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61

Cricket Anyone / Cricket West Indies Thread

« on: July 13, 2017, 02:36:42 PM »

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/1110424.html

The biggest names in Caribbean cricket could be about to return to the West Indies team after significant progress was made in negotiations between players and the board.

Not only has a resolution been agreed to the Darren Bravo impasse, but the likes of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle are also available for selection for the ODI side after an amnesty was proposed by WIPA, the players' union.

Dave Cameron statement
"In early November 2016, I gave an interview to SportsMax TV during which I discussed player retainer contracts and the grades of contract that had been awarded to certain players. In the course of the interview I stated that Darren Bravo had previously been on an 'A' contract, which I have since been advised is not correct. I apologise for the misstatement, and wish to assure Mr. Bravo that there was no insult or offense intended towards him. Darren is a senior cricketer who has been a valuable part of the WINDIES set up for a long time, and I would hope to see his game continue to progress and mature, at both regional and international level."

That means they could be available for the limited-overs section of the tour to England that starts in a few weeks.

Gayle, who marked his international return after 15 months during the one-off Twenty20 International against India in Kingston last week, said during an event in Bengaluru on Thursday that "things have been steadily improving" and playing the 2019 World Cup, for which West Indies may have to qualify, is still a burning desire.

"The fans were happy to see me back on the field representing West Indies. Hopefully, things can get better. Hopefully I can play a few more games. I definitely want to play the 2019 World Cup," Gayle said. "Things are beginning to open up a little more now between players and the board. It's looking good, and we've to try and build from this to get the best players out on the field."

The key to the resolution has been Cricket West Indies abandoning its contentious policy regarding player availability for regional cricket. Whereas, in recent years, CWI policy dictated that players would only be eligible for West Indies selection if they had played in the corresponding format in regional cricket, the board is now in the process of softening that hardline stance.

It is anticipated it will be formally relaxed when the new round of central contracts are introduced in October, with a new range of white-ball contracts also adding to the players' security and flexibility.

Both Jimmy Adams, Director Of Cricket, and Johnny Grave, CWI CEO, have previously intimated their desire to change the policy, with Adams labelling it "unsustainable".

In the meantime, though, an amnesty has been proposed to those who have not been involved in regional cricket, giving them the chance to represent West Indies again. The likes of Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy and, once his WADA ban is served, Andre Russell could be other beneficiaries.

While the amnesty has yet to be ratified by the board of CWI, ESPNcricinfo understands a conference call will take place before the end of the week where it is hoped the proposal will be accepted.

Darren Bravo statement
"On 11 November 2016, after viewing statements made about me by Mr. Dave Cameron, president of Cricket West Indies, on a television sports programme, I tweeted a response which referred to the president which was, in retrospect, inappropriate. As I have always tried to uphold the best traditions of West Indies cricket and its players, I now therefore wish to withdraw the comment made on my Twitter account and apologise to the president of CWI and to all WINDIES fans."

Darren Bravo, who has been suspended since November 2016 when he was sent home from the tour of Zimbabwe following his Twitter condemnation of board president, Dave Cameron, is also set to return.

Both parties have released statements of apology* and Bravo's tweet will be deleted with no admission of liability and without prejudice to the pursuit of any claim for damages. That will not only allow Bravo to take a full part in the forthcoming CPL season but render him eligible for West Indies selection once more. Having not played much red ball cricket of late, he is not thought to be a realistic candidate for the Test tour of England. He could well feature in the ODI team, though.

That method of solution had been suggested as far back as February. But Bravo instead pursued legal action against the board, claiming lost earnings. It seems that action is on-going despite the apparent thawing in relations, though it is understood no damages have been paid to date.

A similar resolution is expected imminently in the case of Nicholas Pooran.

It all amounts to encouraging news for long-suffering West Indies supporters. With the side having slipped to 9th in the ODI rankings (they are 8th in the Test rankings and 5th in T20), it is almost impossible for them to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup ahead of the ODI rankings qualification cut-off date in September.

The availability of some familiar faces is a significant step in the right direction.

*1700 GMT - This story was updated with statements from Darren Bravo and Dave Cameron

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

62

Other Sports / RIP David Noel

« on: July 11, 2017, 10:28:43 PM »

No flipping idea the man was dead yes. He died back in April, just found out by chance.

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sports/2017-04-15/tha-mourns-former-boxing-champ-noel


THA mourns former boxing champ Noel

 

 
Published:
Saturday, April 15, 2017

T&T former national boxer David Noel, 56, passed away yesterday at the Scarborough General Hospital after a long illness. Jomo Pitt, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Division Assemblyman, who is the Secretary of Sport and Youth Affairs extended sincere condolences to the family of Noel on his untimely passing.

He said Noel, who celebrated his 56th birthday on April 3, was a coach with the Department of Sport for several years and has played a role in the development of young Tobagonians over the years and he was an esteemed member of the boxing fraternity.

“Our prayers are with the family,” Pitt said. “David Noel was part of the Sport and Youth Affairs family and has been ill for a long time. We would like to express our deepest sympathies to his wife and daughter, who has been at his side.”

 

Boxing Biography

On May 2, 1980, debuting for Trinidad and Tobago at the age of 19, David Noel fought in the middleweight division and was up against Ivor Simmons. Noel won the match by technical knockout (TKO) in the sixth round.

He was unstoppable in his first year obtaining six wins from six fights. Over the years David performed exceedingly well by securing a professional record of 43 bouts, 29 wins, 13 losses and one draw.

In 1981, Noel fought less fights than the previous year, but inevitably with the same results. The 20-year-old was still unbeaten. Although he was undefeated, his record was not perfect. On April 10, seven days after his birthday, he fought Jean-Yves Piperol of France, and held him to a draw. It was the only draw of his boxing career.

On January 29, 1982, Noel fought for his first title belt. His opponent was Eddie Marcelle and on the line was the T&T Super-welterweight title. Noel won by a technical knockout (TKO) in the 11th round. Later in that same year he defeated two other opponents, taking his tally for the year to three out of three victories.

On August 19, 1983, David fought for his second title, the WBA Fedelatin Super-welterweight title against Patrico Diaz of Argentina. He lost in the 12th round and missed out on the opportunity of having a second belt. This was not a good year for him as he fought three fights and only won one.

But Noel bounced back fitter, stronger, healthier and more persistent for the period 1984-1987. He was clearly dominant as he took on 14 fights, conquering 11 of his opponents and only suffering three defeats.

On September 2, 1988, he fought the Jamaican, Anthony Logan, for the WBC Continental Americas Middleweight title, at Mucurapo, Trinidad and Tobago. He won the fight in the 12th round. In the same year on December 10, he took on the Englishman, Nigel Bean, for the Commonwealth Middleweight title, at Crystal Palace, London. He lost by a technical knockout (TKO) in the first round.

Noel was inactive for a short while but he returned in 1991 fully rested and won his third belt, the WBC FECARBOX Middleweight title against Wayne Harris in Port-of-Spain, T&T.

He was again inactive for the period 1992-1995. In 1996 he returned to action, winning his two fights that year. The next year saw him fighting three times; losing the first fight to Ken Sharpe on 30th April, winning the second against Guillermo Jones, a Venezuelan, for the WBA Fedelatin super-welterweight title on September 27 and losing the return bout on November 29.

Sports

63

General Discussion / Transferring money from TT to North America

« on: July 04, 2017, 01:58:27 PM »

Re. transferring money from TT to the USA or Canada.

Anyone know what is the limit per transaction?
Also is there a limit per month?
Does the money first have to be converted to US dollars or can it be transferred as TT and be automatically converted once it reaches your account?

Thanks,
VB

64

Quizz Time & Facts / Football/cycling/middle and long distance

« on: July 03, 2017, 04:18:34 PM »

What TT athlete was good enough to be the cycling, middle and long distance Champion of TT whilst also playing football for the national team.

And by middle and long distance I mean Track.

My mistake, he didn't run track.

TM,  ah feeling brave. Go tru. 

VB

65

Cricket Anyone / Ireland, Afghanistan awarded Test status

« on: June 23, 2017, 11:38:26 PM »

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/1105463.html


The Ireland and Afghanistan domino effect
PETER DELLA PENNA 14

Both countries being awarded Test status is as much about restrictions lifted as about opportunities gained



The elevation of Ireland and Afghanistan as Full Members is the crowning achievement after a trail-blazing decade for both countries. It's a celebration of their hard work on the field, but also about yeoman's work off the field by both administrations. The boards have supplemented historic performances with enhanced infrastructure, and multi-day competitions that have been awarded first-class status.

In spite of now being part of the Test family, there are no guarantees for extra exposure by way of matches.

ADVERTISEMENT

One just has to look at the struggles over the years of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to fill their skin-and-bones body of fixtures, where others have far meatier calendars, to know that Ireland and Afghanistan will not gain instant Test nourishment.

Zimbabwe's first Test, at home against India in 1992, was one of eight they played in the first 12 months of their Test existence, along with two more at home against New Zealand and a reciprocal one-off trip to India. It took them another three years to record their maiden Test win, against Pakistan, in their 11th Test, and 20 more Tests after that for their second win, over India at home in 1998.

They followed that with their first away win, against Pakistan in Peshawar in their next Test. However, the only other team they have beaten besides India and Pakistan is Bangladesh, for a total of 11 wins in 101 matches.

Bangladesh, who played their first Test against India in Dhaka in 2000, had a eight more through the end of 2001. But their on-field struggles were far greater. Though from a chronological standpoint their first win - against Zimbabwe in January 2005 - came just over four years after their inaugural Test, they took three times longer than Zimbabwe did in terms of matches played to record it.

Their


 
Netherlands could be directly impacted with the 2018 Test Challenge scrapped   © Panda Man
The ripples of this decision of awarding Test status to both countries are first being felt in the ICC boardroom, where positions that had been held by Ireland as the representative of all Associates are now vacated. New blood will come in and new voices will have a chance to be heard. In the immediate term, that may happen with a particularly empathetic set of ears in Warren Deutrom, Ross McCollum and Shafiq Stanikzai, the men most familiar with the administrative struggles that Associates go through.

It's not just in the ICC boardroom that the domino effect is being felt, though, as their now former Associate brethren are impacted on the field in many ways. Since the 2005 ICC Trophy, the top six ranked Associates following the conclusion of the World Cup Qualifier hold ODI status. That is how Ireland (in 2005) and Afghanistan (in 2009) first gained ODI status. With both countries no longer part of the Associates pack, the door is open for two more Associates to potentially score more opportunities and recognition in limited-overs cricket, and just as significantly, prevents two others from possibly losing it.

It could ease some of the pressure on Scotland and Hong Kong, currently third and fourth on the WCL Championship table and ostensibly fifth and sixth among Associates in ODI cricket prior to Thursday's decision. This also brings renewed hope for Kenya and Nepal, who are just below them, while Canada and Oman, freshly promoted from WCL Division Three, can also have a crack at securing ODI status through the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

But it's not all roses. Perhaps the biggest loser coming out of Thursday's announcements is Netherlands. The ICC, in line with its old tradition of moving goalposts, has scrapped the long-hyped Test challenge in 2018, and possibly the one proposed for 2022 as well. David Richardson, the ICC CEO, called it "unnecessary" now that Ireland and Afghanistan have been given Full Member status. He admitted in so many words that the proposition to play the lowest-ranked Full Member for a shot at provisional Test status was targeted for the two sides that now been given Test status.

Netherlands is currently next in line on the Intercontinental Cup table. They're placed third, 31 points behind second-placed Ireland, and have an outside chance to draw close should they secure a full 20 points when the two sides face off at Malahide in August. Similarly, Netherlands are right behind Ireland in one-day cricket by virtue of occupying the top spot on the WCL Championship table. But winning that competition may no longer guarantee a spot in the 13-team ODI league.

Richardson had stated earlier this year that the winner of the WCL Championship would be the 13th team in the proposed ODI league for 2023 World Cup qualification, but new details on Thursday showed the boardroom thinking had changed, with the 13th team possibly being decided by a rankings cut-off date ahead of a proposed start of the ODI league in 2020.

It means winning the WCL Championship in this cycle carries far less weight. Even finishing as the top Associate at the 2018 World Cup Qualifier might not be enough and there is the possibility of another WCL Championship cycle being squeezed in between the end of the qualifier and 2020 to determine the 13th team. While it's great news for a majority of Associates, the Dutch have every reason to grimace.

Funding is another area where the ICC has sent out mixed signals. Ireland and Afghanistan are both expected to have their current ICC distribution doubled to more than US$40 million each over an eight-year cycle. It's good for them, but that money is coming out of what had been allocated for all Associates and does not eat into distributions for their now fellow Full Members.

It's also worth noting that the ICC has furthered the notion that rules exist for some and not for others when it comes to certain demographics, to Afghanistan's benefit. Developing women's cricket was referenced by Cricket Ireland's Warren Deutrom as one of the 21 statutes that needed to be met in the application for Full Member status, and Ireland has made significant investments in this regard.

Afghanistan's administrators often pay lip service to prioritising the development of women's cricket, but there is scant evidence anything has come of it, and they have faced few, if any, sanctions as a result. Women's cricket in Afghanistan is a complicated matter, with various sensitivities at play that have slowed the pace of progress. But having obtained full membership without satisfying an obligation to fulfill a mandate for women's development, the ACB's hand is not about to be forced on the issue.

At the end of the day, it's a mixed bag for Associates. While Afghanistan and Ireland have received funding, the others have had their earnings chopped. Yet there is genuine hope that when an Associate country gets its administrative and on-field ducks in a row, there might be a path forward for them to aspire to.

Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent. @PeterDellaPenna

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
 
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66

Quizz Time & Facts / From English football to American TV

« on: June 23, 2017, 11:12:10 PM »

What ex English youth fotballer is now starring in an American TV series.

NOT TALL MAN.!!!

VB

67

Quizz Time & Facts / Father and Son - Olympic boxing alternates

« on: June 09, 2017, 11:44:41 PM »

What father and son were both boxing alternates on the USA Olympic team.

NOT TALL MAN.

VB

Let me spice this up. Who were the fighters that beat them and for which Olympics?

68

Quizz Time & Facts / From cricket to not football

« on: May 24, 2017, 07:58:11 PM »

What TT cricketer once turned down a contract offer to play professional football.

Can't give too many hints because it will be obvious  but this was in the 80s.


VB
NOT TALL MAN

69

Quizz Time & Facts / TT Fast bowler and MCC

« on: May 24, 2017, 03:16:33 PM »

Which TT fast bowler captained the MCC 11.

NOT TALL MAN.

70

Quizz Time & Facts / Teenaged OpenerS (TT)

« on: May 17, 2017, 08:16:10 AM »

Name nineTT openers who made their fist Class debut for TT whilst still teenagers.

I am not sure if Andy Ganteaume was 19 or 20 so I have excluded him.

NOT TALL MAN.

71

Cricket Anyone / WI vs Pakistan, 3rd Test, May 10-14, 2017 Rosseau, Dominica

« on: May 17, 2017, 07:52:09 AM »

We lose.

Gabriel need a slap.

72

Cricket Anyone / WI vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, Bridgetown, April 29-May 3, 2017

« on: May 01, 2017, 07:02:51 PM »

not that anybody give one azz...but scores and updates here.

73

Cricket Anyone / WI vs Pakistan, 1st Test, Kingston, April 21-25, 2017

« on: April 20, 2017, 11:01:06 PM »

scores, updates here.

74

Cricket Anyone / WICB FOUR DAY TOURNAMENT 2016-217 April 15-18,

« on: April 16, 2017, 07:40:27 PM »

Cariah anchors resilient Red Force batting – 1st day, 10th round
Stabroek News



BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – A half-century from Yannic Cariah led consistent batting down the order from Trinidad & Tobago Red Force against Leeward Islands in the Regional 4-Day Tournament yesterday.
Cariah was unbeaten on 73 and a few others got starts without carrying on, as the Red Force dodged showers and batted the entire first day of the 10th round match to reach 269 for six in their first innings at the close.

Yannic Cariah anchored T&T Red Force with an unbeaten 73. (File photo)
The left-hander anchored the visitors’ batting for the latter half of the day, as fellow left-hander, opener Amir Jangoo supported with 46, Ewart Nicholson made 45, fellow rookie Akiel Cooper added 41 and Isaiah Rajah made 40 after the visitors were put in to bat on a typically batsman-friendly Warner Park pitch.
None of the Hurricanes’ bowlers distinguished themselves, after new captain Montcin Hodge called correctly and the two sides spent part of the day avoiding rain which swiped close to an hour of play.
Red Force suffered an early setback when makeshift opener Imran Khan was lbw to Jeremiah Louis for a duck in the fourth over of the day.
The rest of the visitors’ batting however, gradually wore down the Hurricanes bowlers with Jangoo featuring in successive half-century stands with Rajah and Nicholson before off-spinner Jacques Taylor bowled him after lunch.
For the remainder of the day, Cariah was the glue that held the Red Force batting together, sharing a vital 94 for the fifth wicket with Cooper that took the edge off the Hurricanes’ bowling later in the day.

75

Cricket Anyone / the Nicholas Pooran thread

« on: April 13, 2017, 11:08:09 PM »

April 7, 2017
How Nicholas Pooran came back from the brink
Peter Della Penna
13

Two years ago a car crash put in doubt whether he would walk again, but against the odds, he has made it back to the West Indies team
 
Pooran's appearance in this year's Hong Kong T20 Blitz was part of a wider jostling for his services © Power Sport Images/Getty Images

Three months into 2017, Nicholas Pooran is a cricketer in demand. Eleven days after being snapped up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction, he is suiting up for Islamabad United in the PSL playoffs against Karachi Kings. A week after that he is walking out to bat in a bright yellow outfit for City Kaitak in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz.
Pooran spent a month at the end of 2016 playing for Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League. That came two months after he made his West Indies debut, against Pakistan in the UAE.
On paper, these T20 appearances would seem to be natural progressions for someone who first rose to prominence on the international scene in February 2014. Before Carlos Brathwaite was designated as the man whose name would be remembered, it was Pooran who was on the tip of West Indian tongues, earmarked as one for the future when he took on an Australia Under-19 bowling attack in Dubai - one that had attempted to turn the rest of the West Indies Under-19 batting card into binary code on the way to making the score 70 for 8 - and struck a marvellous 143.
However, T20 riches were the furthest thing from Pooran's mind two years ago as he lay in a hospital bed in Couva, Trinidad, wondering if he'd even walk again, let alone play cricket.

****

January 6, 2015. Trinidad & Tobago's training session at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain has just let out. There is a buzz around newcomer Pooran, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman who has been serving as an understudy to Denesh Ramdin. With Ramdin touring South Africa as part of the West Indies squad, it means there may be more opportunities for Pooran to build on his superlative performance a year earlier at the Under-19 World Cup in the UAE.


Before Carlos Brathwaite was designated as the man whose name would be remembered, it was Pooran who was on the tip of West Indian tongues


But fate has decided that his season is about to end before it even begins, and possibly his career too.
"I was coming back home from training, driving," Pooran recalls. "I was close to home and a car was overtaking another car, so I pulled away. I hit a sand heap and then I came back onto the road and another vehicle hit me.
"I was knocked out and then I couldn't remember what happened. I just woke up at the accident and I was like, 'How did this happen?' I was shocked. I couldn't believe that this happened. I was taken in an ambulance, couldn't move my legs.
"My left patellar tendon had ruptured and I had a fractured right ankle. I couldn't straighten my leg," Pooran says, pointing to the scars. "At first, I didn't really know what happened. I wasn't too sure. People kept telling me, 'Move your toes, move your toes!' I knew I couldn't move my knee, so I knew something's definitely wrong.
"The first thing I asked the doctors was if I could play cricket again," he says, letting out a long sigh, before staring straight ahead into no man's land. "At first they weren't too sure until they did the surgery. The doctors did what they had to do and did a perfect surgery, Dr Ali and his staff. They did a wonderful surgery. Everything, thank God, everything came back to normal."


 
Following his exploits at Under-19 level, Pooran had been slated for great things © ICC


He had two surgeries, in fact. The first was less than 24 hours after the accident, to repair the left patellar tendon. The second, on his right leg to repair the ankle fracture, had to wait another week, till after the swelling from the injury subsided. The surgeries, though, were a minor detail in the process to figure out the answer to the question Pooran had put to his doctors.
"It was up to therapy now to determine if I would play cricket again."

****

The first day of therapy was only a few weeks after Trinidad & Tobago had won the Nagico Super50, defeating Guyana in the final. For the first four months, only the smallest gains were made, because Pooran was in a wheelchair the majority of the time. The surgery on both legs forced recovery to move at a snail's pace.
"I tried to sleep as long as possible," Pooran says, admitting it was hard not to be depressed at times. "If I sleep late, the day will be short. Basically I'd get up and watch TV, read some books, play on my phone. There wasn't much I could do. When I started therapy, I went every day, so then my day would be therapy, then back home.
"Therapy is tough, therapy is boring. Every single day I'd just wake up and think, 'Ugh, therapy again?' Sometimes I'd think, 'When will I start to walk again properly? When will I run properly?'"


"The first thing I asked the doctors was if I could play cricket again. At first they weren't too sure"


It took Pooran until July, six months after the accident, before he could walk without assistance. He started therapy with 90-minute sessions three times a week, but by this stage it had grown to two hours a day, six days a week. Large chunks of time were often spent attempting to do the most mundane tasks.
"Cricket was what he had going for him and what he's been working on his whole life, and he felt that was the end of everything," says Dr Oba Gulston, the Barbados Tridents physiotherapist, formerly with Trinidad & Tobago, when recounting Pooran's rehab transformation.
"It took a while. We did a lot of work with him, gave him some time, just kept encouraging him and helping him to believe. We celebrated every landmark, every achievement, because often times when you've been very high-functional, you don't look at starting to walk as a big deal, going up steps for the first time, the first time he was able to do a squat again with assistance - the fact that we had the range of motion in the knees to do it was a big thing because he didn't have that initially."
By August 2015, Pooran began jogging again, and in September he had his first net session. His rehab had been ramped up to four hours a day. At the turn of the year his physical-therapy workload was near pedal to the metal: eight hours daily, spread across three sessions, split between wicketkeeping coach David Williams in the morning, Dr Gulston in the middle of the day, and rounded off by a training session at Queen's Park Oval.
Dr Gulston was there to push him physically, but often pushing him in spirit was Kieron Pollard. The allrounder was going through an injury ordeal of his own after damaging his right knee while playing for Cape Cobras in South Africa's domestic Ram Slam T20. It caused him to miss West Indies' ride to the 2016 World T20 title and the early part of IPL 2016.


 
Pollard was a constant supportive presence during Pooran's long months of rehab © WICB


Pollard had already gone through a prior ordeal with a knee injury that forced him to sit out six months from 2013 into 2014. With that experience under his belt, Pollard served as a rehab mentor to Pooran. When Gulston wasn't working with both of them in person, the three kept in constant contact over WhatsApp.
"Polly would share some of his experiences and he would challenge [Pooran]," Gulston said. "They would make bets about doing different things and running different times. If Nicholas did certain exercises, Pollard would ask, 'What did you do today?' and I would have to take videos of it and send it to the group so Pollard, who was at the IPL, would see Nicholas doing stuff. Sometimes there would be a hundred messages popping up on the group, and it would just be the two of them going back and forth."
As positive as the bond he forged with Pollard was, Pooran faced a different set of hurdles with the Trindad & Tobago Cricket Board. His doctors felt the best way for him to truly recover full range of motion, speed and match fitness was to play, though he was still not 100%. The TTCB wouldn't select him until he received full medical clearance. A stalemate ensued.
Pooran says he aired his thoughts to T&T assistant coach Kelvin Williams. He trusted Williams, who had coached him coming up through Under-19 cricket. A mutual decision was then made for Pooran to leave the Trinidad & Tobago set-up, and instead he sought opportunities in club cricket with Queen's Park CC. He found a key ally in then West Indies coach Phil Simmons.


"Therapy is tough, therapy is boring. Every single day I'd just wake up and think, 'Ugh, therapy again?'"


"He met me for the first time and he asked me why I couldn't make this team," Pooran says of a crucial encounter with Simmons. "I explained to him [what had happened with the TTCB]. So he was there and he told me in front of Kelvin Williams, 'Hey Pooran, this is what I want from you. Everything that has happened, it's gone. Leave it. I want you to focus on CPL, not focusing on batting or keeping. Focus on getting fit and ready for CPL.'"

****

At the CPL draft that February, Pollard's Barbados Tridents took Pooran in the fourth round for US$90,000 - the same price Andre Russell fetched from Jamaica Tallawahs. It put Pooran in the top ten most expensive local players in the CPL, lofty status for someone whose last formal match at island level was in December 2014, and who was still rehabbing his way back from catastrophic leg injuries.
"I think Pollard was the one who made that decision," Pooran said. "It was a big call, especially being the captain of Barbados Tridents. He showed faith in me. He's a person who believed in me and that was a big risk for him to take, to convince the CPL owners to buy me. I had some pressure heading into CPL. It was always in the back of my head, 'What if I don't do good?'"
By the time Pooran's first match with Tridents came around, it had been more than 18 months since his last first-class match. Fate determined that it would come against Trinbago Knight Riders at Queen's Park Oval. He was so eager to prove he was fit again that a bit of anxiety almost weighed him down. "Before I went into that field, I asked God and Jesus to give me strength and courage," he said.
Entering at 95 for 4 in the 15th over chasing a target of 171, Pooran was scratchy in his first few deliveries, and was involved in a run-out with David Wiese, but before long he had found his timing. He locked onto Kevon Cooper in the 18th, stroking him for six, four, six off the first half of the over to bring the equation down to 37 off 15 before he ran himself out to finish with 33 off 12 balls.


 
Pooran: "I had some pressure heading into CPL. It was always in the back of my head, 'What if I don't do good?'" © CPL/Sportsfile


Though the Knight Riders management is not tied to the TTCB, the venue provided extra fuel for Pooran that night, and for the rest of the season. "I wanted to show the cricket board that 'Hey, I hope you can see now because I can play,'" Pooran said. "I guess this could answer all the questions now."

****

Pooran finished with 217 runs in eight innings at 27.12 for Tridents in 2016, including 81 off 39 balls in a Man-of-the-Match effort against St Lucia Zouks. Only AB de Villiers and Shoaib Malik scored more runs for Tridents, while Pooran's 18 sixes in the league stage put him fourth on that list, behind only Chris Gayle, Chris Lynn and Johnson Charles.
Pollard said that knowing what Pooran had gone through made him an inspiration for his team-mates. "I think he has been a revelation," Pollard said during the Tridents tour of Florida to end the 2016 CPL season. "Coming back from what he actually came back from, struggling and not being able to get into the Trinidad & Tobago team in 50-overs or four-day cricket. He played an entire season for Queen's Park. I thought there he did well. So he was looking forward to this tournament and he has shown what he can do.
"This is T20 cricket, so you don't expect a guy like that who bats and takes risks to be consistent. When he comes off, he wins games for you, and that's exactly what he did for us in a couple games. It could only go up from there for him. It's good to see that another youngster is coming out of hardship."


"I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe getting into the accident was a blessing in disguise. I appreciate life more now"


More than the runs, Pooran said he was most proud of being able to keep wicket throughout the season. He was steadfast in his determination that the leg injuries would not limit his workload behind the stumps. Thin and wiry before his injuries, all the work in the gym during his rehab has made his legs into tree trunks and enhanced his batting strength. To further prove he is healthy not just to bat but to keep wicket, Pooran doesn't wear a brace in the field on his surgically repaired left knee.
"I want people to say, 'Hey, Pooran had this major injury, major accident, we thought he would never keep again, never play again.' I just want to be that person - people can say, look to him as a motivation, because obviously it was a really bad accident, and if I can come back from it, anyone can come back from anything."
On the back of his CPL performances, Pooran was picked for West Indies for the first time when they travelled to the UAE to play Pakistan last September. He finished the series with a modest 25 runs in three matches, as West Indies lost heavily in a 3-0 T20I series sweep. Not that the numbers mattered much to Pooran: simply being able to take the field for West Indies, at age 20, mind you, less than two years after waking up in a hospital bed fearing he'd never play again, was reward enough.
"After all I went through, to get back where I am is a wonderful feeling," he said, when describing the moment he received the news he had been selected. "I wanted to play for the West Indies by 21. So that was a big goal for me and a big achievement.
"I really doubted it, especially getting back to full fitness. I really doubted it but I never give up on my dreams. Every day I keep working harder and harder. God makes everything possible, so all thanks and praise goes to him."


Pooran's 2016 season with Tridents under coach Robin Singh made an impression on the former India international, and the Singh-Pollard connection contributed to him being taken in the IPL auction by Mumbai Indians in February. Pooran also followed Singh to play for finalists City Kaitak in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz. During his time in Hong Kong, he was retained by Tridents in the 2017 CPL Draft.
"I believe that everything happens for a reason," Pooran says, his 18-month comeback journey from injury complete. "Maybe getting into the accident was a blessing in disguise. I appreciate life more now. I appreciate the life that I have and the talent that I have. I was blessed.
"What I learned is that every single opportunity you get, you have to grab it. When I was down and out, all I was waiting for was an opportunity again. Every opportunity I get now, I want to take it with both hands now. I want to give my best, give 100% every time I enter that cricket field now, whether I have a bat or whenever I keep. There's not one day I'll go onto a cricket field and I'll try to do less than I could. I finally got this opportunity after a year and a half and this time I'm not letting go."
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent. @PeterDellaPenna
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

76

Cricket Anyone / WICB FOUR DAY TOURNAMENT 2016-217 April 7-10

« on: April 05, 2017, 08:26:36 AM »

results here.

77

Cricket Anyone / WI vs PAK. 4th T-20, POS, TT, April 2, 2017

« on: April 02, 2017, 10:49:11 AM »

scores, updates here.

78

Cricket Anyone / WI vs Pakistan, 3rd T-20, POS, TT, April 1, 2017

« on: April 02, 2017, 10:48:17 AM »

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sports/2017-04-02/lewis-lashes-pakistan
Vinode Mamchan
Published: 
Sunday, April 2, 2017


To the strains of MX Prime’s ‘hold dem and wuk dem’ Evin Lewis took cue and did exactly that against the Pakistanis, as he took West Indies to their first win of the series at the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday. 
For once the fans at the Oval left happy as the left-hander slammed 91 to take the West Indies to a seven-wicket victory, with a whopping 5.1 overs left. Lewis carved the bowling to all parts of the ground to keep his team’s chances of saving this series alive and well. His performance presents the host with a chance of squaring the series 2-2 when the final game in the series takes place at the same venue.
Chasing 137 was tricky given what has transpired in this series with the West Indies batting, but after an early let off Lewis was able to put things right. The man from Tableland in south Trinidad was on fire at the Oval and took the bowling by the scruff of the neck to bring joy to the estimated 5,000 fans who stayed loyal to West Indies cricket. He got out just before the victory was formalised, having faced just 51 balls and hitting nine sixes and five fours.

After his century against India last year in Fort Lauderdale, USA, Lewis entered a slump where he got only 24 runs from five matches before yesterday. Lewis was happy to deliver after being run out in the first two games.

“Well, I got run out in both games, so I was very happy to be out here and getting runs today. I have been working hard with Toby Radford in the nets and this has worked fine for me and I am looking to come back tomorrow and deliver again for my team,” Lewis said.
Jason Mohammed, coming into the game to make his debut at the International T20 level, proved a vital cog in the wheel, as he added 76 of 6.4 overs with Lewis. Mohammed was there at the end unbeaten on 17 of 15 balls with two fours.

Nineteen-year-old spinner Shadab Khan, who played a key role in the visitors previous two victories, was finally tamed when the three overs he bowled went for 38 runs before he got the prized scalp of Lewis.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and decided to take first strike with the thinking that the afternoon sun would bake the pitch and assist their spinners later on. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed must have had second thoughts after the first over, as two wickets fell to leg-spinner Samuel Badree.
Before the fans could settle, Ahmed Shazad slammed the first ball for four, Badree responded by touching his timber next ball and two balls later, the promoted Imad Wasim was stumped without scoring.
Cousins Akmal and Azam then got together and re-started the innings for the Pakistanis. They were aided by some poor stuff from fast bowlers Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite and the pair regrouped and was able to get their team back on track. Akmal was aggressive, while Azam displayed the controlled hand and the partnership worked nicely.

In an effort to get a breakthrough, Brathwaite threw the ball to Marlon Samuels for his first bowl in international cricket for quite a while, after his ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Jamaican started in fine style removing Akmal with his first ball for 48 of 37 balls. His innings included four fours and two sixes.

After that the West Indies were back in the game and when Babar Azam fell for 43 and Shoaib Malik fell for three, the West Indies pushed and reduced the visitors to 137.

79

Cricket Anyone / WI vs PAK. 1st T-20, Barbados, March 25, 2017

« on: March 26, 2017, 02:14:20 PM »

we lose.

80

Cricket Anyone / WICB FOUR DAY TOURNAMENT 2016-217 March 17-20

« on: March 21, 2017, 12:10:28 PM »

results here

81

Cricket Anyone / Andre Russel faces prospect of longer ban

« on: March 12, 2017, 05:53:58 PM »

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/1086210.html



 
Andre Russell is currently banned until January 30, 2018 © Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Andre Russell, the West Indies allrounder, faces the prospect of having his anti-doping ban extended to two years after the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) launched an appeal over the original sanction.
In January, Russell was handed a one-year ban for breaking anti-doping whereabouts regulations three times in a 12-month period which, under the code, classed as a failed test.
Russell's lawyer confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the appeal will be heard with JADCO seeking the maximum two-year penalty. Currently his ban runs until January 30, 2018.
When the one-year ban was handed down, JADCO found that Russell had failed to adhere to whereabouts requirements on January 1, July 1 and July 25, 2015. His defence was that because of his cricket commitments he had left it in the hands of his agent to complete the required paperwork but the JADCO legal counsel accused him of "gross negligence".

82

Cricket Anyone / WICB FOUR DAY TOURNAMENT 2016-217 March 10-13

« on: March 12, 2017, 11:51:25 AM »

Red Force on top

The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force dominated the second day of their Regional Four-Day clash against the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Grenada National Stadium, yesterday with Yannic Cariah scoring his maiden first-class century as the Red Force posted 275 before dismissing the hosts for only 104.
However, new Red Force skipper Kyle Hope declined to enforce the follow-on and by the close of play, his side had extended their lead to 194.

Cariah, who retired hurt on 92 late on the first day of the match on Friday, returned yesterday to reach 102 not out as the visitors added 25 to their overnight tally of 250 for seven before being dismissed.
Kyle Mayers grabbed four wickets for the Volcanoes while Jeremiah Louis took three. The Volcanoes were then rocked by the pace of Sheldon Cottrell and Marlon Richards. They went into the lunch break at 11 for one and it did not get any better when they came back out for the middle session.

Richards struck with the first ball after the break as Devon Smith was bowled for three. The next delivery saw Keddy Lesporis being caught behind by wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo without scoring and shortly after, Taryk Gabriel was caught off Cottrell as the Volcanoes slipped to 11 for four.
The hosts were 21 for five when Cottrell had Liam Sebastien lbw for four while Sunil Ambris failed to impress as he was caught off the off-spin of Bryan Charles for ten.
The Volcanoes were 33 for six at that stage. But Mayers resisted with 31 before he was caught by Charles in the midwicket region as he pulled at a long hop from off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, while Shillingford made 34 before he was lbw to leg-spinner Imran Khan.

No one else reached double figures for the Volcanoes while Cottrell finished with three for 30, Richards took two for 14, Khan had two for 28, Charles ended with two for 22 and Pierre with one for six.
Batting a second time, the Red Force reached 21 for one at stumps with Jeremy Solozano being the one casualty thus far. However, Hope, unbeaten on ten and Isaiah Rajah (not out on six) will resume this morning with the opportunity to lay the foundation for a formidable victory target to set the home side,

83

Quizz Time & Facts / TT opener - father football/cricket

« on: March 08, 2017, 12:12:33 PM »

Continuing the trend of openers:

What TT opener had a father who played both cricket and football for TT?

NOT TALL MAN!!!

84

Cricket Anyone / WI vs Eng. 1st ODI. Owen Sound, Antigua, March 3, 2017

« on: March 03, 2017, 05:46:00 PM »

A mature century from Eoin Morgan helped England to victory in the first ODI of the series against West Indies in Antigua. The win was secured with almost three overs to spare, with Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett taking four wickets apiece.
Morgan, the England captain, had spoken the day before the game about the need for his side to temper their aggressive instincts a little on a surface that he anticipated would do little to encourage stroke-play. It proved an accurate analysis. On a sluggish, slightly two-paced pitch England were precariously placed at 29 for 2 when Morgan walked to the wicket after West Indies had won what appeared to be an important toss in a match delayed by rain.

It took Morgan seven balls to get off the mark and 33 to reach double-figures. But he did not panic. Recognising that this was a surface on which a total of 270 might prove match-winning, he batted accordingly and reached his tenth ODI century - and second in three matches - with his second six in the 49th over of the England innings. It was a masterful demonstration of experience and calculated aggression in conditions demanding more subtlety than aggression.

It was the first time England had failed to post a total of at least 300 when batting first in an ODI since February 2016. But, in these conditions, it was a challenging total and testament, perhaps, to some growing sophistication within an England side that has tended, until now, to try to blast its way to success. Had they attempted to make 350, they could very well have subsided for fewer than 200.
"It wasn't easy or pretty," Morgan said afterwards. "It was hard work, especially getting in.
"It was very tacky early on. When they peeled the covers off, it was damp. They rolled it and it looked dry but it just rolled the moisture into the wicket. Over the first 15 or 20 overs the moisture came out of it and that balls that dismissed Joe Root and Jason Roy both kept low."

It was Morgan's fifth century as captain, a new record for an England skipper surpassing the four made by Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.
West Indies will rue two missed chances, though. First Kieran Powell, at slip, was unable to cling on to an outside edge offered by a loose drive off Carlos Brathwaite's first ball when Morgan had just 4, while later Shai Hope was unable to complete a tough catch after a delivery from Jason Mohammed turned, bounced and took Morgan's outside edge when he had 69.
Perhaps more significantly in the grand scheme of things, Morgan also had an escape when he was struck by a bouncer bowled by the impressively sharp Shannon Gabriel. Through a pull shot too early, Morgan was struck on the stemguard but, thanks to the extra protection, he was able to go on and celebrate a fine century in front of a crowd dominated by travelling England supporters. Ticket prices of USD75 appear to have done little to attract local spectators.

Morgan accelerated intelligently after his careful start. He struck the spinners for four fours in eight balls at one stage, going deep in his crease to pull and lofting the ball over mid-off when the man was pulled into the circle, while also clearing his front leg and striking the seamers for his two sixes.
He was given excellent support from Ben Stokes. Stokes, too, ensured he played himself in before going on the attack and it took him 26 deliveries to reach double-figures but once he settled he went on the attack and helped his captain add 110 in 18.4 overs.
Struggling to hit fours on the slow surface and with bug square boundaries, Stokes instead relied on his power. He struck three sixes in 12 balls at one stage - helped by Kraigg Brathwaite stepping over the boundary as he attempted to take a catch at deep midwicket - and registered his sixth score of 50-plus in his last nine ODI innings, from 56 balls.

While he was eventually caught at long-on and Morgan was run-out backing-up - Moeen Ali hit the ball straight back at the bowler, Brathwaite, who threw down the stumps - Moeen contributed 31 from 22 balls to help England plunder exactly 100 runs off the final 10 overs of their innings.
West Indies rarely threatened to get close to their target. After Evin Lewis pulled to deep midwicket, Kieran Powell sent a leading edge to point as he tried to turn one into the leg side, and Kraigg Brathwaite pulled to mid-on. Mohammed and Jonathan Carter added 82 in 13.5 overs to revive West Indies hopes, but when Carter was brilliantly caught by Jason Roy, charging in from deep midwicket, and Mohammed was run-out by some nifty footwork from the bowler, Steven Finn, having been called through for a sharp single, their chase fell away.

"We were in the game right through," Mohammed said afterwards. "But when a team scores a hundred in the last 10 overs, they've got a really good chance. That was a crucial part in the game.
"A couple of chances went down, too. If we'd held on to them, there could have been a different result."
England's victory was achieved without the need to use Stokes' bowling skills. The much-anticipated rematch between him and Carlos Brathwaite, therefore, will have to wait. Woakes, who finished with four wickets as reward for an intelligent display of control and variation, dismissed him with a slower ball. Plunkett also finished with four wickets, while Finn, in his first ODI since September 2015, was wicketless but bowled with good control. It was, in short, a good display by England's seamers.
"I thought they were brilliant in conditions that don't really suit us," Morgan said. "We were relentless in making them hit cross-bat shots into the wind. It was an outstanding performance from the seamers.
"It wasn't pre-planned not to us Ben. I just didn't need to go to him."

Sam Billings will feel he only partially took his chance to impress having retained his place at the top of the order. He registered his second half-century in three ODI innings to steady England, after Gabriel defeated Roy with one that may have kept a little low and bowled Joe Root with a beauty that cut in off the seam. Billings may feel he squandered a chance to register a really telling total, though, when skipping down the pitch and drilling a catch to mid-on.

"He's got to keep churning out runs," Morgan said when asked if Billings had done enough to see off the return of Alex Hales over the next couple of games. "Alex is a very formidable player in our side and has scored a lot of runs when we've won games. It'll all depend on how Hales has pulled up from training."
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo. He will be covering England's tour of the Caribbean in association with Smile Group Travel, specialists in hosted supporters' packages.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

85

Cricket Anyone / Underperformig Brathwaite "an invesment."

« on: February 25, 2017, 12:50:51 PM »

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sports/2017-02-25/underperforming-brathwaite-%E2%80%98investment%E2%80%99-argues-browne

Published: 
Saturday, February 25, 2017

FLASHBACK: Carlos Brathwaite celebrates after the all-rounder hit the winning runs in the Twenty20 World Cup final. (© WICB Media)
The 28-year-old all-rounder’s selection has been questioned in some quarters especially in light of his recent failures but Browne said Brathwaite was still at a very early stage of his development and the selection panel was focused on getting the best out of him.
“He’s a young player who is a very exciting player on his day, who hasn’t played a lot of international cricket either. He’s an investment and we all know if we get him right what he can produce for us,” Browne said in a radio interview here.

“We would have seen him in the T20 World Cup but one of the things is if you sit and hear, say a coach or captain, speak about Carlos Brathwaite it is a bit different.”
He continued: “The way how 50-overs cricket is played now where there are power-plays and there are certain bowlers you go for in power-plays and certain bowlers you don’t. And Carlos’s strike rate would be more than the other bowlers because of the time of the games when he bowls.
“Not that I am saying that is in any way a reason not to perform but we have to take into consideration he’s still a young player at the international level. There’s so much things. We have a very young team and … the selection panel we sat and we talked about all players, and we all felt that Carlos Brathwaite was still someone that we can get a lot out of.”

Brathwaite shot to prominence last April when he smashed massive sixes off the first four balls of the last over to propel West Indies to a dramatic victory over England in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Since those heroics, his form in ODIs has been ordinary, with a meagre 157 runs coming from 12 appearances at a lowly average of 15.7, while taking 17 wickets with his medium pace.
Overall, Brathwaite averages just 13 with the bat from 20 ODIs and has taken 21 wickets at 40.
Browne contended Brathwaite should not be measured against his exploits at the T20 World Cup, especially since he was still relatively new to international cricket.
“What you must understand is this is still a young man. If he sit and we expect Carlos to repeat what he did in the World Cup every single time, we’re going to fool ourselves,” the former Test wicketkeeper explained.

“Carlos needs to develop like any other cricketer. We’ve dug ourselves in a massive hole over the years, there’s no quick fix to our problem. It is about hard work. It’s about getting our players out there, developing our players.

“It’s not about ‘you’ve had five games, you have not performed’ so just throw [the player away]. It’s about helping players to develop and realizing their full potential.”
Brathwaite, who was elevated to the T20 captaincy last year, was a vital part of the Barbados Pride squad that won the Regional Super50 title last weekend in Antigua.
Batting down the order and mostly coming at the crunch, he managed 91 runs from eight outings and snared eight wickets.
Browne said it was important players like Brathwaite were given an extended run in order to prove themselves.
“When you look at our players, there are some who have been given a little extension because you want them to develop,” he noted.

“We don’t want to have a case where you have a whole bunch of players – like what you used to happen in the past – where we had so much players, all of them had games under their belts but none never got a good extension or fair run to help them to develop. We need to develop cricketers.
“We are number eight in the world because we put ourselves there by playing bad cricket over the years by making bad decisions. We have to develop a team, it is hard work but the one thing I must say about Carlos and a lot of the other players, we have players now who actually want to play, we have players who are committed, they are self-starters, they work hard.

“When you see players who are doing that, you know that you will be able to create that environment that is conducive to producing cricketers that can perform consistently.” (CMC)

86

Quizz Time & Facts / Keeping it in the family

« on: February 17, 2017, 05:18:56 PM »

A former WI Test opener is married to the daughter of a former TT Test bowler.

Who is the opener and who is the bower?

Tallest go ahead, ah feeling brave. 

VB

87

Quizz Time & Facts / From pace to spin

« on: February 05, 2017, 07:02:54 PM »

Name me two TT fastbowlers who later became great spin bowlers for their  country.

One of them actually played for the WI youth team as  a pace bowler.

NOT TALL MAN.

VB

88

Cricket Anyone / WICB REGIONAL SUPER 50 THREAD

« on: January 26, 2017, 12:15:51 PM »

scores, results, here.

89

General Discussion / Bitcoin users in Canada

« on: January 17, 2017, 11:16:51 AM »

Guys,

I'm trying to use bitcoin because of it's so called efficiency.
I set up my wallet and so on (certainly not as user friendly as paypal).

Only to find out I couldn't link my bank acct,  only my Charge card.

Bitcoin sent me an email saying that they no longer have a relationship to send or receive currency via the bank or CC company.

Fortunately we have recently launched the ability for Canadian customers to purchase digital currency with a linked credit or debit card but it will not be possible to store CAD directly or sell digital currency for CAD. It is also not possible for Canadian customers to link US-based bank accounts at this time.

They gave me a link but the link seems to say that if you buy btc with your can dolars, you can then contact them and get a refund or give them your bank info and they will send you the money.

In other words not as automatic but it gets done.
I want to know if I am understanding this correctly.

Are there any Canadian based users here who can enlighten me?
I don't need to know about the experience from other countries as it is not relevant.

Thanks,
VB

90

Cricket Anyone / Adams replaces Pybus

« on: December 19, 2016, 06:58:04 PM »

https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2016/12/13/adams-in-pybus-out/

Former West Indies batsman Jimmy Adams is the new director of cricket for the West Indies Cricket Board, according to regional media reports.
Adams, who represented West Indies as player and captain during his career, replaces Englishman Richard Pybus who did not seek to renew his contract, the Trinidad Guardian reported.
There are also reports that a new head coach, Australian Stuart Law, has been appointed to fill the position left vacant by Phil Simmons who was fired in September.
The decision to fill the two positions were reportedly taken at the weekend at the WICB’s final quarterly meeting which took place in St Maarten.
Jamaican Adams resigned as head coach of English county side Kent earlier this year after serving five seasons between 2012 and October 2016.
Pybus is expected to remain for a while to ease Adams into the position.
Law,48, is the former coach of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who played one Test and 54 one day internationals for Australia.
Earlier this year, he was the first choice of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as their head coach but turned down the position, expressing his inability to join the team immediately.
His first assignment will be to lead the regional team in February when England visits the Caribbean for a series of three one day internationals.
Born January 9, 1968, James Clive ‘Jimmy’ Adams is a former represented the Windies for almost a decade from 1992 to 2001. A left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Adams made 54 Test and 127 One-Day International (ODI) appearances for the team.
Known for his defensive approach, Adams arguably at one stage of his career was at par with the legend Sir Don Bradman.
Adams was born to a pair of doctors, but chose cricket as his profession. No prizes for guessing where he derives the clinical approach in his game from. He grew up in St Mary, Jamaica, in a community where “everyone liked cricket”.
His father took him to see his first Test, which was played between West Indies and India at Sabina Park, Kingston, when he was eight years old.
As a schoolboy, Adams had keen inclination towards different sports. He played both cricket and football with equal interest. He also took part in track-and-field.  Adams began playing competitive cricket during his primary school years and was encouraged to play cricket and football throughout high school.
As he got older, preparing for First-Class cricket matches often coincided with his schoolboy football season. West Indian cricket legend Rohan Kanhai, who was then the Jamaica team coach, would not allow the young Adams to move in and out of his coaching programme. Thus, he had to make a firm decision and opted to play cricket.
Adams made his Test debut against South Africa in 1992 replacing the retired Sir Vivian Richards. His four wickets in the first innings and 79 not out in the second proved crucial in the end as his team won the match by 52 runs.
In the first 12 Tests of his career, Adams scored 1,132 runs at a majestic batting average of near 87, a record bettered in the history of Test cricket only by Bradman.
But Adams’ carer is definitely a story of two tales as in the first half of his Test career, he averaged 61.34 compared to 25.58 in the second half. This differential is the largest in Test history.
In the mid-1990s Adams began to struggle at international level. In a tour match against Somerset during West Indies’ 1995 tour of England, he was hit by a bouncer by bowler Andre van Troost in the fading light, shattering his cheekbone. This was probably the incident that triggered the crisis in confidence and the slide in his career.
During South Africa’s 1998 tour, Adams met with a mysterious injury that ruled him out of the tour. While trying to cut the bread while on a plane, Adams ended up hurting the the tendon in his right hand. At that particular moment, the tour was done and dusted for him. He came off the plane and went straight to the hospital.
Adams was appointed as West Indies captain in 2000, replacing Brian Lara. His tenure was short though, leading the team to a 0-5 series loss on the 2000-01 tour of Australia, after which he lost both the captaincy (to Carl Hooper) and his place in the national team. In the process, he also became the first player to captain a Test team to seven consecutive defeats.
He continued to be involved with cricket post completion of his playing career. In 2006, he was appointed the manager of the West Indies Under-19 side. In 2008, Adams succeeded Barry Richards as the president of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA). Later in the year, he was appointed technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme.
Adams last post was coaching the Kent County Cricket Club and was the only West Indian head coach of an English county cricket team. Under his guidance, the club had  shown improvement since his joining in 2012, resulting in extension of his contract.
The Jamaican quit his position at Kent earlier this year after serving five seasons between 2012 and October 2016 as coach, to make himself available for either the position of director of cricket or head coach of the West Indies team.