What cricket means to West Indies (Part X1) Shivnarine Chanderpaul appointed 28th WI captain

Apr 27, 2020 Sports

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Seven players put on black list for signing sponsorship contract

At the age of 30 and on his home ground Bourda, Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the 6th Guyanese and fourth player of East Indian decent to be appointed captain of the West Indies cricket team when a depleted regional side without star batsman Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle took the field to battle South Africa in the 2005 home series.
Rohan Kanhai, Alvin Kallicharan and Derrick Murray, were the other players of East Indian descent to captain the West Indies in test cricket.
The bitter row between the WICB, the WIPA, the new sponsors Digicel and past sponsors Cable &Wireless left the region’s game in tatters as seven C&W contracted players were deemed ineligible by the WICB due to a contract dispute.
Lara was later cleared to play since his signing of his C&W contract was done before the others and with the ‘blessing’ of the WICB.

Lara however indicated by letter to the WICB that if the other players were not made eligible he would feel uncomfortable playing. He was not selected for the first test in Guyana.
On a ground on which he made his debut 11 years before and where countryman Hooper made his captaincy debut against South Africa in 2001, Chanderpaul joined fellow Guyanese Kanhai and Kallicharran as the players of East Indian descent to lead the side.
In 1973, Kanhai had become the first player of East Indian descent to captain the West Indies.
After an encouraging start in Guyana when the South Africans, on the back of a dogged last day century from Jacques Kallis, held on for a draw after being asked to follow on, the home team (strengthened by the return of Lara, Gayle, Sarwan and Bravo) were soundly beaten in Trinidad and Barbados in the next two tests despite brilliant centuries (196 & 176) from Lara who became the leading West Indian centurion after his magnificent 196 in front of his home crowd in the second test.
On a ‘feather bed’ track in Antigua, the final test ended in a predictable draw as a record eight centuries, including a monumental 317 from Gayle were registered in the first two innings of the match.
Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Bravo all scored tons for the home team as they pilled-up their third highest test total (747) as batting records tumbled at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) and nick named the Antigua Records Ground by the fans.
The Sir Vivian Richards Trophy was handed over to Graeme Smith as the visitors took the 4-test series 2-nil.
Gayle’s triple ton in the final test was a meaningless effort in relation to the outcome of the series after he had just managed 12 in his four previous innings. Lara’s centuries were in losing causes, while Chanderpaul’s captaincy came under fire.

The final test was a predictable end to a disappointing series for the West Indies and despite the runs scored by the home team batsmen it did little to inspire hopes of a revival in the fortunes of West Indies Cricket.
Pakistan arrived in May 2005 for a two-test series hoping to register their first series win in the Caribbean. In their previous tour to the West Indies in 2000, some decidedly dodgy umpiring on the final day of the last test in Antigua denied the visitors certain victory. With nine wickets down Walsh gloved a ball to short-leg but was given not out by umpire Billy Doctrove.
Following the first ever ‘Whitewash’ in the Caribbean (5-nil) in the ODI series against South Africa, Chanderpaul became the first West Indies Skipper to lose eight consecutive ODI matches when Pakistan also Whitewashed the home team 3-nil as the West Indies endured 12 matches (4 tests & 8 ODIs) without a victory to start 2005.
The first test against Pakistan in Barbados was the 43rd at that venue since the first test in the West Indies was played there and marked the final game at Kensington Oval before the entire ground was dug up to prepare for World Cup 2007.
It was indeed fitting that the West Indies broke their winless period in test since beating Bangladesh almost a year before with a comprehensive 276 runs victory with a day and a half to spare giving Chanderpaul his first win as West Indies Captain.
Between 1935 and 1994 the West Indies had been unbeaten in tests at Kensington Oval but before the 2005 win had lost

five consecutive tests at that venue. The win against Pakistan was the 21st at Kensington while seven tests were lost and 15 drawn there.
Home boy Fidel Edwards grabbed a five-wicket haul in the first innings with raw pace, while Lara’s brilliant 130 in the first innings and knocks of 93 and 153 not out from Chanderpaul along with a five-wicket haul in the second innings from Gayle sealed the win for the home team, although Shahid Afridi blasted an explosive century for the visitors.
Although Pakistan were missing some of their key players including captain Inzaman, the win rejuvenated the West Indies as they headed to Jamaica for the second and final test.
Lara’s century, his first against Pakistan and 29th in tests, made him the only West Indian to score a test century against every test playing nation (Australia, South Africa, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh). His previous highest score against Pakistan (the team he made his debut against) was 93 in his home land of Trinidad and Tobago.
In the final test in Jamaica the West Indies were hoping to at least earn a draw to win their first test series since beating Bangladesh a year before. However, an all too familiar batting collapse in the second innings when set 280 to win, West Indies fell for 143 with Lara and Chanderpaul both being removed by leg-spinner Danish Kaneria who also had Sarwan hit wicket for eight to finish with 5-46.
Although Lara scored 153 in the first innings (West Indies 404) and Corey Collymore had 7-78 in the Pakistan first innings (374), his second five-wicket haul in tests, the result was yet another indication of the lack of consistency and mental strength in the Caribbean team. Pakistan’s second innings 309 was built around an unbeaten 117 by skipper Inzaman-ul-Haq who was dropped first ball off Collymore by wicket keeper Courtney Browne as his penchant for dropping top opposition batsmen early in their innings only to see them go on to make big scores continued.
After another loss in their own back yard, the West Indies had little time to lick their wounds before taking off for the two tests series in Sri Lanka in July 2005.

 

 

 

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