C R I C K E T
There was a time when cricket was invincible and throughout the world the great players were household names. They were legends everywhere and everyone knew about Sir Garfield Sobers, the 3Ws- Weekes, Worrell and Walcott, all knighted, Sir Conrad Hunte, Sir Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.
CRICKET The original Kensington Oval
But the brilliance faded with the memories and the Nineties proved badly short-changed after such an era of outstanding greatness. Sadly, the burden of expectation saw a huge disappointment. We expected another era of Test supremacy, but the game was indoctrinated by limited overs and inevitably, 20-overs cricket. Perhaps the irony is that West Indian cricket is now best-suited to playing shorter matches and this new style of the game! Times have changed. 20 years is a lifetime in cricket. Test cricket has suffered painfully with only the Barmy Army travelling to our shores to support their team in any great numbers, but Twenty20 and ODI cricket once again bring hope and is full of promise to bring back the enthusiasm for this magnificent game. Of course, we need the best performers to participate as they draw the crowd but for whatever reason the hierarchy doesn’t seem to get it. Test cricket may not be as popular but it has a place. It’s the gourmet version of the game. Both codes can work together if teams are picked according to their strengths. Several multi-millionaire players perform well and operate on this shorter diet, but surely West Indies cricket selectors can swallow their pride and get on with the business of selecting the best players at the highest level? Last year showed what is needed
62 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS
when the Twenty20 World Cup took place at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in India. It was an amazing performance and Barbadian Carlos Brathwaite was in the limelight. His never-say-die onslaught batting struck four sixes against Ben Stokes, England, with only two balls to finish. The celebrations were unbelievable, and let’s not forget the ladies West Indies team who were also at the forefront. They came onto the field in celebratory mood with their colleagues having successfully beaten Australia in the preceding game with Barbadians Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin playing pivotal roles. There were seven Barbadian players at the championship. These gutsy West Indian Ladies had never won before 2016, although the men’s team under Darren Sammy won the 2012 trophy against Sri Lanka. This euphoria proved the interest is in shorter cricket. In contrast to empty stands at the Test Cricket, games like the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) and ODI international matches have strong support and pull the crowds. As a tourist destination, this is what we need. ODI cricket and World Cups have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and the Government and BCA (Barbados Cricket Association) have played important roles on the island. The Kensington Oval was restructured and modernised to stage the ODI World Cup Final in 2007 and the Women’s World