border as the highest run scorer in Tests for Australia in the Third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Do statistics really concern the true connoisseurs of the game? My answer: No!
Ricky may eventually outscore Sachin Tendulkar too, but it doesn't matter. He may end up with 45 Test tons, but even that still doesn't matter. What matters is the style, substance and the circumstances in which those runs were made. That's where the brilliance and artistry of Brian Lara (The Prince) comes to the fore.
Lara in full flow was a sight for the Gods. Blessed are the souls who witnessed this master craftsman at the batting crease take on the best bowlers in the world - single-handedly saving his team from certain defeat or guiding them to victory and oftentimes with only Shiv Chanderpaul, his trusted lieutenant of many years, or only the tail-enders for company at the other end. Ricky played in the relative cushion of great Aussie batting line-ups for the majority of his career, as did Sachin for India.
Who can forget The Prince's valiant and priceless 153 against the rampaging Aussie juggernaut at Bridgetown in 1999, rated by Wisden as the second greatest Test innings of all time? Or his match-winning 213 at Kingston in the same series? Or his 277 at the MCG that heralded the batting genius's arrival on the world cricketing stage?
Take a bow, Ricky and Sachin to The Prince when you both hang up your boots with aggregates and centuries more than the left-handed genius - but what use are mere figures except for those cold-hearted statisticians of the game? Lara's heroics at Test venues across the world and his artistry on the Test batting canvas are for posterity. Not so the seemingly insurmountable heaps that Ricky and Sachin pile up in their continuing plundering of vastly depleted, anaemic, and impotent bowling line-ups since the passage of the last of the Test bowling greats years ago.
PVS Sudhakar Rao
Hyderabad
India
Jamaica Observer
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Dear Editor,
Ricky Ponting overtook Allan Border as the highest run scorer in Tests for Australia in the Third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Do statistics really concern the true connoisseurs of the game? My answer: No!
Ricky may eventually outscore Sachin Tendulkar too, but it doesn't matter. He may end up with 45 Test tons, but even that still doesn't matter. What matters is the style, substance and the circumstances in which those runs were made. That's where the brilliance and artistry of Brian Lara (The Prince) comes to the fore.
Lara in full flow was a sight for the Gods. Blessed are the souls who witnessed this master craftsman at the batting crease take on the best bowlers in the world - single-handedly saving his team from certain defeat or guiding them to victory and oftentimes with only Shiv Chanderpaul, his trusted lieutenant of many years, or only the tail-enders for company at the other end. Ricky played in the relative cushion of great Aussie batting line-ups for the majority of his career, as did Sachin for India.
Who can forget The Prince's valiant and priceless 153 against the rampaging Aussie juggernaut at Bridgetown in 1999, rated by Wisden as the second greatest Test innings of all time? Or his match-winning 213 at Kingston in the same series? Or his 277 at the MCG that heralded the batting genius's arrival on the world cricketing stage?
Take a bow, Ricky and Sachin to The Prince when you both hang up your boots with aggregates and centuries more than the left-handed genius - but what use are mere figures except for those cold-hearted statisticians of the game? Lara's heroics at Test venues across the world and his artistry on the Test batting canvas are for posterity. Not so the seemingly insurmountable heaps that Ricky and Sachin pile up in their continuing plundering of vastly depleted, anaemic, and impotent bowling line-ups since the passage of the last of the Test bowling greats years ago.
PVS Sudhakar Rao
Hyderabad
India
14
Cricket Anyone / Morton demanding a call up?
« on: March 31, 2009, 05:30:35 AM »
Based on recent performance!
Jamaica retain title as Morton gets record
Published: Tuesday | March 31, 2009
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (CMC):
Runako Morton yesterday scored an unprecedented second double century in as many games, the first time in the history of sponsored regional cricket since 1966 that a batsman has scored double centuries in consecutive matches.
He stroked a robust 231 and propelled the Leeward Islands to a seasonal team record total of 596 all out, on the last day of their drawn 12th-round WICB Regional Four-day match at Grove Park. The Leewards secured a 77-run first innings lead and CCC reached 44 for one in their second innings when the game was called off as a tame draw.
The match result also confirmed Jamaica as George Headley/Everton Weekes Trophy winners, as the Leewards were the only side with a mathematical chance of overtaking them, but needed maximum points from all their remaining fixtures to achieve that.
Jamaica lead the standings with an unassailable 94 points, followed by Windward Islands on 75, the Leewards at 65, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago tied on 54, Combined Campuses and Colleges with 36 and Guyana on 30.
T&T, Guyana draw
AT PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago drew with Guyana.
Scores:
GUYANA 282 (Sewnarine Chattergoon 68, Steven Jacobs 54, Travis Dowlin 42, Christopher Barnwell 30, Assad Fudadin 22; Imran Khan 5-42, Navin Stewart 2-74) & 213 for seven (Narsingh Deonarine 74, Christopher Barnwell 57; Sherwin Ganga 2-13, Imran Khan 2-24, Atiba Allert 2-35).
T&T 259 (Daren Ganga 92, Adrian Barath 38, Sherwin Ganga 36, Darren Bravo 27; Veerasammy Permaul 4-54, Davindra Bishoo 3-48).
Jamaica retain title as Morton gets record
Published: Tuesday | March 31, 2009
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (CMC):
Runako Morton yesterday scored an unprecedented second double century in as many games, the first time in the history of sponsored regional cricket since 1966 that a batsman has scored double centuries in consecutive matches.
He stroked a robust 231 and propelled the Leeward Islands to a seasonal team record total of 596 all out, on the last day of their drawn 12th-round WICB Regional Four-day match at Grove Park. The Leewards secured a 77-run first innings lead and CCC reached 44 for one in their second innings when the game was called off as a tame draw.
The match result also confirmed Jamaica as George Headley/Everton Weekes Trophy winners, as the Leewards were the only side with a mathematical chance of overtaking them, but needed maximum points from all their remaining fixtures to achieve that.
Jamaica lead the standings with an unassailable 94 points, followed by Windward Islands on 75, the Leewards at 65, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago tied on 54, Combined Campuses and Colleges with 36 and Guyana on 30.
T&T, Guyana draw
AT PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago drew with Guyana.
Scores:
GUYANA 282 (Sewnarine Chattergoon 68, Steven Jacobs 54, Travis Dowlin 42, Christopher Barnwell 30, Assad Fudadin 22; Imran Khan 5-42, Navin Stewart 2-74) & 213 for seven (Narsingh Deonarine 74, Christopher Barnwell 57; Sherwin Ganga 2-13, Imran Khan 2-24, Atiba Allert 2-35).
T&T 259 (Daren Ganga 92, Adrian Barath 38, Sherwin Ganga 36, Darren Bravo 27; Veerasammy Permaul 4-54, Davindra Bishoo 3-48).
15
What about Track & Field / Bolt beaten???
« on: March 14, 2009, 03:43:45 PM »
Bolt ran a 9.93 with a +2.3m/s wind. Daniel Bailey (Antigua), 9.93, actually beat Bolt. Yohan ran in a separate race 10.08 +1.5m/s wind, Winston Barnes 10.16, Wellington 10.21
Looks like Yohan Blake has the world leading time.
Bolt, Blake, Bailey are RACERS
Barnes and Wellington are MVP.
Looks like Yohan Blake has the world leading time.
Bolt, Blake, Bailey are RACERS
Barnes and Wellington are MVP.
16
What about Track & Field / Asafa new PB at 400m
« on: February 28, 2009, 04:24:54 AM »Men 400m: Asafa Powell is trackside, and ready to run an extra 300m!... X-Man is on, Steff is there, Milburn looks focused, and Wroe with the sunnies. This is one of the races of the meet. We're ready to go... Asafa Powell made to look as if he's jogging for the first 300m, but then motors home. Steff, Milburn, Wroe, Mulcahy, and X-Man lead into the straight, and Wroe takes it out from X-Man Carter. Wroe - 45.28, and Powell a massive PB of 45.94.
17
What about Track & Field / Rogge the hypocrite
« on: February 21, 2009, 10:27:25 AM »
So much venom for Bolt. Is it all about colour?
Also, what is this shite about out of competition? PEDs are tested OOC as a matter of course!
IOC boss backs Phelps
Published: Saturday | February 21, 2009
BRUSSELS (AP):
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said yesterday that Michael Phelps failed in his "duty" as a role model but deserves a second chance, after being photographed with a marijuana pipe.
Rogge said the American swimmer's apology and promise not to do it again gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"I tend to believe he will not do it," Rogge said at the opening of an IOC liaison office with the European Union. "We have to give him a second chance.
"Michael Phelps had a duty to be a role model. It is not just enough to win eight medals," he said. "He has a role to play for youth. He has to be an example. He failed in that."
Drug charges status
The Olympian found out this week that he won't face drug charges after a South Carolina sheriff said there wasn't enough physical evidence to charge the 14-time gold medallist.
"It's a mistake I won't make again," Phelps said in the statement.
Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. He was suspended by the US swimming federation for three months after a British newspaper published the photo of Phelps holding the pipe at a party in South Carolina.
Rogge said Phelps was not guilty of a doping offence because the incident occurred outside competition but warned: "This is not something he should repeat."
Also, what is this shite about out of competition? PEDs are tested OOC as a matter of course!
IOC boss backs Phelps
Published: Saturday | February 21, 2009
BRUSSELS (AP):
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said yesterday that Michael Phelps failed in his "duty" as a role model but deserves a second chance, after being photographed with a marijuana pipe.
Rogge said the American swimmer's apology and promise not to do it again gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"I tend to believe he will not do it," Rogge said at the opening of an IOC liaison office with the European Union. "We have to give him a second chance.
"Michael Phelps had a duty to be a role model. It is not just enough to win eight medals," he said. "He has a role to play for youth. He has to be an example. He failed in that."
Drug charges status
The Olympian found out this week that he won't face drug charges after a South Carolina sheriff said there wasn't enough physical evidence to charge the 14-time gold medallist.
"It's a mistake I won't make again," Phelps said in the statement.
Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. He was suspended by the US swimming federation for three months after a British newspaper published the photo of Phelps holding the pipe at a party in South Carolina.
Rogge said Phelps was not guilty of a doping offence because the incident occurred outside competition but warned: "This is not something he should repeat."
18
Cricket Anyone / Powell concerned about his bowling.
« on: February 21, 2009, 10:25:08 AM »
Powell concerned about his bowling
Published: Saturday | February 21, 2009
West Indies' bowler Daren Powell (left) reacts while England's batsmen Alastair Cook (centre) and Owais Shah run between the wickets, in the second innings during the fourth day of the third cricket Test match at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St John's, Antigua, on Wednesday. - AP
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):
Daren Powell would argue with no one about his underachievement with the ball in international cricket.
The West Indies fast bowler has come under the microscope lately, following a string of weak performances and a couple of disciplinary matters.
The 30-year-old Powell has captured 83 wickets at 46.34 apiece in 35 Tests, after he made his debut against New Zealand at Bridge-town seven years ago.
Last year, Powell snared a mere 19 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 58.10, getting a wicket every 98 balls.
"I am also concerned about the way I have been bowling," Powell confessed to reporters, following his batting exploits that helped West Indies draw the third Test against England on Thursday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
"If I was another player looking in and saw somebody in my shoes not picking up wickets as regular as Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor for the time that I have been around, I would also feel bad about not playing."
Prior to the series, Clyde Butts, convenor of the West Indies selection panel, had indicated that Powell had been put on notice that his performances and his behaviour, too, had to improve or else he would find himself out of the team.
Powell has still not set the series on fire with his bowling. He has taken a mere four wickets at 45.74 apiece and continued to be plagued by inconsistent bowling.
Gripping the ball
"I have a bit of a problem with the way that I grip the ball," he admitted. "I am working on it and it is coming out better. My control is getting better now.
"I will keep on working it, and if I play in Barbados, I will try to bowl more consistently, so that I can pick up wickets.
"I have to back myself out there. I have to put behind me all that is being said and back myself."
Powell's place in the side remains open to serious question, but he is not likely to be left out for the fourth Test, starting on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
There are few challengers for his place, although Lionel Baker and Kemar Roach have been waiting in the wings and have been recent West Indies selectees in either Tests or one-day internationals, or both.
But Powell has an incentive to do well in Barbados, as well as the fifth and final Test, starting on March 6 at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
"I have predicted that we will beat England 3-0 and for us to be able to achieve this, I have to be taking wickets," he said.
"This is what is driving me during this series and the other guys have been giving me the confidence to go out there and bowl.
"In this game, I bowled well in patches, so it is now for me to put the patches together and make one and, hopefully, I would pick up a lot of wickets."
West Indies lead the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening Test at Kingston inside four days when they bowled England out for their third lowest total of 51 in the second innings.
Published: Saturday | February 21, 2009
West Indies' bowler Daren Powell (left) reacts while England's batsmen Alastair Cook (centre) and Owais Shah run between the wickets, in the second innings during the fourth day of the third cricket Test match at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St John's, Antigua, on Wednesday. - AP
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):
Daren Powell would argue with no one about his underachievement with the ball in international cricket.
The West Indies fast bowler has come under the microscope lately, following a string of weak performances and a couple of disciplinary matters.
The 30-year-old Powell has captured 83 wickets at 46.34 apiece in 35 Tests, after he made his debut against New Zealand at Bridge-town seven years ago.
Last year, Powell snared a mere 19 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 58.10, getting a wicket every 98 balls.
"I am also concerned about the way I have been bowling," Powell confessed to reporters, following his batting exploits that helped West Indies draw the third Test against England on Thursday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
"If I was another player looking in and saw somebody in my shoes not picking up wickets as regular as Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor for the time that I have been around, I would also feel bad about not playing."
Prior to the series, Clyde Butts, convenor of the West Indies selection panel, had indicated that Powell had been put on notice that his performances and his behaviour, too, had to improve or else he would find himself out of the team.
Powell has still not set the series on fire with his bowling. He has taken a mere four wickets at 45.74 apiece and continued to be plagued by inconsistent bowling.
Gripping the ball
"I have a bit of a problem with the way that I grip the ball," he admitted. "I am working on it and it is coming out better. My control is getting better now.
"I will keep on working it, and if I play in Barbados, I will try to bowl more consistently, so that I can pick up wickets.
"I have to back myself out there. I have to put behind me all that is being said and back myself."
Powell's place in the side remains open to serious question, but he is not likely to be left out for the fourth Test, starting on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
There are few challengers for his place, although Lionel Baker and Kemar Roach have been waiting in the wings and have been recent West Indies selectees in either Tests or one-day internationals, or both.
But Powell has an incentive to do well in Barbados, as well as the fifth and final Test, starting on March 6 at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
"I have predicted that we will beat England 3-0 and for us to be able to achieve this, I have to be taking wickets," he said.
"This is what is driving me during this series and the other guys have been giving me the confidence to go out there and bowl.
"In this game, I bowled well in patches, so it is now for me to put the patches together and make one and, hopefully, I would pick up a lot of wickets."
West Indies lead the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening Test at Kingston inside four days when they bowled England out for their third lowest total of 51 in the second innings.
19
What about Track & Field / UK view
« on: February 21, 2009, 10:09:42 AM »
Jamaicans show there is life after 2012
Posted By: Simon Hart at Feb 21, 2009 at 12:15:00 [General]
Posted in: Sport , Olympics
Tags:
2012, jamaica, London Olympics, UK Sport, Usain Bolt
I was in Jamaica last week to watch Usain Bolt's first race of the year (some people get all the rotten jobs) and can report that the country who won 11 athletics medals at the Beijing Olympics, six of them gold, looks ready to dominate the track for years to come if the sheer number of would-be stars is anything to go by.
Bolt's season-opening 400 metes race was slotted into an athletics meeting for primary and secondary schools in the local Kingston area and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.
There were more than 2,000 kids there, crammed onto the infield and around the track, waiting for their chance to run or jump in the scorching heat. The volunteer officials had a hard job to keep order and stop them spilling onto the track.
The standard of athletics looked pretty tasty, too. A local journalist pointed out several world junior medallists. He also told me that 'development' events like this take place every weekend in various parts of Jamaica from the start of January through to the spring.
There was nothing new about this passion for the track, he said, though school teachers all over the country were reporting that, following Bolt's golden hat-trick in Beijing, there had been a huge surge of interest in the short sprints.
With that in mind, it was disconcerting to hear last week's mission statement from, Charles van Commenee, who started work as Britain's new head coach of athletics earlier this month after four years as technical director of the Dutch Olympic Committee.
"I am here to win medals with the athletes in London," he said. "I have to. Medals in London are my goal. I will be focusing very much on the very elite athletes."
He added: "At the end of the day, I want to be judged at the closing ceremony and if I have not hit the target, I am sure I will be gone the next day. I will do anything to make it happen."
His comments beg the question: what happens the day after the closing ceremony?
Van Commenee cannot be blamed for looking no further than the GB medal count in 2012. That is his brief - getting the best out of the current crop of athletes rather than being distracted by the next generation.
But the focus on a future that ends in three years' time is part of a wider obsession with the short term that has crept into Olympic sport in Britain.
When London was awarded the Olympics in 2005, all the talk was about using the Games to build a sporting legacy for future generations.
Now, as the clock ticks down, it is all about maximising the 2012 medal count - a philosophy forced on sports by UK Sport's 'no-compromise' funding mechanism that rewards sports with the best medal chances in London but is much less generous towards sports building for life after 2012.
Sports such as handball, water polo, volleyball, who were never going to be genuinely competitive in 2012 but who had been earmarked as possible medal contenders in 2016, have now been left with only token funding following the Government's refusal to make good a £50million shortfall in private-sector funding.
Shooting, which has had its funding slashed by 76 per cent because it could not guarantee medal success in 2012, has had to reduce its number of funded competitors from 46 to five, with the axe falling mainly on younger shooters. So much for the next generation of Olympians.
As for athletics, it was interesting to hear the views of Christine Ohuruogu last week. She told me that her recipe for building Olympic success began with building a wide base at grassroots level.
As a teenager, she gained inspiration from numerous club athletes who, though faster than her at the time, were never going to become Olympic champions. But without their help in training, she would never have got where she is today. The sport needed healthy levels of participation to flourish at the top.
Which brings us back to Jamaica, and the hordes of schoolchildren in action on a scruffy track in Kingston.
Britain may well rejoice in a record medal haul in 2012 but regarding the London Olympics as an end in itself rather than a gateway to the future will not get us very far when the young Jamaicans come of age.
Posted By: Simon Hart at Feb 21, 2009 at 12:15:00 [General]
Posted in: Sport , Olympics
Tags:
2012, jamaica, London Olympics, UK Sport, Usain Bolt
I was in Jamaica last week to watch Usain Bolt's first race of the year (some people get all the rotten jobs) and can report that the country who won 11 athletics medals at the Beijing Olympics, six of them gold, looks ready to dominate the track for years to come if the sheer number of would-be stars is anything to go by.
Bolt's season-opening 400 metes race was slotted into an athletics meeting for primary and secondary schools in the local Kingston area and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.
There were more than 2,000 kids there, crammed onto the infield and around the track, waiting for their chance to run or jump in the scorching heat. The volunteer officials had a hard job to keep order and stop them spilling onto the track.
The standard of athletics looked pretty tasty, too. A local journalist pointed out several world junior medallists. He also told me that 'development' events like this take place every weekend in various parts of Jamaica from the start of January through to the spring.
There was nothing new about this passion for the track, he said, though school teachers all over the country were reporting that, following Bolt's golden hat-trick in Beijing, there had been a huge surge of interest in the short sprints.
With that in mind, it was disconcerting to hear last week's mission statement from, Charles van Commenee, who started work as Britain's new head coach of athletics earlier this month after four years as technical director of the Dutch Olympic Committee.
"I am here to win medals with the athletes in London," he said. "I have to. Medals in London are my goal. I will be focusing very much on the very elite athletes."
He added: "At the end of the day, I want to be judged at the closing ceremony and if I have not hit the target, I am sure I will be gone the next day. I will do anything to make it happen."
His comments beg the question: what happens the day after the closing ceremony?
Van Commenee cannot be blamed for looking no further than the GB medal count in 2012. That is his brief - getting the best out of the current crop of athletes rather than being distracted by the next generation.
But the focus on a future that ends in three years' time is part of a wider obsession with the short term that has crept into Olympic sport in Britain.
When London was awarded the Olympics in 2005, all the talk was about using the Games to build a sporting legacy for future generations.
Now, as the clock ticks down, it is all about maximising the 2012 medal count - a philosophy forced on sports by UK Sport's 'no-compromise' funding mechanism that rewards sports with the best medal chances in London but is much less generous towards sports building for life after 2012.
Sports such as handball, water polo, volleyball, who were never going to be genuinely competitive in 2012 but who had been earmarked as possible medal contenders in 2016, have now been left with only token funding following the Government's refusal to make good a £50million shortfall in private-sector funding.
Shooting, which has had its funding slashed by 76 per cent because it could not guarantee medal success in 2012, has had to reduce its number of funded competitors from 46 to five, with the axe falling mainly on younger shooters. So much for the next generation of Olympians.
As for athletics, it was interesting to hear the views of Christine Ohuruogu last week. She told me that her recipe for building Olympic success began with building a wide base at grassroots level.
As a teenager, she gained inspiration from numerous club athletes who, though faster than her at the time, were never going to become Olympic champions. But without their help in training, she would never have got where she is today. The sport needed healthy levels of participation to flourish at the top.
Which brings us back to Jamaica, and the hordes of schoolchildren in action on a scruffy track in Kingston.
Britain may well rejoice in a record medal haul in 2012 but regarding the London Olympics as an end in itself rather than a gateway to the future will not get us very far when the young Jamaicans come of age.
20
Cricket Anyone / Wi win, wi win...
« on: February 19, 2009, 04:05:43 PM »
Or at least it feels like it.
Rally round the Windies.
The new Windies never says die!
Rally round the Windies.
The new Windies never says die!
21
Cricket Anyone / Yes, W.I. can!
« on: February 15, 2009, 08:36:40 AM »
Yes, we can at Sabina!
Published: Sunday | February 15, 2009
Kevin O'Brien Chang, Contributor
Rally, rally round the West Indies
Now and forever
Rally, rally round the West Indies
Never say never
Pretty soon the runs are going to flow like water
Bringing so much joy to every son and daughter
- David Rudder
Worst Indies. That's what people have been calling the formerly beloved cricket team for the last 10 years or so. A once-proud symbol of joy was now a constant source of embarrassment, as they lost match after match. Sensible people simply stopped caring. Those helplessly addicted to Windies cricket began to question our sanity - why voluntarily subject yourself to endless humiliation?
But last Saturday, the faithful were rewarded in a manner beyond our wildest fantasies when West Indies routed England for 51 and crushed them by an innings.
Memories to treasure
In the grand scheme of things, neither cricket nor any sport matters very much. But then, once your loved ones are healthy and you have enough to eat in reasonable comfort, what does?
Yet, even essentially meaningless diversions can give you memories to treasure. And those lucky enough to be at Sabina Park on February 7 will never forget it. Years hence, we will still reminisce fondly about the famous victory and wonderful celebrations.
For this was not just a sporting triumph, it was years of pent-up disappointment erupting into unbridled ecstasy.
The atmosphere on the Red Stripe Mound had to be experienced to be believed. It felt almost surreal, and I felt myself asking time and again: Is it really possible for people to be so deliriously happy for so long?
Because that's the thing about cricket, and Test cricket in particular - everything seems to happen in slow motion. So, yes, there are quiet periods which to uninitiated outsiders are almost unbearably tedious. But the excitement also unfolds moment by moment.
So, when things go as well as they did eight days ago, and the enjoyment metre keeps ratcheting up with every wicket, you can almost feel enveloped in a cloud of palpable joy. Being in Jamaica, of course, magnifies everything.
And everyone fortunate enough to be there can testify that it was not possible for there to be a happier place on the planet than Sabina two Saturdays ago.
Warmth and generosity
On Friday, I started chatting to70-year-old English visitor John Beckett, who told me he has been watching cricket since he was seven, and seen every great post-war batsman from Bradman to Lara. His favourite? Viv Richards.
On Saturday, when England was 50 for 8, I went over to tease him, as we opposing cricket fans love to do.
"In a spot of bother, are we?"
He responded with a smile and said, "Kevin, I have been to lots of places, almost everywhere really. And I have never enjoyed myself as much as I have over the past two days. I simply can't say enough about the warmth and generosity and humour of you Jamaicans. I can't wait to return."
And this, mark you, while his team was getting slaughtered. Cheers, John, and see you again soon.
The mound even channelled Barack Obama. When it reached 26 for 5, and fans really began to sense something extraordinary in the air, someone shouted "Yes, we can!".
The crowd took up the chant, shouting it louder with each wicket. The inspired deejay responded with Sam Cooke's anthem, and the entire mound sang along to the very appropriate "It's been a long, a long time coming, But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will."
I wonder if the West Indies team heard, and if it had any effect?
That said, my one disappointment with the mound is its rather limited palette of Jamaican music, which consists mainly of Bob Marley and recent dancehall. They ignore so many evocative reggae gems that could add cricketing spice, tunes like Sweet and Dandy, Pressure Drop and You Can Get It If You Really Want It.
So, there you are. One of the most enjoyable days of my life, and I still have to find something to complain about! But what else can you expect from a Jamaican?
Star performer
Now, Saturday's victory was especially satisfying to me, because the star performer was Jerome Taylor, whom I've got to know quite well over the past five years. Since I have a daughter only, he's the closest thing I have to a son. And it really has been great to see how this young man has grown both on and off the pitch.
His modest interview afterwards made us all just as proud as his fantastic spell for the figures of nine overs, 11 runs, five wickets.
There's no brag or boast about this descendant of the fighting Maroons, just quiet pride and intelligent confidence. His mother and father certainly instilled excellent qualities in him.
When I was growing up, cricket was a bond unifying all Jamaicans. Every radio was tuned to cricket during a test match, and you had to line up early to get tickets. I remember more than once going home in bitter disappointment because the match was sold out.
But now Test matches are carried intermittently by just one station, KLAS FM 89, and only a dedicated band of devotees listen.
Changing cricket
Even on weekends Sabina Park is now merely half full. Why? Well, the constant string of humiliating defeats has turned many people off West Indies cricket. Plus, there are so many other diversions for young boys and men, such as NBA, EPL and video games. And in our time-strapped society, who has time to spend a whole day, much less five whole days, on anything?
That's why 20/20 has taken the cricket world by storm. Finished in three hours, it draws huge crowds and pulls in big money everywhere. It's the future of the game, and will likely be a planet-wide smash, making cricket popular in places that have never heard of it before. Simple yet skilled, and exciting and unpredictable, 20/20 could well become in 10 years the second most popular team sport in the world behind football.
But for all the riches they will bring, 20/20 or 50-over one-day internationals will never provide the lasting memories of Tests.
I've seen many exciting one-day games at Sabina. But none linger in the mind, certainly not the way that Lara's 213 in 1999 does. Or even the 47 all out in 2004. Or last Saturday's 51 bowled out will. No, money is not all - or even most.
The optimist hopes this win heralds a new dawn in West Indies cricket, and that the runs and joy will soon again flow like water.
The realist accepts times are a changing, and that Test cricket might well continue to fade away.
But come what may and God willing, I will continue my annual pilgrimage to Sabina Park, in search of more days that I will never forget.
Feedback may be sent to changkob@hotmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.
Published: Sunday | February 15, 2009
Kevin O'Brien Chang, Contributor
Rally, rally round the West Indies
Now and forever
Rally, rally round the West Indies
Never say never
Pretty soon the runs are going to flow like water
Bringing so much joy to every son and daughter
- David Rudder
Worst Indies. That's what people have been calling the formerly beloved cricket team for the last 10 years or so. A once-proud symbol of joy was now a constant source of embarrassment, as they lost match after match. Sensible people simply stopped caring. Those helplessly addicted to Windies cricket began to question our sanity - why voluntarily subject yourself to endless humiliation?
But last Saturday, the faithful were rewarded in a manner beyond our wildest fantasies when West Indies routed England for 51 and crushed them by an innings.
Memories to treasure
In the grand scheme of things, neither cricket nor any sport matters very much. But then, once your loved ones are healthy and you have enough to eat in reasonable comfort, what does?
Yet, even essentially meaningless diversions can give you memories to treasure. And those lucky enough to be at Sabina Park on February 7 will never forget it. Years hence, we will still reminisce fondly about the famous victory and wonderful celebrations.
For this was not just a sporting triumph, it was years of pent-up disappointment erupting into unbridled ecstasy.
The atmosphere on the Red Stripe Mound had to be experienced to be believed. It felt almost surreal, and I felt myself asking time and again: Is it really possible for people to be so deliriously happy for so long?
Because that's the thing about cricket, and Test cricket in particular - everything seems to happen in slow motion. So, yes, there are quiet periods which to uninitiated outsiders are almost unbearably tedious. But the excitement also unfolds moment by moment.
So, when things go as well as they did eight days ago, and the enjoyment metre keeps ratcheting up with every wicket, you can almost feel enveloped in a cloud of palpable joy. Being in Jamaica, of course, magnifies everything.
And everyone fortunate enough to be there can testify that it was not possible for there to be a happier place on the planet than Sabina two Saturdays ago.
Warmth and generosity
On Friday, I started chatting to70-year-old English visitor John Beckett, who told me he has been watching cricket since he was seven, and seen every great post-war batsman from Bradman to Lara. His favourite? Viv Richards.
On Saturday, when England was 50 for 8, I went over to tease him, as we opposing cricket fans love to do.
"In a spot of bother, are we?"
He responded with a smile and said, "Kevin, I have been to lots of places, almost everywhere really. And I have never enjoyed myself as much as I have over the past two days. I simply can't say enough about the warmth and generosity and humour of you Jamaicans. I can't wait to return."
And this, mark you, while his team was getting slaughtered. Cheers, John, and see you again soon.
The mound even channelled Barack Obama. When it reached 26 for 5, and fans really began to sense something extraordinary in the air, someone shouted "Yes, we can!".
The crowd took up the chant, shouting it louder with each wicket. The inspired deejay responded with Sam Cooke's anthem, and the entire mound sang along to the very appropriate "It's been a long, a long time coming, But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will."
I wonder if the West Indies team heard, and if it had any effect?
That said, my one disappointment with the mound is its rather limited palette of Jamaican music, which consists mainly of Bob Marley and recent dancehall. They ignore so many evocative reggae gems that could add cricketing spice, tunes like Sweet and Dandy, Pressure Drop and You Can Get It If You Really Want It.
So, there you are. One of the most enjoyable days of my life, and I still have to find something to complain about! But what else can you expect from a Jamaican?
Star performer
Now, Saturday's victory was especially satisfying to me, because the star performer was Jerome Taylor, whom I've got to know quite well over the past five years. Since I have a daughter only, he's the closest thing I have to a son. And it really has been great to see how this young man has grown both on and off the pitch.
His modest interview afterwards made us all just as proud as his fantastic spell for the figures of nine overs, 11 runs, five wickets.
There's no brag or boast about this descendant of the fighting Maroons, just quiet pride and intelligent confidence. His mother and father certainly instilled excellent qualities in him.
When I was growing up, cricket was a bond unifying all Jamaicans. Every radio was tuned to cricket during a test match, and you had to line up early to get tickets. I remember more than once going home in bitter disappointment because the match was sold out.
But now Test matches are carried intermittently by just one station, KLAS FM 89, and only a dedicated band of devotees listen.
Changing cricket
Even on weekends Sabina Park is now merely half full. Why? Well, the constant string of humiliating defeats has turned many people off West Indies cricket. Plus, there are so many other diversions for young boys and men, such as NBA, EPL and video games. And in our time-strapped society, who has time to spend a whole day, much less five whole days, on anything?
That's why 20/20 has taken the cricket world by storm. Finished in three hours, it draws huge crowds and pulls in big money everywhere. It's the future of the game, and will likely be a planet-wide smash, making cricket popular in places that have never heard of it before. Simple yet skilled, and exciting and unpredictable, 20/20 could well become in 10 years the second most popular team sport in the world behind football.
But for all the riches they will bring, 20/20 or 50-over one-day internationals will never provide the lasting memories of Tests.
I've seen many exciting one-day games at Sabina. But none linger in the mind, certainly not the way that Lara's 213 in 1999 does. Or even the 47 all out in 2004. Or last Saturday's 51 bowled out will. No, money is not all - or even most.
The optimist hopes this win heralds a new dawn in West Indies cricket, and that the runs and joy will soon again flow like water.
The realist accepts times are a changing, and that Test cricket might well continue to fade away.
But come what may and God willing, I will continue my annual pilgrimage to Sabina Park, in search of more days that I will never forget.
Feedback may be sent to changkob@hotmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.
22
What about Track & Field / Chatted with Richard and Mark last night
« on: September 03, 2008, 03:15:28 AM »
2 good youth.
I really liked them, and they appreciated being hailed up by a fellow West Indians, and it dresssed replete in my Jam colours.
I really liked them, and they appreciated being hailed up by a fellow West Indians, and it dresssed replete in my Jam colours.
23
What about Track & Field / Just for Palos...
« on: August 12, 2008, 07:38:23 AM »
Excerpt from UK article:
DRUGS TESTS
Powell said the only disappointment during the run-up to the Games had been the number of drug tests he has been required to take.
"About two days ago, I got pretty upset because since I have been here they have tested me four times and took blood, a lot of blood," Powell said.
"They are taking so much blood we are going to be very weak before the finals of the 100 metres," he said. "And I am almost sure I might be tested tomorrow.
"I don't know about anybody else but they are really down on my case and my team mate Michael Frater and Usain."
Powell added, though, that he accepted the importance of the testing and hoped officials caught everyone on performance-enhancing drugs so the Games could be clean.
DRUGS TESTS
Powell said the only disappointment during the run-up to the Games had been the number of drug tests he has been required to take.
"About two days ago, I got pretty upset because since I have been here they have tested me four times and took blood, a lot of blood," Powell said.
"They are taking so much blood we are going to be very weak before the finals of the 100 metres," he said. "And I am almost sure I might be tested tomorrow.
"I don't know about anybody else but they are really down on my case and my team mate Michael Frater and Usain."
Powell added, though, that he accepted the importance of the testing and hoped officials caught everyone on performance-enhancing drugs so the Games could be clean.
24
What about Track & Field / How dos TnT M 4x400m realy look?
« on: July 04, 2008, 02:40:16 AM »
Who are the players what are the chances.
The US and Bahamas seem to have the top spots. Jamaica would do well for bronze, but you have the UK, Aussies, Ngr, maybe Canada and Brazil to worry about.
Apart from Ronny and Modibo, who else?
The US and Bahamas seem to have the top spots. Jamaica would do well for bronze, but you have the UK, Aussies, Ngr, maybe Canada and Brazil to worry about.
Apart from Ronny and Modibo, who else?
25
What about Track & Field / D Brown predictions
« on: May 15, 2008, 08:06:50 AM »
Word from MVP is that DB will definitely be in sub-10 shape if he remains healthy. That 10.02s run was done of background training. Speedwork (sharpening) has not started yet, but will be soon, to get all the charges ready for Trials.
26
What about Track & Field / D. Brown sighting in the 200m
« on: April 18, 2008, 04:14:27 PM »Mt Sac on Sunday.
Other interesting clashes lined up were;
100m men BIGGA Thomas vs Nesta Carter vs Chris Williams VS Ainsley Waugh
200 men Chris Williams vs BIGGA Thomas vs Darrel Brown vs Mike Frater
200 women VC vs Torri Edwards
400 men Omar Brown opens up
4 x 100m men Jamaica vs HSI vs US Red vs US White vs US Blue ( a PENNS warm up maybe)
27
What about Track & Field / Ato, how was Champs?
« on: March 19, 2008, 04:14:41 AM »
I heard you and Don Bailey were there.
Had you gone before? How did this year compare?
Any prospects for the camp next year (no need to call names). LoL
Had you gone before? How did this year compare?
Any prospects for the camp next year (no need to call names). LoL
28
Cricket Anyone / Is Trininfinite and Becca the same person?
« on: May 16, 2007, 03:09:04 AM »
LoL
You both see eye to eye on this.
ON THE BOUNDARY - The joke of the century
published: Tuesday | May 15, 2007
Tony Becca
The first Test between the West Indies and England gets under way at Lord's on Thursday an the home team, based on the results of the past three series, based on the aggregate and average of their batsmen, based on the number of wickets taken and the average of their bowlers and based on the experience and skill of their captain, seems way ahead of the visitors, I was, up to four days ago, prepared to back the Windies an I am a gambler, probably even bet a dollar or two on them.
Backed West Indies
One reason why I was prepared to back the West Indies is because of two results in the European football leagues recently - two results that underlined, once again, the glorious uncertainty of sport and the fact that upsets, and huge upsets at that, are part and parcel of sport.
A week or so ago Inter-Milan, the league champions of Italy, were smashed 6-2 by Roma in the final of Coppa Italia and even more shocking, a few days ago, Barcelona, leaders in the Spanish league, one of the greatest teams in the world, the team that parade the likes of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Saviola, Deco, Giuly, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Lilian Thuram, Xavi, Sylvinho and Argentine wonder boy Lionel Messi, the team that won the first leg 5-2, were destroyed 4-0 in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals by Getafe - a team that hardly anyone outside of Spain has ever even heard about.
Another reason is that England, probably because they are so pampered that their players, their 13 contracted players, hardly play County cricket, have lost the ability to compete and usually collapse at the first hurdle.
SIMPLE REASON
Although nothing has changed with the teams recently, I have, however, changed my mind as far as backing the West Indies is concerned, I have done so for one simple reason, and it has nothing to do with the fact that based on what they have been saying since they have been promoted, coach David Moore, captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and vice-captain Daren Ganga, along with manager Michael Findlay have all admitted that something, as so many of us have been saying over the years, is wrong and has been wrong with the West Indies team for a long, long time.
According to three of the four gentlemen, the three who, as assistant coach and members of the team, should know what is what or what was what, for the team to do well in England, the players need to appreciate the value of fitness and proper preparation, they need to understand that it is important to stick together and to shake off the tag of indiscipline and they need to understand that good discipline plays an important part in sport.
According to Sarwan, if someone clamps down on indiscipline, it will be good for the team.
According to the manager, the players need to know that improper conduct, indiscipline will not be condoned.
No, as important as all that is, that is not why I have changed my mind.
I have changed my mind for the simple reason that the West Indies team is badly inneed of a coach - at least someone who knows the difference between an ordinary slow bowler and a good spin bowler.
NONSENSE
Of all the nonsense I have heard every time the West Indies are beginning a tour, the worse, the very worse, came out of the mouth of coach Moore on Thursday when he said, without choking, when he told people, without batting an eyelid, that Chris Gayle is the best spin bowler in the West Indies.
According to Moore, Gayle, who has taken 53 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 38.69, is the best and he offers as support for his argument the fact that the left-handed opening batsman has provided the bulk of the West Indies spin variety in recent years.
That, however, does not and cannot make Gayle the best spin bowler in the West Indies. That only means he is the one that has been selected regularly to bowl spin - or rather to bowl slow.
There is no spin bowler alive who would have been still alive with a record of less than one wicket per Test match.
If Gayle is a spin bowler - which I would be surprised if he himself believes he is, if Gayle is a good spin bowler - which neither his first-class figures of 101 wickets in 134 matches at an average of 38.66 nor his Test return suggests he is, if Gayle is better than Dave Mohammed, Omari Banks and Amit Jaggernauth, if he is better than Nikita Miller of Melbourne and Jamaica, if he is better than Bevan Brown and Odean Brown of St. Catherine CC and Jamaica, if he is better than Andre Dwyer of Manchester and Jamaica and if he is even better than Dave Bulli of Kensington CC, to name a few, then something is wrong, really wrong, with West Indies cricket.
That must be the joke of the century - either that or, as many believe, Moore, the West Indies coach, does not know anything about the game and should not be the West Indies coach.
__________________
You both see eye to eye on this.
ON THE BOUNDARY - The joke of the century
published: Tuesday | May 15, 2007
Tony Becca
The first Test between the West Indies and England gets under way at Lord's on Thursday an the home team, based on the results of the past three series, based on the aggregate and average of their batsmen, based on the number of wickets taken and the average of their bowlers and based on the experience and skill of their captain, seems way ahead of the visitors, I was, up to four days ago, prepared to back the Windies an I am a gambler, probably even bet a dollar or two on them.
Backed West Indies
One reason why I was prepared to back the West Indies is because of two results in the European football leagues recently - two results that underlined, once again, the glorious uncertainty of sport and the fact that upsets, and huge upsets at that, are part and parcel of sport.
A week or so ago Inter-Milan, the league champions of Italy, were smashed 6-2 by Roma in the final of Coppa Italia and even more shocking, a few days ago, Barcelona, leaders in the Spanish league, one of the greatest teams in the world, the team that parade the likes of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Saviola, Deco, Giuly, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Lilian Thuram, Xavi, Sylvinho and Argentine wonder boy Lionel Messi, the team that won the first leg 5-2, were destroyed 4-0 in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals by Getafe - a team that hardly anyone outside of Spain has ever even heard about.
Another reason is that England, probably because they are so pampered that their players, their 13 contracted players, hardly play County cricket, have lost the ability to compete and usually collapse at the first hurdle.
SIMPLE REASON
Although nothing has changed with the teams recently, I have, however, changed my mind as far as backing the West Indies is concerned, I have done so for one simple reason, and it has nothing to do with the fact that based on what they have been saying since they have been promoted, coach David Moore, captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and vice-captain Daren Ganga, along with manager Michael Findlay have all admitted that something, as so many of us have been saying over the years, is wrong and has been wrong with the West Indies team for a long, long time.
According to three of the four gentlemen, the three who, as assistant coach and members of the team, should know what is what or what was what, for the team to do well in England, the players need to appreciate the value of fitness and proper preparation, they need to understand that it is important to stick together and to shake off the tag of indiscipline and they need to understand that good discipline plays an important part in sport.
According to Sarwan, if someone clamps down on indiscipline, it will be good for the team.
According to the manager, the players need to know that improper conduct, indiscipline will not be condoned.
No, as important as all that is, that is not why I have changed my mind.
I have changed my mind for the simple reason that the West Indies team is badly inneed of a coach - at least someone who knows the difference between an ordinary slow bowler and a good spin bowler.
NONSENSE
Of all the nonsense I have heard every time the West Indies are beginning a tour, the worse, the very worse, came out of the mouth of coach Moore on Thursday when he said, without choking, when he told people, without batting an eyelid, that Chris Gayle is the best spin bowler in the West Indies.
According to Moore, Gayle, who has taken 53 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 38.69, is the best and he offers as support for his argument the fact that the left-handed opening batsman has provided the bulk of the West Indies spin variety in recent years.
That, however, does not and cannot make Gayle the best spin bowler in the West Indies. That only means he is the one that has been selected regularly to bowl spin - or rather to bowl slow.
There is no spin bowler alive who would have been still alive with a record of less than one wicket per Test match.
If Gayle is a spin bowler - which I would be surprised if he himself believes he is, if Gayle is a good spin bowler - which neither his first-class figures of 101 wickets in 134 matches at an average of 38.66 nor his Test return suggests he is, if Gayle is better than Dave Mohammed, Omari Banks and Amit Jaggernauth, if he is better than Nikita Miller of Melbourne and Jamaica, if he is better than Bevan Brown and Odean Brown of St. Catherine CC and Jamaica, if he is better than Andre Dwyer of Manchester and Jamaica and if he is even better than Dave Bulli of Kensington CC, to name a few, then something is wrong, really wrong, with West Indies cricket.
That must be the joke of the century - either that or, as many believe, Moore, the West Indies coach, does not know anything about the game and should not be the West Indies coach.
__________________
29
Cricket Anyone / Look what this blinking yardie wrote about Lara in the Gleaner!!!
« on: April 24, 2007, 05:56:44 AM »
The greatest batsman
published: Monday | April 23, 2007
Stephen Vasciannie
Brian Lara, the king of West Indian cricket, has decided to play his last stroke in first-class cricket. It means that we will no longer have the joy of watching Lara driving through cover, cutting square on the off side, lifting the 'flinger' over mid-on, or beating third man with sheer delicacy and timing. Nor, it must be said, will we see the inconsistency: the enthusiastic, but misguided shot, influenced as much by relatively old age, as by style, the wayward push outside the off stump that was sometimes food for slip fielders, the 35 when we needed 135.
There have been times when I have considered the world to be made up of two types of cricket supporters: those who hate Brian Lara, and those who respect him. Or, to put the matter in another way: those who have wanted Brian Lara dropped from the West Indies team, or at least from the captaincy thereof, and those who firmly opposed any dismissal of the world's greatest batsman.
Anti-Laralistas
The former category - comprised of anti-Laralistas - has been vocal and strong from about a decade. Last Thursday, as West Indies slumped to 8 for 2, against the sharply-biting minnows of Bangladesh, an anti-Laralista held court at a certain bookshop. "Lara must go now! Him can't captain de side! Because of him, even Bangladesh a go beat we!" I decided not to keep my own counsel on this matter of public importance and asked the public speaker why he thought Lara should be dropped as captain.
"Because him is a bad captain!" was the reply. But, I persisted, why is he a bad captain; give me examples of this. "Because of Lara, Wavell Hinds no de pon the side! Lara drop him."
The reasoning stumped me, but it serves to indicate that some of the opposition to Lara has been on unrealistic grounds. Some anti-Laralistas will deny this, but they come to the Lara debate with hostility based on nationalistic grounds. The point is not so much that Lara is Trinidadian and that some anti-Laralistas are insular. Rather, there is the perception that at some time in the past Lara organised to take over the captaincy from Courtney Walsh, our hero, and for that Lara cannot be forgiven.
Other anti-Laralistas build there arguments on notions of arrogance. The point for these critics is that wherever the line between confidence and arrogance happens to be, Lara has crossed it into the land of the selfishly arrogant. To support this argument, some analysts remind us of a team strike some years ago, noting that the captain was responsible for prompting the strike. Never mind that we did not really understand the dynamics of the strike, or even know whether the strike was justifiable: it was the fault of Lara the arrogant.
Another strain of the anti-Laral virus - perhaps the most coherent - has to do with deeply held disappointment. At a time when West Indian cricket fortunes have been variable, at best, we have yearned for a cricket messiah to take us back to the promised land; or more appropriately, for another Atlas, to carry the burdens of a weak team on his left shoulder. When Lara, as captain or as star batsman played the role, elation followed. But on each occasion when he failed, we were obliged to hold him responsible, and in a paroxysm of anger, to call for his dismissal as captain.
King, Not Prince
And then perhaps there are some anti-Laralistas motivated by scepticism, either for the sake of being sceptics or because they dislike pedestals. In his earlier years, especially when Lara scored 375 runs, the sceptics were silent; but as some of us tended to make Lara into a hero, they tried to pick his pedestal to pieces. Lara is vulnerable to McGrath, he can't read that other fellow, he made his century too quickly (!), he was selfish to go back for his world record(!)
In the name of analysis, the sceptics have belittled the 375, the 400, the record-equalling string of consecutive centuries, the first-class 501 innings, the highest aggregate in test cricket. The sceptics would not place Lara among the top five batsmen ever.
Mr. Lara, never mind the sceptics and the anti-Laralistas. Scepticism is the way of the world. But your recognition will come. Now that you have retired, many will gather to offer the superlatives you deserve. You have represented our cricketing aspirations, and you have handled your stewardship with outstanding class and achievement.
Brian Lara is the greatest batsman that cricket has known.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Vasciannie is professor of international law at the University of the West Indies and works part-time as deputy solicitor general in the Attorney-General's chambers.
published: Monday | April 23, 2007
Stephen Vasciannie
Brian Lara, the king of West Indian cricket, has decided to play his last stroke in first-class cricket. It means that we will no longer have the joy of watching Lara driving through cover, cutting square on the off side, lifting the 'flinger' over mid-on, or beating third man with sheer delicacy and timing. Nor, it must be said, will we see the inconsistency: the enthusiastic, but misguided shot, influenced as much by relatively old age, as by style, the wayward push outside the off stump that was sometimes food for slip fielders, the 35 when we needed 135.
There have been times when I have considered the world to be made up of two types of cricket supporters: those who hate Brian Lara, and those who respect him. Or, to put the matter in another way: those who have wanted Brian Lara dropped from the West Indies team, or at least from the captaincy thereof, and those who firmly opposed any dismissal of the world's greatest batsman.
Anti-Laralistas
The former category - comprised of anti-Laralistas - has been vocal and strong from about a decade. Last Thursday, as West Indies slumped to 8 for 2, against the sharply-biting minnows of Bangladesh, an anti-Laralista held court at a certain bookshop. "Lara must go now! Him can't captain de side! Because of him, even Bangladesh a go beat we!" I decided not to keep my own counsel on this matter of public importance and asked the public speaker why he thought Lara should be dropped as captain.
"Because him is a bad captain!" was the reply. But, I persisted, why is he a bad captain; give me examples of this. "Because of Lara, Wavell Hinds no de pon the side! Lara drop him."
The reasoning stumped me, but it serves to indicate that some of the opposition to Lara has been on unrealistic grounds. Some anti-Laralistas will deny this, but they come to the Lara debate with hostility based on nationalistic grounds. The point is not so much that Lara is Trinidadian and that some anti-Laralistas are insular. Rather, there is the perception that at some time in the past Lara organised to take over the captaincy from Courtney Walsh, our hero, and for that Lara cannot be forgiven.
Other anti-Laralistas build there arguments on notions of arrogance. The point for these critics is that wherever the line between confidence and arrogance happens to be, Lara has crossed it into the land of the selfishly arrogant. To support this argument, some analysts remind us of a team strike some years ago, noting that the captain was responsible for prompting the strike. Never mind that we did not really understand the dynamics of the strike, or even know whether the strike was justifiable: it was the fault of Lara the arrogant.
Another strain of the anti-Laral virus - perhaps the most coherent - has to do with deeply held disappointment. At a time when West Indian cricket fortunes have been variable, at best, we have yearned for a cricket messiah to take us back to the promised land; or more appropriately, for another Atlas, to carry the burdens of a weak team on his left shoulder. When Lara, as captain or as star batsman played the role, elation followed. But on each occasion when he failed, we were obliged to hold him responsible, and in a paroxysm of anger, to call for his dismissal as captain.
King, Not Prince
And then perhaps there are some anti-Laralistas motivated by scepticism, either for the sake of being sceptics or because they dislike pedestals. In his earlier years, especially when Lara scored 375 runs, the sceptics were silent; but as some of us tended to make Lara into a hero, they tried to pick his pedestal to pieces. Lara is vulnerable to McGrath, he can't read that other fellow, he made his century too quickly (!), he was selfish to go back for his world record(!)
In the name of analysis, the sceptics have belittled the 375, the 400, the record-equalling string of consecutive centuries, the first-class 501 innings, the highest aggregate in test cricket. The sceptics would not place Lara among the top five batsmen ever.
Mr. Lara, never mind the sceptics and the anti-Laralistas. Scepticism is the way of the world. But your recognition will come. Now that you have retired, many will gather to offer the superlatives you deserve. You have represented our cricketing aspirations, and you have handled your stewardship with outstanding class and achievement.
Brian Lara is the greatest batsman that cricket has known.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Vasciannie is professor of international law at the University of the West Indies and works part-time as deputy solicitor general in the Attorney-General's chambers.
30
What about Track & Field / 200m, Toppin got a bronze.
« on: April 09, 2007, 05:08:29 PM »
Ramone ran a 20.58s for gold and a Cayman youth was 2nd.
Pages: [1] 2