Cricket legends grateful for accolades received in SVG

SEVENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD cricket legend, Alvin Kallicharran, said the accolades bestowed upon him by the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) marks only the second time in his life that he has been so fully recognized by any country or organisation.

“…to acknowledge the 1975 World Cup team, the first island to have done, it’s a tremendous gesture… it’s very emotional,” he said.

“…and also, to be awarded St Vincent nationality…what a gesture…in my 30-year career, this is my second acknowledgement,” Kallicharran told SEARCHLIGHT on Saturday, August 2, 2025, while attending a breakfast function at the official residence of the Prime Minister.

Kallicharran, who was among the surviving West Indies players of the 1975 World Cup Tournament attending last weekend’s Emancipation Cricket Festival, said not even his own country, Guyana, has ever recognized him in the way that SVG has, his first real recognition having come from Queen Elizabeth in the United Kingdom (UK).

Over the weekend, SVG honoured the 12 living West Indies cricket legends from the inaugural 1975 Cricket World Cup.

Six of them- Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Gordon Greenidge, Sir Andy Roberts, Deryck Murray, Alvin Kallicharran, and Collis King, joined Vincentians here at the invitation of Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

Last week was an eventful one for the cricket legends as, beginning in Parliament on Monday, July 28, 2025, lawmakers passed a Bill conferring Vincentian citizenship on the surviving members of the 1975 Prudential World Cup squad.

On Saturday August, 2, 2025, the six legends who were present in SVG were invited to breakfast at the official residence of the Prime Minister where they were presented with the specifics of the citizenship offer. On that day, they also journeyed to the Arnos Vale Sports Complex where they interacted with male and female cricketers, and cricket aspirants as young as five.

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