THE HUMILIATING DEFEAT of the West Indies in the third One-Day International against England at Kensington Oval last Thursday highlighted the sad state of the regional cricket team.
This may be why for many Caribbean people, cricket no longer has the appeal it did for so many decades. It was once seen as a sport that allowed us to show our prowess on the field of play and to send a message of our determination to succeed against the odds. Indeed, West Indian cricketers, following the foundation laid by Sir Frank Worrell, were to become the hallmark of excellence.
Sir Frank himself showed the importance of plotting ahead even in the face of roadblocks. Nothing could stop him becoming the first black man to be appointed as captain of the West Indies team.
Today marks 50 years since he passed away, and like so many things about our cricket, the occasion will go largely forgotten and overlooked. He died a relatively young man at age 42, having succumbed to leukaemia.
By that time, he had become a legend – an honour he shared with the two other Ws, Sir Everton Weekes and the late Sir Clyde Walcott.
For most current players in the region, Sir Frank may only be a footnote in history. Sadly, this is true of the wider society and their connection to this outstanding sportsman.
Thankfully, University of the West Indies (UWI) vice chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, through the annual Frank Worrell lecture at the Cave Hill campus, has kept the memory of this great Barbadian and West Indian alive.
It is an important initiative by the university, since Sir Frank had a close connection with the institution, having served as a warden at the Mona campus. More importantly, he was an avowed regionalist.
But preserving his contribution can’t be left to the UWI alone or to people like business executive and former cricketer Rawle Brancker and a few others who have tried gallantly, but unsuccessfully, to restore Sir Frank’s boyhood home at Bank Hall near the Empire cricket club, with which he was so closely associated. It is disappointing that the restoration has not been realised.
His image graces the Barbados $5 note, but the truth is that for most Barbadians he has been relegated to the pages of history.
Fifty years on from his death, we should recommit to some of the lofty ideals he so jealously upheld, be it striving for excellence on the field of play or indeed in any of our other endeavours, or his belief in a united Caribbean.
He believed in pride and honour. These are objectives that our current crop of cricketers should identify with and try to emulate.