Caribbean Impact. The Torch of The Caribbean

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THE CRICKET PUNDIT

SELECTING AN ALL-TIME WEST INDIES SIDE


George Headley	Gary Sobers	Viv Richards

This is an enormous task since over the eight decades of Test cricket in which the West Indies moved from being an ordinary third world team to the top of world cricket, several great players comparable with the best in the world were developed. Although the idea of an all-time West Indies side is a fascinating one, it will be difficult to select a side and not omit some players whom others feel should certainly make the side.

For my part, Frank Worrell and Rohan Kanhai are the greatest batsmen to emerge from West Indies cricket. They played all the strokes with grace and perfect timing but they might not make the all-time side because cricket matches are not won on grace and stroke play but by batsmen who make lots of runs and make them often and by bowlers who take wickets often and cheaply.

Let us begin to choose the team in the customary way by first selecting the captain. Before World War Two, players of color were not selected to lead the West Indies so players with considerable skill and experience like Baron Constantine and Clifford Roach were not considered for the post. The great George Headley was chosen as the first black captain in his 38th year to lead the West Indies for a single Test against England on tour in 1947-48.

West Indies cricketers have come from several islands and mainland Guyana playing together as a single side. The captain therefore has to lead the side off and on the field in order to establish the team spirit necessary to win matches. While John Goddard was the first West Indies captain to win three series consecutively and the first captain to win a series abroad, he did so with great players and not with a great team.

Frank Worrell was the first player of color to lead the West Indies on a full tour when he took the side to Australia in 1960-61 in one of the most exciting Test series ever played. He was the first West Indies captain to develop the team idea among his players which Clive Lloyd later made an art form. Lloyd’s success also came from the father figure he presented his players and his return to fast bowling which made West Indies cricket by his introduction of the four-prong fast attack which he used at times at the total neglect of spin.

Lloyd led the West Indies in 17 series winning 15 of them and losing two. He lost only to Australia in 1974-75 and to New Zealand in 1979-80. In terms of Test matches, Lloyd captained in 74 of them, won 36, lost 12 and had 26 matches drawn. No other captain has been so successful in the history of Test cricket. Lloyd was not only a very skilful leader but a competent batsman who scored 19 Test hundreds in his career, hitting most of them as captain. He is therefore my selection to captain the All-Time West Indies team.

The outstanding West Indies opening batsmen over the years were Clifford Roach, Jeff Stollmeyer and Allan Rae, Conrad Hunte, Roy Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge. While Roach and Hunte were individual openers, the others were successfully paired. In a statistic on leading opening pairs in Tests compiled by Robert Brookes for Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack 1992, nineteen pairs qualified by scoring 1,000 runs at an average of 40.00 and three West Indies pairs are on the list. They are Jeff Stollmeyer and Allan Rae, Roy Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge.

Haynes and Greenidge opened in 89 Tests, more than three times any other pair. They have together scored 6,483 runs, hit 16 centuries together with an average of 47.32 winning 48 matches, losing eight and drawing 33 to become the best opening pair in Test cricket. The two of them will open my all-time side.

The five middle order batsmen will be selected from George Headley, Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Vivian Richards and Brian Lara. With Lloyd appointed captain, he will bat in the middle. George Headley and Brian Lara stand out as the best ever West Indies batsmen and should make any West Indies side. Garfield Sobers takes a special place in the side. He is the only player in cricket history who filled three positions at the highest levels, as a batsman, a spin bowler and a fast bowler.

Viv Richards makes the side by scoring over 8,000 runs in 121 Test matches and was able to maintain the high average of 50.23 and will bat at number five. Richards is the only captain in Test cricket who has led a side in twelve series in a total of 50 matches without losing a single series. This qualifies him as vice-captain of the side.

What I find very interesting and did not at first think possible, was that an all-time West Indies side could have been chosen without one of the Three W’s whose very impressive batting statistics are as follows:

F.M.M. Worrell 51 Tests 3.860 runs 9 hundreds 22 fifties 49.48 average

E. D. Weekes 48 Tests 4,455 runs 15 hundreds 19 fifties 58.61 average

C. L. Walcott 44 Tests 3,798 runs 15 hundreds 14 fifties 56.68 average.

The choice of the wicket-keeper comes from Ivan Barrow, Clyde Walcott, Gerry Alexander, Jackie Hendricks, Deryck Murray and Jeff Dujon. With the strength of West Indies bowling attack in fast bowling, the batsman-wicket-keeper is preferred to the stumper and Jeff Dujon who kept wickets to Lloyd’s four-prong pace attack in 81 Test matches and took 267 catches, scoring over 3,000 runs with five centuries will keep wickets.

Apart from the brief spell in the 1950’s when the spin of Ramadhin and Valentine reigned supreme in West Indies cricket, pace bowling has always been its strength. Lloyd re-introduced pace in the West Indies attack, using his four-prong pace attack to reach the top of Test cricket. While many of the old fast bowlers did not play long enough to qualify for a place in the side, Malcolm Marshall, Wes Hall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose are eligible contenders.

Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner will join Gary Sobers as the four pace men while Lance Gibbs and Gary Sobers will comprise the spin attack.

My all-time West Indies side will therefore include the following twelve players.

1. Gordon Greenidge

2. Desmond Haynes

3. George Headley

4. Brian Lara

5. Viv Richards

6. Gary Sobers

7. Clive Lloyd

8. Jeff Dujon

9. Malcolm Marshall

10. Michael Holding

11. Lance Gibbs