“Soccer and cricket nostalgia alive in the present time!”

Nov 22, 2015 Sports

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By Colin E. H. Croft  
Ask any Caribbean person over 35 years old, not only Trinbagonians, as to where they were when USA’s defensive mid-fielder Paul Caligiuri scored that innocuous but vital, instantly lethal goal; “the goal heard around the world”; against Trinidad & Tobago’s Strike Squad in that final FIFA World Cup 1990 Italy qualifying game on 19 November 1989?
They would acknowledge, to the exact second, that deathly silent moment when a country; an entire region even; instantly cried bright red.  To this very day, many still either refuse or simply cannot comprehend what really happened on that fateful Sunday evening 26 years ago!
Even though T&T’s Soca Warriors did eventually qualify for W-C Germany 2006, after Jamaica’s Reggae Boys had become the first English-speaking Caribbean country to complete such qualification; W-C France 1998; that massive pain from 1989 had engulfed T&T and its diaspora until last week, 17 November 2015.  Hopefully, some of 1989’s ghost has finally been expunged!
Anyone under 35 years old who attended last week’s similarly important qualifying game at the same Haseley Crawford stadium in Port of Spain that had dripped red tears in 1989 must appreciate how important that gained point in the drawn game with USA for W-C Russia 2018 was.  It may not yet be complete, but it was a slight form of revenge on the bristling Americans!
Based on 2015 form, USA were favorites to beat T&T, but with the Warriors having beaten tough Guatemala, while USA destroyed St. Vincent & Grenadines, it is T&T who now sit, even at 2nd in the group, in a better position.  USA will struggle with Guatemala come next year, while T&T should beat SVG easily when they clash twice in 2016.  Steven Hart’s men are on a great roll!
Viewing and listening to television coverage, we were led to understand that present T&T Head Coach Hart was actually working for free – gratis – as apparently, as mentioned in the commentary, documents and files of T&T’s footballing association were, as the game progressed, being audited and examined too.  Like West Indies’ distantly past but very successful cricket teams, T&T’s 2015 Soca Warriors looked impressive while playing, as suggested, just for pure pride!
One wonders about present thoughts of former Strike Force Head-Coach Everard Gally Cummings, 1989’s ill-fated T&T goal-keeper Michael Maurice, and the man who made it all possible back then, despite what many may say now, Austin Jack Warner, as T&T and USA drew 0-0.  There is a long way to go to Russia 2018, but those three must be smiling ruefully, wherever they are!
Smiling, even whooping it up too, were many who witnessed encouraging; for USA’s cricket; entertaining, still enthralling encounters that were “All-Star” cricket games featuring thirty of the best cricketers the world has seen in the last twenty years, ably led and inspired by Australian leg-spinning maestro Shane Warne and Indian “Master-Blaster” Sachin Tendulkar.
Opinions will continue to be polarized as to if those three games, played at iconic base-ball stadiums; New York Mets’ Citi-field stadium, Houston Astros’ Minute-Maid stadium and Dodger stadium, home of Los Angeles Dodgers; made any cricketing sense.
Some cricketing purists, even those who actually like T-20’s, sulked when thinking that those aged cricket veterans, even world beaters that they all were, would re-emerge for such games.  But the reactions of the attended populace suggested that it was a quite needed glitzy show!
There were even complaints in some quarters that supposedly high cost of tickets and less than efficient security efforts at Game 3; Dodger stadium; were turn-offs for attendees.  However, 36,000 at Citi-field stadium, 26,000 at Minute-Maid stadium and 30,000 at Dodger stadium, all cheering their heroes madly, ecstatically, confirmed that USA is severely starved of good cricketing entertainment.  From players and media to spectators, we all had a tremendous blast!
Anyone who expected to see players like Pakistan’s Wasim Akram bowl with similar alacrity and swing as he did in the 1990’s must either be mad or stupid, but recently retired stalwarts like South Africa’s Jonty Rhodes, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara, Australia’s Ricky Ponting, Pakistan’s Saqlain Mustaq, and Warne and Tendulkar, put on a very creditable show for all!
Meanwhile, International Cricket Council is presently conducting “Town Hall” meetings, ala West Indies Cricket Board had recently done, to ascertain as to how to govern cricket in USA.  Tarred with the same brush, West Indies and USA cricket must now be at the very crossroads, for most of these presently ensuing fracas are operating literally on virgin ground, never occurring previously.
Whatever happens next, with communications flying between irate CARICOM Prime Ministers, former WICB head-honchos and present WICB hierarchy, while the body supposedly responsible for cricket in USA is still suspended by ICC, one thing is certain for both USA and West Indies cricket.  Nothing will ever be the same again as both situations cannot continue as is.
So, Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca Warriors might be on another great, positive adventure to W-C Russia 2018, but WI and USA cricket could be seeing serious future red tears too.  Enjoy!
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