West Indies vs England 2015 Souvenir magazine

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Battle for

Wisden Trophy

3 TESTS

April 13 - May 05, 2015

ANTIGUA • GRENADA • BARBADOS

CONTENT

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

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VITAL STATISTICS

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WISDEN TROPHY

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MATCH SCHEDULE

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RICH HISTORY, GREAT LEGACY

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INSIDE LOOK AT THE MATCH VENUES

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MY DAD, MY HERO

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SUPERMAN SHIV!

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MARSHALL’S ART

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SIMMONS ON A MISSION

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WEST INDIES PLAYERS’ BIOS

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ENGLAND PLAYERS’ BIO

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PIPEMAN IN LOVE WITH CRICKET

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JIMMY’S MAGIC MOMENT

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Produced by the West Indies Cricket Board Communications Department 616 W Factory Road, St John’s, Antigua media@windiescricket.com __________________________________ Managing Editor: Imran Khan

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT It is my distinct pleasure as President of the West Indies Cricket Board to firstly welcome our special guests – The England Cricket Team and the members of the England & Wales Cricket Board to the Caribbean for the upcoming three-Test Match Series 2015.

Editor and coordinator: Philip Spooner Writers: Philip Spooner, Dean Wilson, Dileep Premachandran, Adriel “Woody” Richard, Ryan Bachoo, Kevin Pile Main Photography: Randy Brooks

We are delighted to have our guests in the Caribbean as we look forward to an exciting competition – as the slogan says: “IT’S ON!” We also want to wish captains Denesh Ramdin and Alastair Cook and their teams all the very best on and off the field.

Photography: WICB Media, Philip Spooner, Kenmore Bynoe , Ashley Allen, Bryan Cummings, Nicholas Reid, Allan V. Crane __________________________________ Design and layout by: Angus Samuel / Innovative Marketing Services, St. George’s, Grenada angus@imscaribbean.com www.imscaribbean.com Tel: 1 473.409.4467 __________________________________ Copyright © West Indies Cricket Board.

April 2015.

All rights reser ved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the West Indies Cricket Board. __________________________________ Connect to windiescricket: windiescricket.com facebook.com/windiescricket twitter.com/westindies youtube.com/westindiescrickettv instagram.com/windiescricket flickr.com/windiescricket pinterest.com/windiescricket soundcloud.com/windiescricket ustream.tv/user/windiescricket

We will mark a special milestone during the second Test in Grenada – when we will witness the 150th Test match between these two great cricketing nations.

West Indies and England have a very rich history dating way back to 1928 when Karl Nunes led the West Indian pioneers on their first official Test tour of England.

We have seen some amazing performances from some great men over close to a century of competition. Ahead of this series we have seen 148 matches with West Indies having the upperhand with 53 wins against 45 defeats and 50 draws.

I wish to welcome our sponsors who have come on board to support the game in the Caribbean. And we also thank our other partners who continue to show their support for West Indies Cricket.

On behalf of the WICB I also welcome fans, officials, the media and all other stakeholders to what we anticipate will be a thrilling series, which features three Test Matches. We also say a special thanks to the Governments of Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, and Barbados who will be hosting the matches.

We are on a course of positive growth, one which we must sustain, but one which needs the support of all stakeholders, most especially fans. This is a time for unified support of our team and for our region to pull together as we continue to lift up our team and rebuild our distinguished regional sport.

The cricketing action on the field will bring us much entertainment and excitement. I have every confidence that it will be played in the best spirit and that this series for the historic WISDEN Trophy in the Caribbean will serve to make the traditionally strong cricketing ties even stronger. And in the end, this great game of cricket be the winner!

Dave Cameron 2

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VITAL STATISTICS Important information you should know!

ANTIGUA Governor General:

Sir Rodney Williams

Prime Minister:

Gaston Browne

Antigua area:

108 sq. miles (280 sq km) Barbuda area: 62 sq. miles (161 sq km)

Population:

81,799 (2011 census)

Antigua capital:

St. John’s

Barbuda capital:

Codrington

Antigua airport:

V.C. Bird International (ANU)

Barbuda airport:

Codrington Airport (BBQ)

Antigua & Barbuda Department of Tourism Government Complex Queen Elizabeth Highway St. John’s T: 268.462.0480 E: deptourism@antigua.gov.ag ■ www.antigua-barbuda.org East Caribbean dollar (Typical EC $2.70 = US $1, EC $4.20 = GB £1)

GRENADA Governor General:

Dame Cécile La Grenade

Prime Minister:

Dr. Keith Mitchell

Area:

132.8 square miles (345 sq. km.)

Population:

109,590 (2012 estimate)

Capital:

St. George’s

Airport:

Maurice Bishop International (GND)

Grenada Tourism Authority P.O. Box 293 St. George’s Tel: 473.440.2279/2001 Fax: 473.440.6637 E-mail: gbt@spiceisle.com ■ www.grenadagrenadines.com East Caribbean dollar (Typical EC $2.70 = US $1, EC $4.20 = GB £1)

BARBADOS Governor General:

Elliott Belgrave

Prime Minister:

Freundel Stuart

Area:

166 sq. miles (430 sq km)

Population:

280,000 (2010 estimate)

Capital:

Bridgetown

Airport:

Grantley Adams International (BGI)

Barbados Tourism Authority P.O. Box 242 Harbour Road Bridgetown T: 246.427.2623 E: btainfoa@visitbarbados.org ■ www.visitbarbados.org Barbados dollar (BDS $1.98 = US $1, BDS $3.30 = GB £1) www.windiescricket.com www.windiescricket.com

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WISDEN TROPHY The Wisden Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Test Series played between West Indies and England. It was first awarded in 1963 to commemorate the 100th edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

The trophy is one of the prestigious awards in the game and is named after the famous cricketing publisher John Wisden. The Wisden Trophy is presented to the victorious team as a symbol of its victory, but then returns to the MCC Museum at Lord’s.

The trophy is made of silver with a solid black base. It carries an image of Wisden in the centre as well as depictions of a batsman and a bowler at each corner. It also has logos of the West Indies and England teams.

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The official bottled water of WEST INDIES CRICKET www.windiescricket.com

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West Indies vs England

MATCH SCHEDULE 1ST TEST MATCH

2ND TEST MATCH

3RD TEST MATCH

April 13 to 17

April 21 to 25

May 1 to 5

Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, ANTIGUA

Venue: Grenada National Stadium, GRENADA

Venue: Kensington Oval, BARBADOS

Start Time Daily: 10 am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica/2pm GMT

Start Time Daily: 10 am Eastern

Start Time Daily: 10 am Eastern

Caribbean/9am Jamaica/2pm GMT

Caribbean/9am Jamaica/2pm GMT

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft

Umpires: Steve Davis, Bruce Oxenford

Umpires: Billy Bowden, Bruce Oxenford

TV Umpire: Billy Bowden

TV Umpire: Steve Davis

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft Umpires: Billy Bowden, Steve Davis TV Umpire: Bruce Oxenford

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The great openers Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge

RICH HISTORY, GREAT LEGACY As West Indies take on England for the WISDEN Trophy, Dileep Premachandran takes a look back at the storied past 8

“Nothing that the West Indies players had accomplished in their earlier games suggested they were likely to extend the full strength of England, but up to lunch time on the second day they gave a highly creditable account of themselves. Such a sorry batting collapse, however, followed this good work, that by the drawing of stumps on Monday a heavy defeat was a foregone conclusion, and an hour and a half 's cricket on Tuesday sufficed to finish off the game.�

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Moments Of Glory (from left): Michael Holding’s magic in 1976; Viv Richards on the rampage; Curtly Ambrose signals another victory

That passage is from the WISDEN Almanack report of West Indies’ first Test, at Lord’s in June 1928. The team led

by Karl Nunes would lose three matches by an innings, but it was a very different story in the Caribbean two years later.

A double-century from Clifford Roach, hundreds in both innings from 20-year-old George Headley, and figures of 9 for 122 from Learie Constantine gave West Indies a 289-run victory at the Bourda in Georgetown, in only their sixth Test.

Five years later, Headley – with a second-innings 93 in Trinidad and an unbeaten 270 in Jamaica – was again instrumental as England were beaten in a series for the first time. “Headley gave a truly wonderful display,” said the Almanack. “He proved himself master of all the strokes in an innings lasting nearly eight hours and a quarter and, giving only one chance.”

Respect though was still grudging and it wasn’t until John Goddard’s team went to England in 1950 that perceptions truly began to change. Hammered by 202 runs at Old Trafford, West Indies responded with the most famous of Lord’s triumphs.

Headley didn’t make the tour, but there were new batting heroes in Allan Rae and the amazing three Ws – Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott.

The key players, though, were two near-unknowns, who would go on to be immortalised by Lord Beginner’s

calypso. “Cricket, lovely cricket, at Lord's, where I saw it. Yardley won the toss, but Goddard won the Test, with those little pals of mine, Ramadhin and Valentine.”

While the rest of the team celebrated with champagne, and Barbados and Jamaica announced public holidays, Ramadhin, who never drank anything stronger than ginger beer, had a quiet meal with some Trinidadian students in London.

West Indies would win the series 3-1, and it needed the great CLR James to put their achievements into proper perspective. “Critics of a sociological turn of mind had proved that we were a nation which naturally produced fast bowlers, when in 1950 Ram and Val, both under 21, produced the greatest slow-bowling sensation since the South African team of 1907,” he wrote. “We are moving too fast for any label to stick.”

Subsequent generations would respond to the slurs and insinuations in the best possible fashion, with magnificent batsmanship and fearsome fast bowling. In the scorching summer of ’76, after Tony Greig had promised to make West Indies ‘grovel’, Vivian Richards made 829 runs, while Michael Holding’s 14 wickets at The Oval encapsulated the dominance of the visiting fast bowlers.

“When I went to England as a young man, there were questions in people's minds about whether we had the ability to succeed, or the brains and capacity to fulfil our potential,” said Richards in an interview a decade ago. “I felt at times that www.windiescricket.com

people took us for granted in some ways, not fully aware of our background, and knowing little or nothing of our culture.

When you don't have respect for a culture, it's difficult to respect individuals too. For someone like myself, who came from one of the colonies, getting respect was the biggest incentive of all.

“Before I first went to England, everyone said, ‘Oh, these guys are used to playing on perfect tracks and when they come to England, and these conditions, they’ll struggle’. They thought of us as these strange creatures from a warm climate, who would come to the cold and shrivel up like little kittens.”

That same team would go 29 Tests unbeaten against England between March 1974 and February 1990, winning 20 of them – a sequence that included two straight “Blackwashes” in 1984 on British soil and in 1986 in the Isles of the West Indies.

Those halcyon years may be gone, but England have won only once – 3-0 in 2004 – in the Caribbean in the last 40 years. If the West Indies team, under their new Head Coach,Phil Simmons need any inspiration, they will find plenty in the history of a rivalry quite unlike any other. * Dileep Premachandran is a noted international sports journalist who has written on West Indies and England cricket for over a decade. He is presently Editor-in-Chief of WISDEN India.

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INSIDE LOOK AT THE MATCH VENUES

SIR VIVIAN RICHARDS CRICKET GROUND, ANTIGUA

This outstanding facility is one of the newest sporting facilities in the region. Named in honour of one of Antigua’s finest son’s and greatest ambassadors, the facility was constructed as the West Indies geared up to host the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. It hosted the Super Eights stage of the competition then, holding 15,000 spectators, but half of the seats under its permanent arrangement.

The stadium features two main stands – the Northern Stand and the five-storey South Stand with ultra-modern dressing rooms and corporate boxes. A unique feature is the swimming pool to the western end and the largest party stand at any cricket ground – where patrons can enjoy cricket while being entertained by calypso, soca and reggae music from DJ Chickie.

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Sir Vivian Richards stands next to the statue in his honour

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KENSINGTON OVAL, BARBADOS

“The Oval”, as it is commonly known, was established in 1882 when Pickwick Cricket Club leased four acres of pasture land from Kensington Plantation and started to develop it as a cricket ground with a clubhouse. Over the course of the next century, the Kensington Oval would become Barbados’ premier sporting facility – and a fortress for the West Indies team.

With the Caribbean being awarded the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, Kensington Oval was re-developed and is now a world-class cricket facility with international cricket and safety standards.

The “Mecca” of Caribbean cricket hosted the final of the 2007 World Cup and also the final of the ICC World T20 in 2010.

A superb statue of Sir Garfield Sobers – cricket’s greatest allrounder and a National Hero – stands outside the entrance to the ground which now can seat 13,500 spectators. The upcoming match between West Indies and England will be the 51st Test match to be played at the venue.

GRENADA NATIONAL STADIUM

Established in 1999, Queen’s Park in Grenada has rapidly grown to become one of the players’ favourite venues in the Caribbean. In 2002, it became the 84th Test venue when the stadium hosted its first match between West Indies and New Zealand.

The ground suffered major damage when Hurricane Ivan hit the island in 2004, but a great effort from the people of Grenada helped get the stadium ready in time for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Sitting just on the outskirts of the capital city of St George’s it is one of the most picturesque grounds in the West Indies, with rolling hills all around, and has a capacity of 16,000.

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MY DAD, MY HERO

Brian Lara, hailed as the greatest batsman the world has ever seen, tells us his father Bunty was his inspiration Story by Philip Spooner

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here isn’t much Brian Lara didn’t do on the cricket field. The master left-hander holds a string of records across the globe – the first man to make 500 runs in a first-class innings, the only man to reach 400 in a Test match innings, a member of the elite group of great batsmen to score 300 in Test cricket twice. But it wasn’t just the little maestro’s numbers that add up to his greatness.

It was his style, grace, and presence at the crease. He took on all comers and entertained all viewers.

So what was it that made Brian Lara tick? What was the X Factor behind his thirst for runs and who inspired him to dream big and aim for greatness? Lara said it was his father, Bunty Lara “my old man” as he put it.

“This person you see today before you today is this Hall of Fame honoree is someone he molded. He ensured that I had everything I needed to succeed as a cricketer and in life, even in trying

times. He made a special effort to make sure everything was there,” Lara said. “I had to work hard...but I knew I had strong support. He was a very good father and a friend to many people. He inspired all his children and many others around him as well. He led by example and taught us and showed us how to live. Every time I played I played with him in mind.”

Lara added: “My biggest pain was that he did not see me play a Test match, but having the West Indies team in Trinidad at his funeral was a special tribute to the man who made sure I was given the tools to play this glorious game and make such a lasting contribution.”

Lara also credited his older sister Agnes and older brother Winston with his development as a cricketer. As a little boy he admired Winston’s play and it was Agnes who spotted her little brother’s skills and moved to have him join coaching programmes.

Three years ago Lara was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s www.windiescricket.com

Hall of Fame making him the 17th West Indian to be inducted. He says it is one of the greatest honours of his life. The list includes the best of the best West Indian cricketers: Lance Gibbs, Gordon Greenidge, George Headley, Michael Holding, Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Frank Worrell, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner and Curtly Ambrose.

“When I got my Hall of Fame plaque I had my brother and my sister with me. Agnes is the one who took me to my first coaching clinic when I was six, and Winston was a role model as a stylish right-handed batsman...so to have them… is something very special,” Lara said.

“As a boy, you never really thought of Hall of Fames, you never really thought of records. Growing up in the 70s my heroes were Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Roy Fredericks as a left-handed batsman. I am happy I was able to spend 17 years in the

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Brian Lara during his 400 not out against England

West Indies and was able to contribute in a way worthy of this honour. It is nice to share it with my family. It is something I want all West Indians to aspire to.

“To share this with the greats of the past and to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside them is remarkable. I never played with most of them but this is one way to connect with them.”

Lara was one of the game’s most prolific batsmen. He represented the West Indies in 131 Tests in an international career that spanned 17 years. He amassed a West Indies record 11,953 runs at an average of 52.88 runs per innings.

He made 34 Test centuries and 48 half-centuries. His highest score was the monumental 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreational Ground on April 12, 2004 and to this day that score still remains the highest by any Test batsmen.

1987 and when it ended in 2008 he had scored 22,156 runs. His highest score was the amazing 501 not out for Durham against Warwickshire in the English County

In the 299 ODIs that Lara played he scored 10,405 runs at an average of 40.48 that included 19 centuries and 63 half-centuries. In 2004 when captaining the West Indies, he led the team to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy against England at the Oval.

Lara’s first -class career began in The scoreboard showing Lara’s historic score

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Brian with his sister Agnes and brother Winston

Championship in the summer of 1994.

This came just a few weeks after he made 375 against England in the final Test match at the ARG. On that day he broke Sir Garfield Sobers’ Test record score of 365 not out. Earlier he signaled to the world his immense ability with a breakthrough 277 against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground – an innings rated by many as the best knock by a West Indian on foreign soil.

Looking back at his career, Lara said the most rewarding period was the 1999 Test Series against Australia when the two teams competed for the Frank Worrell Trophy. Steve Waugh’s men steamrolled the home side in the first contest in Trinidad but the West Indies bounced back in style to win the second and third matches in Jamaica and Barbados. The Aussies recovered to win the fourth in Antigua in what was a blockbuster rubber.

Lara, who was at the time facing pressure over his position as captain,

played two sensational back-to-the-wall innings to help the West Indies go 2-1 with one match to play. He made an historic 213 in the second Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica and followed up with 153 not out in the next match at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Both times he went to the crease with a mountain to climb and on both occasions he achieved monumental feats.

“The 213 against Australia in Jamaica is definitely my best innings. You have to understand the climate at that time and going into that match, landing in Jamaica and knowing that everything was on the line – your captaincy, the series, respect and adoration by your fans...the mental strength that I mustered up during that week was something that when I looked back it was very hard to measure anything up against that,” Lara said.

“The performance was something I cherish and the fact that we won the match to level the series, after we were

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bowled out for 51 the week before in Trinidad, felt great. I thought the way I handled it was special. It is something I will never ever forget...it’s a day’s cricket I will be talking about for a very long time. The 153 in Barbados the following week was rated higher by Wisden and the cricketing gurus but the double century in Jamaica was my best effort.”

“I’m proud of my achievements and I’m proud to have achieved great things in my career. I’m twice as happy I made my father proud and did all I could for West Indies cricket and the people. When you sit back and reflect the things you remember most are what you did for the people of the West Indies.” * Philip Spooner is Communications Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board. He has covered several major international sports events and has worked as Media Manager of West Indies teams for close to eight years.

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SUPERMAN SHIV! Shivnarine Chanderpaul talks about his life and times in the West Indies team and how he keeps on going and going and going‌ Story by Philip Spooner

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Shiv Chanderpaul: closing in the West Indies all-time scoring record

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f you think back 21 years ago, what were you doing? Where were you in life? What were your goals? Did you achieve them? Were you even born yet?

Two decades is a pretty long time – a lot has changed in our world. Back in 1994, Nelson Mandela had just become the first black President of a united South Africa; the founder of Facebook was an 11-yearold with a dream of having a great impact on the world; and Lebron James was also 11, dreaming of winning an NBA ring.

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That was the year Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his debut for the West Indies. The match was played at Bourda – there was no Guyana National Stadium.

Kraigg Brathwaite was in diapers; he now plays alongside Shiv in the Test team and teenagers listened to music on the go with a Walkman and went to the phone booth – you can now do both, and a lot more, with a “smart phone”.

The debut match was West Indies against England and a young Chanderpaul www.windiescricket.com

stepped into the team alongside Brian Lara, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. England’s starting XI included Michael Atherton at the top of the order with Alec Stewart with Robin Smith in the middle while the new-ball combination was Chris Lewis and Alan Igglesden with Gus Fraser coming on first change.

It was a day of destiny for the young man – he saw an opportunity and he took it. Now, 21 years later, he has risen to the

in the squad to learn, but to hear my name in the team was amazing. Then I composed myself and said ‘listen. . . this is your opportunity, go out there and grab it!”

Shiv walks around with a mantra that was handed to him by Faoud Bacchus, a right-handed opener who is famous for his one Test century – 250 against India at Kanpur in 1979. The former Guyana captain played 19 Test matches – remarkably all at different grounds.

“The one thing that guides me, the one thing that sticks in my brain is ‘keep it simple keep it as simple as possible’.

Faoud Bacchus said that to me. He said always keep your eyes on the ball and watch it closely.”

Shiv has cultivated his own approach, including the bizarrely square-on “Chanderpaulian stance”. He does everything precisely in the correct order – someone once remarked that he probably eats his alphabet soup in alphabetical order.

Then there is also the knocking of the bail to take guard – something taught by his father Khemraj; and kissing the pitch to celebrate a century – a tribute to Mother Earth for blessings bestowed.

very top of world cricket. He’s one of the greatest batsmen to ever play the game.

“That was one of my greatest days.

I couldn’t believe when my name was announced in the team,” Chanderpaul recalls. “I was like ‘really? Me? Am I really going to play?’ All the hair on my head was frozen and the hair on my hand was standing up. I had to calm myself and say ‘wait am I really going to play a Test match, today? Am I actually in this team?

I honestly thought I was there to be just

“Preparation is vital. Preparation is the key. If you don’t prepare well you will struggle when the match comes around. When you step to the nets you have to know in your mind why you are going to the nets. You don’t just go to the nets to hit balls and bowl balls and then come out and say ‘I was in the nets for such-and-such time today’.

You have to look at the areas where you have strengths and weaknesses and get better for the match which is coming up.”

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That attention to detail has led to some amazing batting statistics. He has played a record 161 Test matches. He has scored 11,775 runs at an average of 52.33 runs per innings. Chanderpaul started the series 178 runs behind Brian Lara’s West Indies record of 11,953, and has made 30 Test centuries – four behind Lara.

He appeared for the West Indies in 268 ODIs and has 8,778 runs with 11 centuries. His first-class career stretched over 300 matches and includes 69 centuries.

The great Desmond Haynes had this to say: “When he first came into the West Indies team I was still around and I remember seeing a little boy and I was very impressed with his ability. He was someone who was driven and was determined to get better. He came into Test cricket with a good attitude towards batting – always looking to bat long and play within his limitation – and I was pleased with his progress.

“A very memorable moment for him was when he batted with Brian Lara when [Lara] broke the amazing Test record of 365 by the great Sir Garry Sobers at the ARG Antigua.

“Not many people remember the role Shiv played on that day but I will always recall how he stayed at the crease and did the perfect job.”

On numerous occasions Chanderpaul has stood up and batted resolutely for West Indies to pull them out of the fire.

One such occasion was the first Test against Australia at Sabina Park back in 2008. He was struck a frightening blow on the head by a wicked bouncer from Brett Lee but soldiered on to make 118, which held the first innings together.

“I remember that clearly. I was looking to get a single. I pushed my foot out a little early and Brett Lee saw me push

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my foot out and bowled a short ball. I saw him pull it down and I tried to duck but it did not bounce and it knocked me out cold. I was flat out. When I got up, I couldn’t move my hands and my legs couldn’t move,” he recalled.

“I remember when I looked at the scoreboard I realised the position we were in and I said to myself ‘I need to bat on in this innings I need to stay here’. I could not go off at that stage. The team needed me to bat on. Dr. Mansingh came out and I needed to get some clarity from him whether or not I was good enough to carry on. I said ‘Doc, if I stay on out here am I going to be okay?’ He said ‘Yeah, you’ll be okay, you can bat on’. When he said that it gave me new ‘vision’ and I settled in to dig in again.”

He continued: “Then I remember Ricky [Ponting] came up and said ‘No no, no he’s got to go off. He got a hard hit, he can’t continue. He should go off ’.

I knew why he was saying that. You see, he wanted me off the field because he knew I could hold them up. I looked at the scoreboard and I said I needed to bat on and on.”

A few weeks earlier, Shiv showed his batting prowess in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Queen’s Park Oval. He had to overcome a bout of illness in the morning to even make the starting XI, but by the evening he was celebrating a one-wicket win off the last ball.

He struck 10 runs off the last two balls – a four through wide mid-off and a six over midwicket off the wily Chaminda Vaas to spark wild celebrations on and off the field.

“Before the game I was sick and I could not do too much. I was really struggling and I wasn’t sure how much I could really do. I felt like vomiting while I

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was batting. I was trying to get a few boundaries to try and keep us in the game to keep up with their run rate,” he said.

“The pitch was really difficult to bat on. . . the ball wasn’t bouncing. It was keeping really low and in the end when we had to bat, it was very difficult. Their bowlers tried to bowl as full as possible. I thought Chaminda would aim to be full and bowl ‘block hole balls’. There were many things going through my head. He was a very smart bowler.

He went for the yorkers and I was able to hit both balls to the fence.

The second-last one, I got to it and it ‘fired’. It was sailing past mid-off and I knew we had a big chance here.

“The next one was a full toss and I swung as hard as I could. I timed it really well but I saw Mahela [Jayawardena] circling and settling down at midwicket. I said ‘I hope I had enough on that’.

“Then I saw him going back and jumping and I knew I had done enough.

I was so excited. I was just running…I was so excited. I didn’t know what was going on but I know I was excited. Then I felt someone come and pull me down.

It was Fidel and he grabbed onto me and congratulated me.”

2008 was a great year. He averaged over 100 in Test cricket and was named the International Cricket Council’s www.windiescricket.com

Shiv and his student Kraigg Brathwaite

Player Of The Year and took home the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. That year, he was also named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers Of The Year.

“It was really big for me. I never expected to win something like that, knowing we have so many good players out there. To actually come out on top, it’s a great honour.”

Since then, Chanderpaul has grown in stature and has earned the respect of

Even at this latter stage of his career he trains harder than most,” said Palladino. “On match days he follows the same routine: setting the bowling machine to its maximum, serving up 90 mph inswingers, taking them on wearing no helmet – not recommended.

“[My dad] has done so very much for me throughout. In the beginning a lot of times he would go to work and then come back and still bowl at me and get the other guys to come and bowl at me as well. He dedicated a lot of time to me and my development and helped to prepare me and make me who I am today.” Shiv said.

“Roughly 250 balls later, he walks out ready to play.”

Unknown to many, he is one of the most fun-loving members of the West Indies team. He would often crack a joke to ease the tension during a tense moment or cheer up his teammate after a long, energy-sapping battle out in the middle.

“I love chatting to Shiv about his career and experiences. He’s seen it all, so to be able to tap into that wealth of experience is brilliant for a cricket badger like myself. He never tires when talking about the game. Shiv is a real student of the game, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and one hell of a player.”

cricket followers the world over. He is held up as a shining example by many who have shared a dressing room with him – including Tony Palladino, an allrounder who played alongside him for Derbyshire last year.

“Shiv is a real student of the game, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and one hell of a player. At first hand, I saw Shiv’s open stance and his superb hand-eye coordination.

Kraigg Brathwaite, the young West Indies opener, noted: “I model myself on Shiv. I look to see what he does – how he prepares, how he gets going, how he builds an innings – and try my best to learn from him. I have batted with him a few times in Test cricket and the great thing about him is, he always talks, he always shares information, he always tries to help you to relax and that helps to take some of the pressure off. He’s a great example to any young cricketer like myself.”

Away from the cut and thrust of the game, Shiv always tries to find time for his family. He is especially grateful to his father for all the love and support throughout his career. Now a third generation of the family has emerged. Shiv’s son Tagenarine, known affectionately as Brandon, is 19 and like his father, is a determined left-hander.

He played alongside his father during the WICB Four- Day tournament.

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He may not always demonstrate that side, as he often carries stern, stone-faced look while on the field, but off the field he enjoys a good laugh.

Shiv has always used TV comedies to help him wind down after a long day in the field. “In the beginning I used to like Sanford & Son [the 1970s sitcom starring Redd Foxx] and when that finished, I enjoyed watching Will Smith in The Fresh Prince Of Belair. Now I like The Big Bang Theory. This helps me to relax a lot, especially when you have a long day which has left you mentally and physically tired. I would look at these shows on the TV and that always helps me to relax and get some laughter.

“The next day you feel revived and you are able to get up the next day and go out and do your work again.”

Shiv signed off with a boyish grin and said: “…all those years ago I would never have expected this ... I love my job and I’ve enjoyed it all.” * Philip Spooner is Communications Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board. He has covered several major international sports events and has worked as Media Manager of West Indies teams for close to eight years.

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t r A s ’ l l a sh

Mar

Tribute to the “The Special One” – the great Malcolm Marshall who was a master of the art of fast and swing bowling Story by Philip Spooner

Clive Lloyd calls him the “a master at mastering the art of bowling”. Viv Richards believes he was the “magician with a cricket ball”.

Joel Garner notes “watching him was amazing”.

Fans around the world proclaim him as “simply the best”. The man is Malcolm Marshall – the legendary fast bowler who terrorised England batsmen and became the first West Indian fast bowler to take 300 Test wickets.

Marshall straddled the world like a colossus during the glory days of West Indies cricket. By fast bowling standards he was a small man, and stood 5 feet 10 inches tall. He had a smooth approach to the crease, a fast whippy action, which enabled him to generate frightening pace off the pitch.

Add to that late outswing, a lethal bouncer and an astute cricket brain. When you toss in his 376 wickets in 81 Test matches at the average of 20.94 runs per wicket you have the perfect package for a man many believe was the greatest fast bowler of all time. In a sport obsessed by statistics, his remarkable figures are forever etched in the record books.

He was spotted as a young, fresh-faced brisk fast-medium bowler and tossed into the 1977 Shell Shield team for Barbados. He would later go on to represent Hampshire with distinction in the English County Championship and also

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Malcolm Marshall takes on England with one hand

turned out for four seasons for Natal in the South African provincial system. In all first-class cricket he made 408 appearances and took 1,651 wickets at 19.10 runs apiece and scored 11,004 runs including seven centuries.

Shaun Pollock played 108 Test matches and 303 ODIs for South Africa and led his country at the Cricket World Cup. Fresh

out of school, at Kingsmead in Durban in eastern South Africa – the fledgling gingerhaired allrounder came under the tutelage of Marshall in the Natal Provincial team in the post-Apartheid era.

“He had a huge impact on my career, I would have to say he was probably the most impactful person in my career …

I would say he came along at the perfect time, where my cricket was concerned,” Pollock said.

“I met him at Natal, as you know he came over there to play after he retired from international cricket, and he was just an inspiration. To have him there for those four years, as leader of the side – on and off the field – and to captain us as well, was a huge boost.

“A lot of what I learned and know about cricket, I gathered when I played with Malcolm. He had an amazing cricket brain and was a great teacher. Being the class bowler, that he was it was amazing to have him around.”

Marshall in his prime

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Pollock added: “There were a lot of things he told us and taught us, but there were also a lot of things we grasped just from watching him play and go about his business. He was the complete professional and you never saw him give 80 percent. It was the latter stages of his illustrious career but you always saw him give 120 percent www.windiescricket.com

and that always stuck with me. I think what he brought to us young guys was absolute self-belief.”

“He made us think for ourselves and empowered us to be better cricketers and better people. He would say ‘hold on, tell me what you want to do, how are you ‘gonna’ get this guy out, what field you want, and work accordingly. He worked a lot on my wrist and my action and taught me a lot about control and common sense.

He enjoyed working with youngsters and enjoyed the energy we created. He was always full of fun and smiling…he was always a happy person.”

Sir Richard Hadlee, stands among the greatest fast bowlers of all-time. The New Zealander was a giant for his country in the 1970s and 80s and at one stage carried the bowling on his shoulders. He ended an illustrious career with 431 wickets in 86 Test matches – and was the world-record holder when he ended his 20-year career in 1989.

“They (West Indies) were a great team – the West Indies of the 80s. They had at the time (Michael) Holding, (Joel) Garner, (Courtney) Walsh, (Winston) Davis and another guy called Marshall when we toured the West Indies in 85. There were a wonderful bunch of fast bowlers but Malcolm stood out because he was shorter and ‘skiddier’ and made life very difficult for our batsmen. He didn’t get the bounce that

the others got, but boy was he dangerous, and as a fast bowler I have to say he was incredible to watch,” Hadlee said.

“He swung the ball and because of his whippy action generated immense pace.

He genuinely tried to bowl people out or ‘nick’ people out and he ‘out-thought’ many batsmen around the world. Clearly he had a wonderful career and is one of the greatest – no secret about that. He swung it and he seamed it and he knew exactly what he was doing at all times. He was an artist. He was the complete bowler and in any conditions he would always be a threat. He played hard and fair and he had presence on the cricket field. He earned respect – and earned his greatness. He was a supreme cricketer for the West Indies and his contribution must never be forgotten.”

Marshall saved his best performances for England. His best Test match bowling figures were7for22at Old Trafford in1988– a series the West Indies won under the leadership of Sir Vivian Richards. Four years earlier he performed one of the most remarkable feats in cricket history. He entered the Old Trafford Test match with a broken hand and played the entire match.

He bowled with the hand in a protective shield and took 7 for 53 in a great West Indies win under Clive Lloyd. When the West Indies batted, Larry Gomes was stuck in the 90s with nine wickets down. The fear was Marshall would not bat. However, he emerged with glove on one hand, the other in the bandages, bat in hand and a big wide grin on his face. He stayed at the crease long enough for Gomes to get the century and celebrated by hitting a one-handed boundary.

The skipper was very impressed by the gung-ho bravado of the young tyro. “ That was one of the greatest performances ever witnessed in a Test match. Here was a young man, willing

to do anything for the team and for his people. He could have easily missed the match, because it was a major injury, but he decided to play, and to take the new ball, and he bowled us to victory! That was truly remarkable,” Lloyd recalled.

“Before the match I asked him if he could make it. We sought the advice of

Dennis Waight, our physio, and Malcolm decided to go for it. That was one of those seminal moments when you look back and say ‘this will stay with me for a long time’.

He started off in the team as someone who people said ‘can bowl and would go far’ but he emerged as ‘giant’ of a fast bowler, and one of cricket’s true gentlemen. You didn’t have to set the field for Malcolm. He would say ‘skipper give me X, Y and Z’ and he would take it from there. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and did exactly that.”

Marshall was born on April 8, 1958 in Barbados. He died in November 1999 after a battle with cancer. The Southern End at Kensington Oval is named in his honour www.windiescricket.com

– as testimony to the many time he ran on and delivered moments of magic for Barbados and West Indies. The Northern End is called the Joel Garner End – tribute to Maco’s pace bowling partner. He grew up in Barbados and attended the Parkinson School. He remains the only student of the school to play cricket for West Indies.

The entire cricket world wept and in his eulog y, Mark Nicholas, the globally respected television broadcaster who captained Marshall at Hampshire had this to say: “It is an amazing phenomena of his short life that opponents everywhere, from Barbados to Bombay, from Sydney to Southampton, loved him so.

Let's face it, he was a lethal bowler – that skidding bouncer homed in on its target like a Scud missile – and a brilliantly, skillful bowler capable of all kinds of swing and cut and subtle changes of pace. But, of course, he was revered after play when he drank his beloved brandies, when his sharp mind chewed the cud of the game and when he boasted his batting exploits – how he rejoiced in batting.”

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach is a student of “Marshall Arts” – he patterns himself off the great man. Back in 2012 he took a 10-wicket match haul against Australia at the Queen’s Park Oval on Marshall’s birthday and dedicated the performance to his hero.

On Marshall’s tombstone has posted the title “Barbados and West Indies Cricketer”.

They might want to add the titles: “Legend”, “Hero”, “Mentor”, as well as “The Special One”. * Philip Spooner is a Communications Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board. He has covered several major international sports events and has worked as Media Manager of West Indies teams for close to eight years.

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Simmons on a Mission

A

fter a successful time with Ireland, Phil Simmons returns home chart Windies revival

As a player Phil Simmons was the ultimate team man. He gave his all with bat, with ball and in the field when he played for Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies and also distinguished himself while representing Leicestershire in the English County Championship. Now, he has made a return to West Indies cricket and is the man at the helm as Head Coach.

His first job in charge will be the Wisden

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Trophy Series and he is preaching the same ethos of “team first and foremost”.

“I am excited to be beginning this new chapter in my coaching career and to have the opportunity to create a winning culture. West Indies have a huge following across the World and I have great admiration for the passion fans show for our team. We are determined to give the supporters the brand of cricket and the level of success that we are all looking to achieve,” he said Simmons played 26 Tests and 143 www.windiescricket.com

One-Day Internationals for West Indies between 1987 and 1999 alongside several legends of the game. He outlined that coaching the West Indies team was too good an opportunity to let pass.

“West Indies have a tremendous history and prestige in the game, and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to be Head Coach,” he said.

“There is an abundance of young talent coming through the ranks and to be able to assist with the development of the future playing talent in the West Indies is fantastic. I can’t wait to begin and I am

“We have to sit down and decide how we want to play Test cricket, every country has a pattern on how they want to play Test cricket.

Head Coach of the West Indies team.

This is something I always wanted to do, to give back to West Indies cricket, and make a contribution to the game in the Caribbean. I was born and grew up in Trinidad and I benefitted a lot as a youngster watching the greats of yesteryear play and now I am delighted to come back and work with West Indies cricket again. I want to help the cricket get back to where when I played. There is so much enjoyment for people around the world when West Indies cricket is ‘up there’ and I want to see us get back ‘up there’ where we once were. I want to offer a helping hand in trying to get the West Indies back to the top…that would mean a lot to me.”

Simmons is known globally for the work he did with the Ireland team. He guided them to several titles in the limited-overs and four-day formats and also secured several victories over Test playing nations in the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC World T20 tournament.

As a teenager Simmons came to prominence as a stand-out batsman at the junior level in Trinidad and in the annual West Indies age group tournaments. He represented the West Indies Under-19s alongside Courtney Walsh, Roger Harper and David Williams, who would later be his team-mates in the West Indies senior team. Simmons made his international debut in the 1987 World Cup in Asia and in early 1988, made his Test debut in Madras (now Chennai), opening the batting with Desmond Haynes, in a team led by Viv Richards. Later in his career he moved down the batting order and was an effective seam bowler in limited-overs cricket. His best performance with the ball was the remarkable four wickets for three runs off 10 overs against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1992.

Now he has joined the West Indies camp and is looking to nurture the young talent and chart the way forward.

“It means a hell of a lot to be appointed

Looking forward to the Wisden Trophy series he noted: “We have to sit down and decide how we want to play Test cricket, every country has a pattern

looking forward to starting work with the players.”

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on how they want to play Test cricket.

It’s about thinking cricket Haynes and Greenidge didn’t have all these great partnership because they went out and looked to smash the ball, they were always thinking cricket and planned how they would play against the opposition and that is part of West Indies cricket.”

“My resolve is deep with anything I put my hands to. I am very passionate with everything I do. I’m trying to bring a lot of the things I learned and put together with Ireland to the West Indies team,” Simmons added.

“Everybody needs to be dealt with personally even though it’s a team situation. One of the biggest things is to get the team ethic going. We need to get everyone going in the same direction and playing for each other.”

Phil Simmons during his Windies days

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WEST INDIES PLAYERS’ BIOS Kraigg Brathwaite

DENESH RAMDIN

Age: 30 Playing Style: Wicket-keeper/batsman Test Matches: 64 Test Innings: 107 Test Runs: 2510 Highest Score: 166 Average: 26.70 Hundreds: 4 Fifties: 12 KRAIGG BRATHWAITE

Age: 22 Playing Style: Opening batsman Test Matches: 17 Test Innings: 32 Test Runs: 1139 Highest Score: 212 Average: 37.96 Hundreds: 3 Fifties: 6

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DEVON SMITH

Age: 33 Playing Style: Opening batsman Test Matches: 36 Test Innings: 63 Test Runs: 1500 Highest Score: 108 Average: 24.59 Hundreds: 1 Fifties: 5 MARLON SAMUELS

Age: 34 Playing Style: Allrounder Test Matches: 55 Test Innings: 97 Test Runs: 3251 Highest Score: 260 Average: 35.72 Hundreds: 6 Fifties: 21 Test Wickets: 36

DARREN BRAVO

Age: 26 Playing Style: Middle order batsman Test Matches: 32 Test Innings: 57 Test Runs: 2311 Highest Score: 218 Average: 43.60 Hundreds: 6 Fifties: 9 SHIVNARINE CHANDERPAUL

Age: 40 Playing Style: Middle order batsman Test Matches: 161 Test Innings: 274 Test Runs: 11775 Highest Score: 203* Average: 52.33 Hundreds: 30 Fifties: 66 LEON JOHNSON

Age: 27 Playing Style: Middle order batsman Test Matches: 4 Test Innings: 7 Test Runs: 275 Highest Score: 66 Average: 39.28 Hundreds: 0 Fifties: 2 JERMAINE BLACKWOOD

Age: 23 Playing Style: Middle order batsman Test Matches: 5 Test Innings: 8 Test Runs: 243 Highest Score: 66* Average: 34.71 Hundreds: 0 Fifties: 3

KEMAR ROACH

Age: 26 Playing Style: Right arm fast bowler Test Matches: 29 Test Innings: 53 Test Wickets: 113 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 6 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 1 Best Bowling Innings: 6/48 Best Bowling Match: 10/146 JASON HOLDER

Age: 23 Playing Style: Right arm medium fast Test Matches: 3 Test Innings: 5 Test Wickets: 5 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 0 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 2/26 Best Bowling Match: 2/50 SHANNON GABRIEL

Age: 26 Playing Style: Right arm fast Test Matches: 11 Test Innings: 19 Test Wickets: 25 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 0 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 3/10 Best Bowling Match: 4/55

JEROME TAYLOR

Age: 30 Playing Style: Right arm medium fast Test Matches: 37 Test Innings: 63 Test Wickets: 103 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 3 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 5/11 Best Bowling Match: 9/95 SULIEMAN BENN

Age: 33 Playing Style: Left arm spinner Test Matches: 25 Test Innings: 40 Test Wickets: 85 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 6 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 6/81 Best Bowling Match: 8/108 NIKITA MILLER

Age: 32 Playing Style: Left arm spinner Test Matches: 1 Test Innings: 2 Test Wickets: 0 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 0 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: Best Bowling Match: -

SHELDON COTTRELL

Age: 25 Playing Style: Left arm pacer Test Matches: 2 Test Innings: 2 Test Wickets: 2 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 0 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 1/72 Best Bowling Match: 1/72

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ENGLAND PLAYERS’ BIOS Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott

ALASTAIR COOK

Age: 30 Playing Style: Opening batsman Test Matches: 109 Test Innings: 194 Test Runs: 8423 Highest Score: 294 Average: 46.02 Hundreds: 25 Fifties: 38 GARY BALLANCE

Age: 25 Playing Style: Left hand batsman Test Matches: 8 Test Innings: 13 Test Runs: 729 Highest Score: 156 Average: 60.75 Hundreds: 3 Fifties: 3

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IAN BELL

Age: 32 Playing Style: Top order batsman Test Matches: 105 Test Innings: 181 Test Runs: 7156 Highest Score: 235 Average: 45.00 Hundreds: 21 Fifties: 42 JOE ROOT

Age: 24 Playing Style: Right hand batsman Test Matches: 22 Test Innings: 40 Test Runs: 1732 Highest Score: 200 Average: 50.94 Hundreds: 5 Fifties: 7

JOS BUTTLER

Age: 24 Playing Style: Wicket-keeper/batsman Test Matches: 3 Test Innings: 3 Test Runs: 200 Highest Score: 85 Average: 66.66 Hundreds: 0 Fifties: 2 CHRIS JORDAN

Age: 26 Playing Style: Right arm fast bowler Test Matches: 5 Test Innings: 10 Test Wickets: 15 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: Test 10 Wicket Haul: Best Bowling Innings: 4/18 Best Bowling Match: 7/50 STUART BROAD

Age: 28 Playing Style: Right arm fast bowler Test Matches: 74 Test Innings: 134 Test Wickets: 264 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 12 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 2 Best Bowling Innings: 7/44 Best Bowling Match: 11/121 JAMES ANDERSON

Age: 32 Playing Style: Right arm fast bowler Test Matches: 99 Test Innings: 185 Test Wickets: 380 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 16 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 2 Best Bowling Innings: 7/43 Best Bowling Match: 11/71

JONATHAN TROTT

Age: 33 Playing Style: Top order batsman Test Matches: 49 Test Innings: 87 Test Runs: 3763 Highest Score: 226 Average: 46.45 Hundreds: 9 Fifties: 18 ADAM LYTH

Age: 27 Playing Style: Left hand batsman First Class Matches: 101 First Class Innings: 160 First Class Runs: 6505 Highest Score: 251 Average: 42.51 Hundreds: 14 Fifties: 40 JONNY BAIRSTOW

Age: 25 Playing Style: Wicket-keeper/batsman Test Matches: 14 Test Innings: 24 Test Runs: 593 Highest Score: 95 Average: 26.95 Hundreds: 0 Fifties: 4 BEN STOKES

Age: 23 Playing Style: Right arm fast medium Test Matches: 6 Test Innings: 12 Test Wickets: 22 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 1 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 6/99 Best Bowling Match: 8/161

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LIAM PLUNKETT

Age: 29 Playing Style: Right arm fast Test Matches: 13 Test Innings: 25 Test Wickets: 41 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: 1 Test 10 Wicket Haul: 0 Best Bowling Innings: 5/64 Best Bowling Match: 9/176 MARK WOOD

Age: 25 Playing Style: Right arm fast medium First Class Matches: 23 First Class Innings: 38 First Class Wickets: 74 First Class 5 Wicket Hauls: 5 First Class 10 Wicket Haul: Best Bowling Innings: 6/32 Best Bowling Match: 6/47 ADIL RASHID

Age: 27 Playing Style: Leg break bowler First Class Matches: 131 First Class Innings: 214 First Class Wickets: 375 First Class 5 Wicket Hauls: 18 First Class 10 Wicket Haul: 1 Best Bowling Innings: 7/107 Best Bowling Match: 11/114 JAMES TREDWELL

Age: 33 Playing Style: Right arm off-break Test Matches: 1 Test Innings: 2 Test Wickets: 6 Test 5 Wicket Hauls: Test 10 Wicket Haul: Best Bowling Innings: 4/82 Best Bowling Match: 6/181

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Keith van Anderson presents an award to Samuel Badree

PIPEMAN IN LOVE WITH CRICKET Super Fan coming in from the cold to see his Windies take on England in what promises to be another great Series Story by Philip Spooner

From the Caribbean to England and everywhere in between – all for the love of cricket! That’s the life of the man – The Pipeman. He is known worldwide for his sartorial splendour and his pipe. His real name is Keith Van Anderson and he is one of the biggest West Indies fans you will meet.

He was born in Guyana – back when it was British Guiana before Independence – and that’s where he developed a liking for sports in general and a passion for cricket.

As a young man he migrated to

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England where he worked and started a family. His love for the game never dimmed, actually it flourished and he became friends with several heroes of West Indies and English cricket.

“I am a cricket man, I love the game and enjoy everything about cricket.

As they say, it’s a game of glorious uncertainties, but for me it is also a game of rich history and great memories,” he said. “I have a passion for the game which surprises many people. Wherever there is cricket you will find me. I have always enjoyed the game. I love West Indies

cricket and I love English cricket, actually I love all forms of cricket.”

Keith is a member of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club and spends most of his summer days at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground where he has witnessed some of the game’s greatest moments. He is also a member of the Middlesex Country Cricket Club, Surrey County Cricket Club, Barbados Cricket Association and an honorary member of Georgetown Cricket Club. In the winter months, he travels around the world to watch the West Indies play on overseas tours.

Last December he did the full tour of South Africa with the West Indies team.

In previous years he toured Australia, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. The 63-year-old is a three-time cancer survivor and has been following the West Indies on tour around the UK since 1980.

“I’m a battler, and it’s probably the cricket that keeps me going,” he said.

“That’s actually what I live for. In January 2004 I was given 12 months to live. I give thanks everyday to God that I’m still breathing. I no longer smoke a pipe for medical reasons, having had my first of three cancers in 2003. I haven’t smoked it for ten years but after smoking a pipe for 34 years, I just suck on it now. Before that, my stick used to be part of my persona, but now, unfortunately, I need the walking stick as an aid.”

The life-long supporter counts West Indies legend Clive Lloyd as a personal friend. He is also a close mate of Wayne Daniel, the former Barbados, Middlesex and West Indies fast bowler as well as Joel Garner, the former Barbados, Somerset and West Indies fast bowler who is currently the President of Barbados Cricket Association.

At net sessions during the West Indies tour, Lloyd invited his friend into the players training area for a chat, giving him an up-close look during team practices.

He is on first name basis with all the members of the team and also joined them for lunch on Christmas Day in Port Elizabeth. He was also part of the team when they made an official visit to see the Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town.

“Cricket has been kind to me and has given me many happy moments. I’ve known Clive for a very long time and he has been a true friend to me. I have met most of the greats of West Indies cricket and they all show me respect. The present team has a bunch of very good young men and they also appreciate having me around and are very warm towards me as well,” he said.

Despite watching so many games over so many years – over 100 Test matches, more than 150 ODIs, Van Anderson recalled, in an instant, the best cricket match he has ever witnessed.

“The West Indies team of the 1980s was the best ever. And the best Test I’ve ever seen was the 1984 Test between West Indies and England at Lords. We had to chase 344 runs for victory after England captain David Gower had declared.

He continued: “We won that match hands down, by nine wickets, as Gordon Greenidge made an unbeaten double hundred. It was a magnificent batting display and one of the greatest run-chases.

It wasn’t just about the runs but, the way how Gordon batted and the power of the strokes he played. It signalled to the world that the West Indies were indeed the best in the business. If you didn’t know before, that moment in history signalled the awesome strength of the team.”

That West Indies team went on to claim a 5-0 series whitewash – also dubbed as a “Blackwash” by their fans – over their hosts. Two years later England were again on the receiving end of a 5-0 pounding when they toured the Caribbean. The team of that era included the who’s who of West Indies cricketing greats – Lloyd, Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv www.windiescricket.com

Keith van Anderson at home at cricket

Richards, Richie Richardson, Jeffrey Dujon, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Courtney Walsh.

Van Anderson is planning to be back home in the region for the WISDEN Trophy Series. He recently underwent another medical procedure but indicated that won’t restrict his movements – he plans to see every ball bowled at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, at the Grenada National Stadium and at the historic Kensington Oval.

“I still have medical problems, but not sufficient to keep me away from the cricket. Tell everyone I will be there for the series to see some good cricket from both teams. England and West Indies have always produced some great duels,” he said.

“The history dates back to 1928 when the team first visited England, we’re talking of close to 90 years of sporting history here. A lot of great men have represented both of these teams and I am proud happy to have seen some of the moments in time.” * Philip Spooner is Communications Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board. He has covered several major international sports events and has worked as Media Manager of West Indies teams for close to eight years.

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JIMMY’S MAGIC MOMENT H

e started at Burnley, now, England’s bowling spearhead is set to reach one of the game’s major milestones. Dean Wilson tells us the story behind James Anderson’s great career

According to the recent ICC cricket World Cup “Greatness is Contagious”. The idea that one player’s greatness can rub off on others is a lovely thought and something that seems to happen in the very best teams.

You couldn’t move for great players in the Australian team of the early 2000s or the West Indies team of the 1980s. But for most sides it can be tough finding one truly great player for the rest of the team to follow.

Luckily for England they have that player in the shape of James Anderson, who has become one of the greatest cricketers the country has ever produced.

He arrives in the West Indies as the undisputed spearhead of the England attack, a position he has held for five years.

And barring any major mishaps he will confirm his place at the game's top table by playing his 100th Test in Antigua and claiming the all time England Test wickets record for himself.

These feats will be the cherry on top of a career that has seen it all.

And to think he might never have made it to the top of the tree if it hadn't been for a Burnley tea lady who heard of and witnessed his talent and made sure others did too.

Valerie Brown might have made teas for Burnley cricket club, but she was also a mother of two budding young cricketers involved in the Lancashire youth setup and was wellconnected when it came to local cricket.

Anderson was friends with her boys Michael and David, while their dad was Burnley’s club captain at the time and after having them hopping around in the nets at 17-years-old, it caused enough of a stir for her to pick up the phone and call an old friend at the Lancashire Academy.

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James Anderson among England’s all-time best

From there the natural talent and ability to swing the ball at pace took him onwards and upwards.

He shone in Lancashire's second team under Mike Watkinson before making it to the first team and then England limited-overs and Test side at 20-yearsold. It was the stuff of dreams.

But the first setback wasn't far away as a back injury curtailed his meteoric rise and by mid-2004, just as England's Test team under Michael Vaughan started to take shape he was on the fringes.

He carried a lot of drinks over the next few years for England as they went unbeaten in the summer of 2004 and won historic series' first against South Africa away and then of course in the 2005 Ashes at home.

Anderson though was on the outside looking in, and by 2006 his career was at a crossroads with a stress fracture of the back forcing him to miss most of the season and really question where his cricket was going.

There were moments of doubt, but Anderson fought back to full fitness and

was rewarded with an Ashes tour place and further Test cricket in 2007.

get better in a game designed by batsmen for batsmen.

It was however not until March 2008 against New Zealand in Wellington that the second part of his international career began and the blossoming of the world class bowler we now know, took place.

His skill is beyond doubt, but to that you can add perseverance and dedication to his craft. Those qualities that may be forgotten amid the celebrations.

The reason for the backstory is two-fold.

When Anderson receives his gifts and 100 Test cap in Antigua he will be honoured as the great bowler he has become, and when he breaks Sir Ian Botham's record of 383 Test wickets there will be nothing but adulation and more back slapping, all fully deserved.

But behind it all, you will know a little of what he has been through to earn these milestones.

Secondly, you will also know a little something about Anderson the man and where he comes from.

At 33, the superstar cricketer is now a father to two little girls and husband to Daniella, but he retains close links to the club where it all started.

He sponsors the team shirts, he raises money with dinners and events and he gives his England kit to the young players coming through the ranks just like he did.

You will know that it has not been plain sailing and it has not been a gilded life full of nothing but success. It has been hard work and full of sacrifice.

Anderson can be a snarling nightmare for the best batsmen in the world at times, but he has never forgotten where he came from and that is as much a part of what makes him great as his ability to swing a cricket ball.

Fast bowling is physically demanding and often thankless, yet players like Anderson keep pushing themselves to

* Dean Wilson is an experienced British journalist who has been following England team for over a decade.

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