My Top Five W.I Cricketers

Sat, Jul 24, '04

 

In celebration of 75 years of Test cricket in the West Indies, the five greatest Caribbean cricketers will be voted on and announced in England next week as part of The Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee.

CaribbeanCricket.com has put together a panel of cricket writers, administrators and enthusiasts to pick their top five and to explain the rationale for their selections. Our panel's selections follow...

by VANEISA BAKSH

I have a simple philosophy that applies to the five I have chosen.

All of the 30 cricketers on the shortlist have been top cricketers, each possessing cricket talents of world-class stature. They have all represented the best of West Indies cricket. How I would separate them is by examining which of them made the most significant contributions to West Indies cricket, not merely by winning matches or series, but by the standards they set for the game, sports, and West Indies culture.

It is one thing to be excellent in a discipline or talented; greatness derives from the additional qualities one brings.

As Gary Sobers stands alone as the epitome of the finest West Indian cricketer, he cannot be included in any list.

GEORGE HEADLEY:
While George Headley is commonly recalled as the Atlas of the West Indies team from the 1930s when he was first called upon to represent them internationally, his role as a champion of players' rights is not usually acknowledged. Headley's cricket genius is indisputable. He dominated the WI in his playing days because he was part of a team that wobbled far in the face of international competition. He was discriminated against because he was black, on a team where whiteness was a prerequisite of captaincy and seniority. He was also subjected to the second-class treatment meted out to the black men on the team, but he stood up to it, refusing to accept such conditions and demanding parity with the other players. It was the continuation of a WI hymn that had begun not long before in Sir Learie Constantine, and which would be continued by Sir Frank Worrell.

SIR FRANK WORRELL:
Long before he was officially captain of the WI team, Worrell had already been its leader. He worked with players, listening to their grievances and fighting for better player conditions. He was fair, he led from in front, and he had the moral authority that influenced players, softening their inclination to segregation (he convinced the white Roy Marshall that black men were not after all, invisible or inferior). He instilled the sense of team unity that had hitherto been lacking and when he was made the first black captain (with tenure), he began to shape the team that would later be honed by Clive Lloyd as a fighting unit.

CLIVE LLOYD:
Worrell's work was not done before he died, and it stuttered along until Clive Lloyd managed to harness the individual talents into a cohesive, fit, disciplined unit, ready to take on the world. Lloyd's gift was his ability to take a group of men who could shine radiantly on their own, potential star boys all, and make them see that they could only bring glory by performing as a team. His record as a captain still stands as one of the finest, and it is a tribute to his leadership that the stars under his care did not get sucked into the black holes for prima donnas but became guiding lights in the WI galaxy.

SIR VIV RICHARDS:
Richards was not just an aggressive, powerful cricketer, he carried that persona everywhere. He was the WI cricketer who strode out into the world and demanded respect for every black man and woman. He made administrators and prejudiced officials look up from their fiefdoms to acknowledge his presence. He spoke with his bat and for that indomitable spirit he was pilloried (as he still is), but at the end of the day, he had instilled pride in WI cricket not only for its aesthetic beauty, but also for its courage to stand up and challenge the old order.

BRIAN LARA:
Lara's personal batting records boggle the mind, so far do they tower in living memory. But Lara's ongoing struggle to assert that cricketer's value be recognised and respected has crowned him with the thorns that have scarred several great WI players. He has opened the doors of superstardom to cricketers, has locked horns with administrators over the rights and responsibilities of players and captains. He has redefined the captaincy, and while some see him as an upstart, his struggle is one begun since 1927 when the WICBC was formed and the first official division between team and management was established. Lara's contributions outside of his batting may seem negligible and negative, but he has led a team divided (unlike Lloyd), and in the fullness of time his work will bear fruit.

* Vaneisa Baksh is a journalist based in Trinidad & Tobago. She is currently involved in post-graduate research on West Indies cricket culture at the University of the West Indies and is a committee member of the Trinidad and Tobago Women?s Cricket Board of Control.

by DR AKSHAI MANSINGH

GEORGE HEADLEY
I think it's actually rude to call George Headley's name in the company of others when you are measuring greatness. He should be in a category all by himself. His numbers are mind-boggling. During a period when wickets were uncovered he was able to dominate the world. He carried the West Indies batting for decades at a time when the West Indies were in the lower half of world cricket.

SIR GARFIELD SOBERS:
No need for annotation.

SIR VIV RICHARDS:
The most intimidating batsman ever. Struck fear in all bowlers of his time and honed his own technique to answer all the purists, either batsmen or journalists. Led by example in the truest sense.

MALCOLM MARSHALL:
He was the leader of the most deadly bowling attack in the history of world cricket. He had the second best strike rate in Test cricket history and the best bowling averatge by a West Indian. Add to that the most five-wiccket hauls by a West Indian and, in his time, he held the most wickets by a West Indian.

BRIAN LARA:
The batting records speak for themselves. For me, he joins the list of greatest because of his ability to take the burden of batting on a losing side and still be consistent against all the top teams. The team has declined from top the the bottom and yet has performed consistently against all the top bowlers in the world.

* Dr Akshai Mansingh is chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) medical panel. He is attached to the University Hospital of the West Indies in his native Jamaica.

by TERRY HOLDER

Sir Garfield Sobers was easily the best cricketing talent of all time. He commands a place at the top of international cricketers because of the phenomenal skills displayed while batting, bowling or fielding.

The most eloquent expression of Caribbean batting came from none other than Sir Vivian Richards. At the crease, he was always indicating that the man with the bat is the man in charge.

George Headley set the standard for West Indian batsmanship and demonstrated special skills required to perform on any surface against any bowler.

Brian Lara cannot be omitted from among the greatest even though his business is unfinished. Has genius status like Sobers, Richards and Headley while possessing a larger than usual appetite for large scores.

Lastly, Lance Gibbs stands unique among the other cricketing talent of the region. A penetrative off spinner who never depended on helpful wickets but was prepared to wear the spinning finger to reap rewards.

* Terry Holder is an executive of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).

by VALENTINO SINGH

There should be little doubt as to Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Viv Richards on anyone's list.

I believe that Brian Lara, with his recent achievement of scoring 400 runs in a Test innings and reaching 26 Tests hundreds should also be there. To hold the record for the highest score in Test cricket is a great achievement. To lose it and regain it ten years is a work of pure genius.

The 'Black Bradman' George Headley, still with the best Test average by a West indian batsman, must be included and I would have to work really hard to separate my fifth person - a choice between Sir Frank Worrell, who not only had a career batting average of 49.48, but gave West Indies cricket its gracefulness and respectability through his leadership and Malcolm Marshall.

Marshall's strike rate was phenomenal. When you consider that Malcolm had a better average than Ambrose, Walsh, Holding, Roberts - men who terrorised the world with their ferocity, I'm inclined to give him the edge, particularly as the others were all, barring Sobers, dominant batsmen.

* Valentino Singh is sports editor of the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.

by MICHAEL HALL

Sir Garfield Sobers: No doubt about it, the greatest cricketer of all time. Period.

Sir Vivian Richards: The most destructive, explosive batsman of his, and probably any, era. Fiercely competitive and proud, he personified the glory days of West Indies cricket.

Brian Lara: They say you should never name an active player in an all-time greatest list. I will break with radition. A true batting genius, who has few, if any, equals.

Courtney Walsh: A more dedicated servant of West Indies cricket would be hard to find. Apart from that, he "only" took 519 Test wickets, a mark which, based on the present crop of talent, is not likely to be surpassed by another West Indian bowler.

George Headley: The "father" of great West Indies batsmanship. Carried the team and the region during his all too brief career.

* Michael Hall is executive director of Jamaica Cricket 2007 Ltd.

by RICKY SKERRITT

Sir Frank Worrell - For his leadership at a crucial time in our history.

Sir Garfield Sobers - for his unprecedented and unsurpassed world class all round achievements.

Sir Vivian Richards - For his world recognised fearlessness, power and dominance as a batsman on all surfaces, in all countries.

Brian Lara - For his undoubted batting genius and world record achievements.

Courtney Walsh - For his unprecedented world record achievement as a West Indian fast bowler, his sustained professionalism and commitment to his team and captain and his respect for West Indian and other fans everywhere.

Ricky Skerritt is a management specialist based in St Kitts/Nevis. He is a former manager of the senior West Indies team.

by RONALD AUSTIN

i hope that I do not raise too many hackles with my picks, but here goes:

George Headley: The greatest batsman we have produced: a century in each innings twice and that average of 60:81.

Sir Garfield Sobers: The greatest all rounder of the twentieth century; three in one bowler; peerless batsman and catcher.

Sir Viv Richards: Arguably the greatest after George Headley; one of the few West indian batsmen with a thousand runs in a calendar year (1976).

Brian Lara: One of the greatest batsmen of the twntieth century. The 375 and the 400 in Tests say it all. Not to mention the 501 and the six centuries on a trot in 1994.

Courtney Walsh: Our greatest exponent of fast bowling; the world record (at the time) and the ability to change the course of a game.

* Ronald Austin is an ambassador in his native Guyana and president of the world-famous Demerara Cricket Club (DCC).

by ALBERT BALDEO

Sir Garfield Sobers:
Peerless and accomplished in every department of the game, he is the greatest cricketer that has ever lived. The son of a merchant seaman, his rise to international fame is as inspiring as his sublime talent itself. He has set the standards by which others are measured, and his place in cricket history parallels Muhammad Ali in boxing, Michael Jordan in basketball, Pele in soccer, Shakespeare in literature and Mozart in music. A one man cricket team!

George Headley:
The first black man to skipper the West Indies. He was the "Atlas" who shouldered the batting throughout his career, and was the unrivaled master of wet wickets, considerations which prompt many to consider Sir Don Bradman the "White Headley" instead. A batsman with impressive records, such as test centurion on debut, first West Indian to score 2 centuries in the same test, (a feat he performed twice), he is third in the all time list of highest career test averages with 60.83, having scored 10 centuries in 22 tests. Some of his best years were lost to the Second World War.

Sir Vivian Richards:
Generally regarded as the best batsman of his generation, in both test and one day matches. He may not have dealt with the same class of bowling his predecessors had to, but his arrogance, total dominance and brutal assassination of bowlers at the crease won him respect and acclaim the world over. Still holds the record for the fastest century in test cricket, off 56 balls. Has left a legacy of courage and purpose for other batsmen to follow, a much needed exemplar for the current West Indian crop.

Malcolm Marshall:
In his prime he was acknowledged as the fastest and most lethal bowler in the world, and his strike rate establishes this, although he was comparatively small in stature. He gets my vote in a close race over Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Curtly Ambrose, Joel Garner, Wes Hall, Lance Gibbs and Courtney Walsh, all great West Indian bowlers. He could have made more runs and developed into a genuine allrounder, but he placed the most emphasis on his bowling.

Brian Lara:
Still the double world record holder, and the most gifted batsman in the world today. On song, there are few better sights than Lara in full flow, exuding majesty par excellence. He is not as reliable as Tendulkar, but his abilities are unbrooked. Lara's still growing singular achievements render him a must in any all time West Indian XI. He gets the nod over Rohan Kanhai, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Frank Worrell, Gordon Greenidge, Alvin Kallicharran and others. He probably did not have the steadfastness and professionalism of Alvin Kallicharran, or the magic and genius of Kanhai, but he cannot be omitted from this short list. Not recommended for captaincy.

Albert Baldeo is an attorney and cricket writer based in Queens, New York.

by ANDRE BAPTISTE

Sir Vivian Richards - His stride to the wicket, by his mere presence at the crease, bowlers were defeated mentally.

Sir Garfield Sobers - He was the consummate cricketer, versatile in all areas, batting, fielding, bowling. No one has been able to do likewise from any other cricketing nation to date.

Malcolm Marshall - His eye for a batsman's weakness and his meticulous use of varying pace, along with his judgement of situations on the field of play are unsurpassed in West Indies cricket.

Larry Gomes - When in doubt, he could be depended on, he always remained calm and cool and most of all had the opponents perplexed by his ease at the wicket. Even when he was not scoring runs quickly, his smile and happy look, also helped the mood of the team in desperate times.

Brian Lara - Class is evident and added to great mental strength and deep concentration make him a formidable opponent. A batsman who was enough Trini "Bad Mind" to beat up on any team, anywhere.

* Andre Baptiste is a journalist and radio personality based in Trinidad & Tobago.

by REON KING

The greatest all-rounder the game has ever seen - Sir Garfield Sobers.

One of the great exponent of the basics of fast bowling - Curtley Ambrose.

One of the world's greatest cricketers - Sir Viv Richards.

Arguably, the best comtempary batsman - Brian Lara.

First spinner to take 300 test wickets in world cricket, a great achievement in West Indies cricket where fast bowling has always been our strong suit - Lance Gibbs.

* Reon King is a professional cricketer who played in 14 Test matches for the West Indies between 1999 and 2001.

by MARK HARPER

Garfield Sobers: The greatest cricketer of all time who made runs and took wickets against everyone. Dominated the game with bat, ball and in the field. Sobers had a fantastic cricket brain as well. He could out-think the opposition.

Viv Richards: The most exciting batsman ever in the history of cricket. Was an exceptional player of fast bowling but his true greatness was his ability to intimidate bowlers. He could change the course of an entire game in one session and led by example as a successful captain.

George Headley: A man who dominated his time. In those days, he was the backbone of the West Indies batting and the sheer magnitude of his scoring -- and his consistency -- was unbelievable. The man made big scores all the time.

Malcolm Marshall: Maco was a freak. He could do whatever he wanted to do with the ball, at any time. At his peak, he deadly quick and he was cunning. He had the ability to pinpoint a batsman's flaws and work him over with ease. Marshall had a fantastic cricket brain.

Brian Lara: Lara proved his greatness to me in the last two years. He has big appetitite for runs, especially when he's under pressure. Exceptional player of spin bowling. His personal victories over Murali are the stuff of legends.

* Mark Harper is national coach of the Bermuda cricket team.

by VIJAY KUMAR

Garfield Sobers is universally acknowledged as the greatest all-rounder there ever was. As a batsman he could hold is own as one of the finest of all time. He was the first to reach 8,000 Test runs and held the world record individual score of 365* for 36 years. His average of 57.78 is stellar. His 235 Test wickets from three styles of bowling were commendable and as fieldsman his 109 catches were exemplary. His captaincy was nothing to shout about but he had grace and presence in his 93 Tests.

Brian Lara is one of the best batsmen in history. Only the immortal Don Bradman had his penchant for setting records. They are the only pair with two triple centuries. Only Lara has ever reclaimed the world record for the highest individual Test score. He is the first to reach 400 in a Test innings, fastest to 9,000 Test runs, second on the double centuries list (7), tied Bradman for most 500 runs aggregates (7) and has the most runs off an over (28). A key measure of greatness is how a player influences a game and it doesn?t get any better than Lara?s 153* against Australia at Bridgetown in 1999, his magnum opus. His safe pair of hands has accounted for 140 Test catches. His captaincy has not produced the desired results but his batting carries the day.

Frank Worrell as a batsman could hold his own at the highest level. His average fell below 50 in his last Test appearance (51 Tests). His fast-medium pace (69 Test wickets) qualifies him as a true all-rounder. Furthermore, Worrell stands out in that least recognized of categories: leadership. On the field he was a master and is widely credited with rejuvenating Test cricket during 1960-61 in Australia. He is the first captain to successfully suppress insularity in a West Indies team. He was a rare gem, the likes of which we may never see again.

Vivian Richards? 8,540 runs with a 50.23 average is awesome. Coupled with his two World Cup successes (1975 and 1979) and a host of other one-day successes that includes being the only player to score a hundred and take five wickets in an ODI. As a captain he never lost a Test series. Richards, like Sobers before him, is one of those few players whose purposeful swagger to the wicket was worth the price of admission. He commanded respect for his unorthodox approach of hitting across the line. His belligerent approach to batsmanship ? never used a helmet ? earned him the fearsome accolade ?The Master Blaster.?

Lance Gibbs was arguably one of the two finest off-spinners in history, Muttiah Muralitharan being the other. Gibbs was the first spinner to reach 300 Test wickets, an outstanding achievement given the preponderance of fast bowlers in the game. He was successful on all types of wickets around the world. He had command of spin, bounce and flight. He was a world aggregate record holder with 309 Test wickets from 79 Tests. His world record performance of 53.3-37-38-8 against India at Bridgetown in 1962 has never been bettered. He had the added distinction of decorating his career with a hatrick against Australia in 1960-61. This toothpick of a spinner was one of cricket?s greatest bowlers.

* Vijay Kumar is a cricket writer based in New York. His published work includes 'Cricket Lovely Cricket', a nostalgic look at the 1950 West Indies tour of England and '418 to Win', the story of one of the greatest Test matches ever played.

by LAWRENCE ROMEO

George Headley: The first West Indian superstar. He showed a young cricketing nation that they had the nous, and the ability to compete against their colonial masters. That he carried the batting and the hopes of that generation with grace without faltering only magnifies how magnificent a human being he was. Atlas by name Atlas by nature. All great West Indian cricketers stand on his massive shoulders.

Viv Richards: The intimidator. Shorty sang, "no bowler holds a terror for Vivian Richards" many bowlers lived in terror of Richards though. It is hard to find any other player in the history of cricket who exuded the authority of Vivian Richards.

Malcolm Marshall: Worlds greatest fast bowler, not tall and massively muscled like other quicks of that era, but Marshall had the smarts and probably the most perfect action, and could exploit the weakness of any batsman. He left us too soon.

Clive Lloyd: you cannot name five great West Indian cricketers without finding a place for Clive Lloyd. Under Lloyd, the West Indies bestrode the cricketing world like a colossus. Using Frank Worrell's template of a unified Caribbean team, Lloyd was able to forge a young disparate band into a fighting world beating unit who ruled the roost for 15 years.

Brian Lara: World's greatest modern day batsman. He epitomises the 'me' generation, The cricketer as superstar millionaire. Where Headley and others after him carried the hopes and dreams of 6 million forging a place for themselves in the world, Lara has no such burden, he bats for himself and does a great job at it.

* Lawrence Romeo is a U.S.-based cricket writer and contributor to CaribbeanCricket.com.