Smiling all the way to victory

Sep 27, 2023 Letters

---

Dear Editor,

Anyone who was part of Sunday night’s crowd would have thought that, it was a combination of carnival, Christmas and cricket. The fired up Guyana Amazon Warriors creamed the strong Trinidad and Tobago’s Knight Riders convincingly to carry away the Caribbean Premier League 2023 crown.  It was the Warriors’ first championship in their sixth attempt in the eleven years of CPL’s reign and now, they can finally celebrate with the coveted trophy.

Watched by an exciting crowd of some 15,000 exuberating fans led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, himself an avid cricketer, the gentleman’s game of glorious uncertainties played out in all its pomp and glory to produce a fitting culmination with the Guyana Amazon Warriors claiming victory, after losing miserably earlier, to the powerful T & T Knight Riders. The thought of rain to disrupt the game was never considered as Guyana is enjoying a stretch of hot, hazy and humid weather with brilliant sunshine during the day and sometimes, the nights being not clear, cool and comfortable.

After demolishing the defenders, Jamaica’s Tallawahs last Friday night, the Warriors stormed in as one of the finalists, determined to avenge their five loses as a finalist in the previous years. They demonstrated the power of resilience as they banded together to form a formidable nucleus, refraining from the restraint of any constraint. The players from different countries cooperated, coordinated and corelated with each other to convey the spirit of team work, as they effectively engineered an efficient exercise to eradicate any taboo and also not entertain any sign of complacency to evolve.

The appraisers, critics and analysists will have a field day for a juicy conversation, as they perform a post mortem to review what Guyana owes the taste of success to, and, the work cut out for the future, to avoid the suffrage of failure, as incurred from a bitter past. Was it mind over matter, or, the ability of the players, or, the discipline employed, or, the tactics of management, or, picking the best players, or, making the right choices at the right time, or, the roar of the supporters, or, Lady Luck that can possibly consider as being the key element in factoring a much-earned win? Can this equation be extended to the application for the benefit of West Indies selection and performance?

The game is often played and decided off the field as much as on the field. Not only in Guyana but throughout the Caribbean, the spectators’ comradery can highlight a day or night of unity from diversity. The nostalgia of oneness cannot be realized unless you are part of the environment, the crowd, the spirit and sharing a commonality of mutual support for the same side. This is the power, influence and effect this game of cricket has over people as they leave their daily troubles outside the gate entrance only to witness the beauty of unique but perhaps, momentarily happiness to shake hands, hug, smack, smile, cry, clap, eat, drink and reach out to each other, despite any differences, real or surreal. Friendship is created instantaneously and sometimes can have an everlasting bondage.

This cricket is part of our culture and does work miracles as it involves more than bat and ball.  The lessons taught by this game are not to be judged by umpires but may be guided by actions, emotions and commotions. Is it a cool, calm and collective approach that is more aggressively dangerous than a fiery, furious and ferocious display of intimidation? Maybe it’s the end result that matters regardless of the characteristics of the captaincy or the methods deployed for destroying one’s opponent! Do we recognize any of this context or content in the reproduction of our livelihood?

Monday promises to be a big bacchanal as Guyanese from all walks of life, tourists, families and friends will march together in a parade of being part of the same party. Hopefully, this will not be a charade for a one-day affair. What happens the morning after? What can be taken away from this long-awaited celebration and this exulted display of a much-elated excitement of relief? The President when asked if Monday will be a public holiday responded that there is much work to be done. This was a simple, straight forward but surmised answer which bears much significance and should be examined below the surface. All eyes, and ears will be opened for a vision of continuity as we take the result and the consequence of this important game beyond the boundary.

Yours respectfully,

Jai Lall

---

• Carnival, Christmas, combination, cricket, Jai Lall.

---