NAPIER – A surprise visit from 83-year-old former West Indies cricketer Bruce Pairaudeau brought joy, old tales and plenty of advice the team welcomed on the eve of their final preliminary match at the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Pairaudeau’s social call also seemed to have brought good weather, as the sun shone brightly at Nelson Park where the team had another intense session, even if the forecast for tomorrow is thunderstorms.
For 90 minutes, the British Guyana-born, now New Zealand resident Pairaudeau, who played alongside the greats of the game including (Sir) Everton Weekes and (Sir) Wes Hall, entertained the players with his stories of comparative batting in the nets during the 1950s to chiding them for not playing “natural cricket shots.”
It was like a breath of fresh air and gave the West Indies unit some added encouragement as they put on the final preparation touches for their match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tomorrow, next door at Mclean Park.
Please read the full story in today’s Saturday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.
