New Books Coming from Lara, Rousseau
Whatever your perspective, 2007 will change our cricket culture.The Cricket World Cup as an event introduces new elements to the way cricket matches are planned. Concepts of merchandising, security, broadcasting, marketing and sponsorships will be enlarged by the intimacy of international attention. The legacy aspect will vary for each territory depending on how wisely they have invested resources, but one thing's for sure -- all will be left with upgraded stadia and equipment, and with care the physical structures can be transformed into truly nurturing spaces.
From early on, it seemed to me that the centre of this World Cup was its legacy to the region. Staging games, managing logistics and putting on a great show was the International Cricket Council's (ICC) mandate to every host territory, and thus contractual arrangements focus on their successful implementation. But just as the ICC covers its interests, a host nation must look after its own and thus the real accomplishment would be in accruing substantial home benefits.
While we haven't become as soulfully involved in the process as I'd hoped, it is heartening to see real contributions to our cricket legacy coming from books written by our own, some of which will be available by the World Cup.
Heading the list is the hotly pursued manuscript by Brian Lara, finally captured by Bloomsbury Publishing. Reported to be excellent by publishing insiders, moreso because it is said to not be a ghostwritten affair, this is sure to be hot bread. Details are sketchy on content, but given Lara's development in the last decade, one can expect a more substantive work than Beating The Field. Observers will have noted the remodelling of his image in his efforts to study the game's history and to portray himself as an ambassador and mentor.
A memoir by former West Indies player Andy Ganteaume is coming with revelations regarding his stunning drop after his maiden Test century and a description of the relations between Jeffrey Stollmeyer and others within the fraternity. Ganteaume reminisces eloquently and adds perspective to the forces shaping decisions in an important period in our cricket history.
Going further back, Professor Hilary Beckles will publish a diary of the first international tour in 1886 by West Indians to Canada and the United States. The journal was kept by the Jamaican captain, Laurence Fyfe, and is fascinating for the lifestyle it portrays and the interests of the men who set out to expand their business networks via cricket and cocktails.
Well-known commentator Tony Becca has compiled a collector's dream of great performances from 1974 to contemporary times. Becca witnessed the greatest period of West Indies cricket and picked out more than three dozen sparklers to fill the heart with pride. He has interwoven these with accounts of matches, and his experiences as he covered the game for three decades.
Also hard at work on his memoir of a career covering cricket and other sports is Joseph "Reds" Perreira. He has an amazing memory, and has such a marvellous personal story that even if he did not focus his attention on cricket, it would still be riveting. How a shy boy with a stutter became one of the leading sports broadcasters in the region is a tale of the pursuit of a dream.
Coming too will be a different kind of book on cricket from Patrick Rousseau, former president of the West Indies Cricket Board. Rousseau's attention is on his controversial presidency, administrative processes, how he tried to remake the board into a new corporate entity and the problems encountered. It is a valuable account of the transition from one era to the next.
It promises to be an enlightening period, and after the World Cup reading these accounts might help us to understand whether we will rise from the ashes or close the door finally.
Happy New Year.