Lawrence of Jamaica
As we all resign ourselves to the fact that the talented but
underachieving Ganga is the best we can scrounge up to replace Lara
in India, we may nostalgically recall a time, not long ago, when
batting talent overflowed in the West Indies.
It was a time when Sobers and Kanhai were ready to call it quits,
and when numerous young batsmen were more than willing to replace
them - in good measure at that. Kallicharran, Irving Shillingford,
Charlie Davis, Geoff Greenidge, and several Jamaican batsmen, among
them Morgan and Foster were all ready. The most gifted among them
all, however, was Lawrence George Rowe, the man called "Yagga" and
"Lawrence of Jamaica".
On his day Rowe was unstoppable - cutting, driving and glancing
any and everything to the boundary, as he whistled away his
favorite reggae tunes at the wicket, swaying around to the rhythm
of his own music.
In 1972, as New Zealand toured the Caribbean for the first time,
Rowe smashed 227 for Jamaica against the tourists, after scoring
147 against Guyana. Despite this, Rowe still faced stiff
competition for a place in the Test team, especially from
Kallicharran. In his first ever Test, Rowe scored a brilliant 214
in the first innings, followed by 100 not out in the second.
Many West Indians hailed Rowe as the next maestro of West Indian
batting, but many others held doubts. The trouble was that all of
Rowe's hundreds up to this point, in both Test and first class
cricket, had been scored in Jamaica - his homeland. As if to
confirm his doubters' fears, Rowe failed in the rest of the series,
and was dropped for the last Test.
Australia toured the West Indies the following year, and Rowe could
only manage a single 50 in the series, which he scored in Jamaica.
When England toured the West Indies in the following year, however,
Rowe finally started to justify his immense talent. He was asked to
open with Fredericks, and scored 120 in the 2nd test, in Jamaica.
On the 2nd afternoon of the 3rd Test, in Barbados, the West Indies
had to start their innings with just about an hour's play left.
Rowe started off in a blaze of shots to all parts of the ground,
bring Kensington to life after rather dull batting by the English.
So enthused were the Bajan fans that they lifted Rowe shoulder high
off the field at the close of play, knowing fully well that more
brilliant batting would be coming the next day.
Rowe didn't disappoint. The next day he continued to entertain the
Barbadian crowds superbly, finishing the day on 202, and the next
day going on to 302. Incredibly, this was Rowe's first ever first
class century outside of Jamaica! He then made another century, in
Trinidad in the 5th Test, by which time all West Indians were
behind him.
Still though, Rowe couldn't immediately live up to his fans'
expectations. Numerous injuries, and allergies, plagued him.
Eventually, at the end of 1995, almost 4 years after his Test
debut, Rowe played his first ever Test match away from the West
Indies - in Brisbane, Australia. He was run out in the first
innings for 28, but Bradman said next day that it was the best 28
runs he had ever seen. In the 2nd innings, Rowe scored 107 in his
first ever Test overseas, finally living down the nickname
"Lawrence of Jamaica".
After this, no one ever doubted Rowe's batting ability again. Still
though, he scored only 1 more Test century in his career, which
ended in 1983 when he agreed to captain the Rebel West Indies team
to apartheid South Africa.
Thus ended the Test career of the most gifted West Indian Test
batsman between Sobers and Lara, one who, on his day, batted like
only the greatest can.
*Norm is a WI cricket fan and a well respected contributor to
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