Browbeating Shiv Chanderpaul
Thu, Jan 5, '06
It's near impossible to feel sorry for Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Crabdance-mud, puppy-flea, etc.
Once he decided to break ranks with his teammates and strengthen the WICB's brazen attempt to mulct the players, Chanderpaul gave up his right to demand support from the players who didn't sign the prohibitive contract. That said, I find the intense vilification of Chanderpaul by those who want a new captain to be rather childish and overbearing.
Seriously now, did we really think Chanderpaul would be the second coming of Clive Lloyd? Was he really expected to be competitive in Sri Lanka with third-string amateurs? Beat the Aussies with two bowlers, half an opener and a disinterested vice-captain?
And, if/when he's replaced by Wavell Hinds, or Sarwan, or Lara, or Ramdin (take your pick), do you really think this team of wholly unprepared cricketers can realistically compete with the world's best? Come on now.
How long have we been turning the corner? How much longer must we applaud the never-ending encouraging signs? When are we going to realise -- and admit -- that the mediocrity on the field is a direct reflection of the mediocrity in administration?
The Chanderpaul witch-hunt isn't much of a surprise. Some of it is driven by race and class. As much as we like to pretend that stuff doesn't play a role in the way we think, there are those among us who abhor the thought of an uneducated fisherman's son leading their institution. Never mind that the articulate gentlemen, in their fancy suits, with their college degrees, have already mismanaged the institution beyond repair.
There's a bit of insularity too, ironically coming from the same group who believed, like I do, that Lara was unfairly blamed for the team's losing during his two stints as captain.
This column is not meant to be a blind defense of Chanderpaul. Quite frankly, his detached aloofness is a turn-off. I'm not a big fan of his batting either, although I've come to admire and respect the way he has done a whole lot with very little.
But, how many of us can say we have reached the absolute pinnacle of our chosen career? Chanderpaul chose to make runs for a career and has excelled at it. Isn't that what we all strive for in life? Isn't that exactly what we wish for our own kids?
Politically, his alignments have been infuriating but, again, there's a very good reason that Chetty Singh in the Guyana Cricket Board can rely on Chanderpaul's loyalty. When the teenage left-hander with the oversized batting pads arrived in Georgetown to pursue his dream to play for the West Indies, Chetty was among the few who provided a strong support system. That?s not a small matter.
Chetty can be many nauseating things but, beyond the warts, he has been a fearless defender of those close to him, Chanderpaul being at the top of that list. Who are we to judge Chanderpaul's alignments without knowing the history?
Bennett King, as phony a coach as there is in international cricket, gets a free pass while Chanderpaul is pilloried. How exactly does that work? Was it really Chanderpaul who won the toss and chose to bat in the first Test? Was it Chanderpaul who picked Lawson coming off ankle surgery knowing full well that the floods in Jamaica meant that Lawson had not bowled a single ball (in any form of cricket) for months?
Aren't we tired of the destruction of our players, especially our captains? The list of players used, abused and discarded is too long to dwell on. Remember Hooper's exit? Remember how Jacobs was dumped?
Does Chanderpaul deserve to go down the same road? Sure, he has made his own bed and will deal with the consequences of those mistakes. But those who smear him in the name of getting the captain that will trigger a reversal in the fortunes of West Indies cricket are at the same crabdance, collecting the same mud.