“Knights of the West Indies cricket table!”

Mar 02, 2014 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft
Three West Indies cricketing heroes – Anderson Montgomery Everton Roberts, Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose and Richard Benjamin Richardson – have had their status upgraded forever!
On Friday February 28, 2014, they became Sir Andy”, “Sir Curtly”, maybe “Sir Amby”, and “Sir Richie”.
They will join West Indies’ four other living cricketing knights – Sir Everton de Courcy Weekes, one of the best batsmen cricket ever had, Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers, the best all-around cricketer that ever lived, Dr. Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, another of the world’s best batsmen, and Reverend Sir Wesley Winfield Hall, the main forerunner of WI fast bowling dominance.
Sir Everton and Sir Gary are still batting brilliantly.

Sir Everton celebrated his 89th birthday last Wednesday, emphasizing his excellence:  48 Tests, 4455 runs, average 58.61.
Sir Gary; 8032 Test runs, 93 Tests, at 57.78, and also 235 wickets at 35.03, will be 78 come July 28 next.
Dr. Sir Viv, who will become 62 on March 07, is pure legend: 121 Tests, 8540 runs, avg. 50.53, 32 Test wickets too, plus, 187 ODI’s, 6721 runs, avg. 47.00, 118 ODI wickets too.  Wow!
Reverend Sir Wes, former team manager and WICB President, 77 on September 12 next, has been world’s pin-up fast bowling icon for decades;  48 Tests, 192 wickets at 26.38; partnered mostly by another leader to fast bowling prevalence from the 1960’s, Charlie Griffith.
Like Dr. Sir Viv, these three new cricketing knights hail from Antigua & Barbuda, so there is nowhere on earth with an area of 170 square miles, population of 85,000, which contains four living cricketing knights.  King Arthur, eat your heart out!
I am fortunate to share a name with Sir Everton and Sir Andy, while Dr. Sir Viv is also, like me, Piscean!
Sir Andy, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft had been dubbed, cricket-wise, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” so destructive had we been to batsmen.
We played only 12 official Tests together for West Indies, but took 230 of the 240 wickets available, so dynamic that bowling attack was, thanks, mainly, to guidance from Sir Andy!
He taught us how to bowl well and use every natural and gained ability; physical, mental, psychological; and absolutely proper preparation, to destroy opposing teams.
Sir Andy was called “the quiet assassin.”  Some of his bouncers caused as many injuries as bullets!
Silent, unsmiling, cunningly friendly, always planning, Sir Andy probably put physical fear into more batsmen world-wide than any other bowler ever.
47 Tests, 202 wickets, meagre average of 25.61, do not tell the full story of how much we, as a four-some, or West Indies, as a cricket team, benefited from his presence in that team!
Former West Indies coach, manager, selector and ground curator, this knighthood is richly deserved by Sir Andy, who became 63 last January 29.
My only disappointment has been that he was not also knighted when Dr. Sir Viv was, in 2000, as it could be argued that Sir Andy started a world re-invigoration of fast bowling with his Test debut in 1974!
Better late than never!
Having been away from the Caribbean when Sir Richie started his international career, I had to wait until West Indies played a special, solitary Test, against South Africa, Barbados 1991, the latter’s first game back into ICC fold, to see Sir Richie at his best, as both batsman and captain, which he had become by then.
He batted flawlessly for 44 in WI 1st innings, while manipulating his faster bowlers, including Sir Curtly; match figures of 8-81 from an incredible 60.4 overs; to great effect eke out an unlikely 52 run win.
While Dr. Sir Viv could have been termed volatile, batting-wise and as captain, so too can, conversely, Sir Richie be termed the opposite of his predecessor as captain, maybe even genteel.  Sir Richie has been a great West Indies gentlemen, on and off the field.
An ardent musician, Sir Richie even formed a band; “Dread & the Baldheads”; which included Sir Curtly.
But it was for his batsmanship that Sir Richie will be remembered: 86 Tests, 5949 runs, avg. 44.39 and 224 ODI’s, 6248 runs, avg. 33.41.
Now West Indies team manager, Sir Richie finally has the respect and accolades that he richly deserves!
Sir Curtly’s international bowling figures are almost unbelievable, they are so good:  98 Tests, 405 wickets, incredibly frugal average 20.99, plus 176 ODI’s, 225 wickets, impressive average 24.12
The most unassuming cricketer ever, Sir Curtly never took himself seriously at all, but boy, did he take his cricket and representing West Indies with the energy, determination and seriousness that they deserved.
He once told me:  “Crofty, I cannot be bothered about what people think about me.  I have a job to do, and I will do it to the best of my ability.  When I feel that I could not do that anymore, then I will quit.”
He did exactly that, and is now coaching and encouraging youth in the Caribbean in the game.
Gentlemen, thank you for your services.
Arise, Sir Andy, Sir Richie and Sir Curtly!  Enjoy!

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