Five Windies Cricketers of The Year

Selecting the five West Indies cricketers for 2002 turned out to be an easy exercise. The editors of CaribbeanCricket.com shortlisted nine players who all had an impact on the regional team's performance on the international scene this past year.

Some were obvious and some just barely made the grade. In no particular order, these nine made the 2002 shortlist: Jermaine Lawson, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Pedro Collins, Shiv Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper, Merv Dillon and Ronnie Sarwan.

Here are our top five cricketers for 2002...

1. Shivnarine Chanderpaul

A no-brainer. Chanderpaul was fast losing his mojo as 'Mr Reliable' when 2002 rolled around but, by year-end, he was?easily the team's best batsman, hogging the limelight in both Tests and ODI tournaments. The gritty Guyanese left-hander topped the Windies Test aggregate for 2002 with a massive 1065 runs at the heady average of 66.56. Four times, all against India at home, he kneeled as kissed pitches in celebration of reaching a century. The Indians simply could not stop him in the Caribbean. He took the Man of the Series award in the Tests. His 6 half centuries this year has once again shown why he is the 'rock' of the Windies team.

Chanderpaul's form in ODIs, though not as telling, also saw him contribute 624 runs this year, averaging 41.60 from 20 matches. His run of form included a well-fashioned 108* against the New Zealanders in St Lucia when he was re-promoted to open the batting with Chris Gayle and led the team to victory.

His most memorable performance of 2002, however, apart from becoming the only Guyanese to score two hometown hundreds, would have been the fairy-tale last over at Arnos Vale in St Vincent. Chanderpaul, suffering from a severely injured left hand, returned after retiring hurt to take the Windies to a series victory by hitting 15 runs off the last over. He only totaled 28 runs that day but it may very well be the innings that first jumps to mind when one recalls to memory his exploits in 2002.

2. Christopher Henry Gayle:

Gayle was the only player to be in every Windies XI that took to the field in 2002. He played all 14 Tests and 23 ODIs and he was a run-scoring machine in both forms of the game. Gayle's 2002 aggregates in both were simply stunning. He was the only Windies batsman to score over 1000 runs in ODIs this year (1097) and did so at an almost 50 average (49.86).

The tall Jamaican cracked three ODI centuries, all against India and 7 half centuries, among them a blistering 84 at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad to lead the Windies to a series leveling victory. He took heavy toll on the Indians, having gone up against them 10 times this year. His highest 2002 score of 140 was a display of power batsmanship of the highest quality.

In Tests the left-handed opener barely missed out on notching up another 1000 run aggregate, helping himself to 916 runs (average 41.63). His 204 in Grenada against the Kiwis was another display of delightful power hitting. It was his only century this year and the second of his career. Like in the ODIs, Gayle slammed seven half centuries the most important probably being 68 on his home ground, Sabina Park on a green top to set up a Windies series victory with his fellow Jamaican Wavell Hinds. By the end of 2002, he was being touted by coach Roger Harper as one of the more consistent international performers in the West Indies team.

3. Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan

The little man from Wakenaam in Guyana displayed a very big bat in 2002. Sarwan seems to now be challenging his countryman Shiv Chanderpaul for the title of 'Mr Consistency' in the West Indies batting line-up. He donned the whites for 12 Tests and piled on 661 runs at an average of 36.72 which hovers around his career mark. The most delightful and relieving of those 661 runs would have been the 119 he made against Bangladesh to finally discard the worrying monkey from his back of not scoring a Test ton after managing 14 half centuries.? In 2002, he clocked 5 more half centuries -- all against India.

The right-hand stylist also made his first ODI ton (102*) against Bangladesh, but this was after he had asserted himself in the Windies ODI line-up with an efficient and mature seven match series against India when he tore apart the Indians for four half centuries including 99 not out and a scintillating match winning unbeaten 83. He finished that series with an average of 109 which jacked up his 2002 average to 58.53.

Sarwan has firmly rooted himself in the Windies ODI middle order alongside another revelation in Marlon Samuels. The year 2002 was a superb year for Sarwan in ODIs, where he amassed 878 runs and made his critics, who blasted him for not being a quality ODI player, eat their words.

4. Carl Llewellyn Hooper

After 15 years in international cricket, the West Indies skipper Carl Hooper finally produced year's worth of runs that matched the talent he was blessed with. Hooper will always have his critics and, at the end of the day, his overall career (statistically) could still be a major disappointment, but 2002 was a year 'Sir Carl' will never forget.

On his home ground before an adoring Guyana public, Hooper dazzled with 233 of the very best. The Indians felt the full force of his blade and Hooper enjoyed easily the finest year of his international career. He stroked, as only he can, 869 runs in Tests and 517 in ODIs, his averages were just missing 50 (49.78 in whites and 47.00 in coloured-clothing). In addition to his first Test double century he took the Indian bowlers apart for two more tons and also added three half centuries to his tally.

The reality that he was nursing a pair of damaged knees added to the importance of his performances in 2002 when he was also called upon to produce with the ball and marshall an inexperienced side through the minefield that is international cricket. Hooper passed all Tests, even if the win-loss record as captain continued to suffer.

In ODIs, he had a solitary century and on 50. In addition he was many times the team's trump with the ball, taking 13 Test wickets and 14 in One Dayers. It underlined his usefulness and worth as a genuine all rounder who can be a trump card in the next World Cup. He showed true grit and guts when, on injured knees he hobbled around to ensure the Windies seized victory from India in a grueling series in their backyards.

He was only closely edged out by Chanderpaul for the Man-of-the Series award against India at home, as he led the Windies to a closely fought home test series victory over the Indians.

5. Mervyn Dillon

In a year when quality bowlers are like safe Trinidad streets, Merv Dillon was once again shouldered with the great burden of carrying the West Indies bowling attack. His response, though largely unnoticed was admirable and consistent. It may be of surprise to some to find out that that Trinidadian quickie has taken 46 Test wickets in 2002 and another 30 in ODIs. He now has 95 ODI wickets and when he takes the other five (hopefully, all in the World Cup) he will become only the tenth West Indian to have taken 100 wickets. This is in addition to his career 112 for Tests.

Dillon took his second test career five wicket haul (5-71) at Sabina Park in the final test against India to seal a West Indies series victory. During the five test series he bagged 23 wickets taking him past the 100 mark on the way and was a model of consistent wicket-taking throughout. His averages in both forms of the game are testimony as to why he is the regional side's leading paceman -- in Tests he worked at 28.06 and in ODIs at an even lower 23.80.

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With very little support from his various counterparts he virtually single-handedly fetched the Windies bowling attack on his back. With the new revelations in the Jamaican duo of Daren Powell and Jermaine Lawson Dillon should feel a little relief in 2003 from the burdensome task of having to remove the opposition when the West Indies takes the field.