First official cricket champions honoured

It has taken all of 50 years, a full half of a century, but at long last the first-ever official cricket World Champions have been officially honoured. Seven members of the West Indies cricket team which won the inaugural World Cup competition on June 21,1975, to become what was then the Prudential World Cup, (it was sponsored by the Prudential Insurance company), were last Sunday night honoured at a gala ceremony at Sam Lords Castle in Barbados. Incidentally the trophy, and with it, the distinction of becoming the first-ever cricket world champions was won at the historic Lords cricket ground in London.

Prior to that accomplishment, no team could officially claim to be world champions. Unofficially England and Australia, the original contestants in international cricket, made claims to such a title but because there was no world tournament before 1975, there was no official champion. Indeed, the West Indies test team had twice come close to being so labelled, in 1950 after its glorious triumph in England, only to lose the succeeding tour of Australia in 1951/2, and a close series loss, again to Australia 10 years later. On both occasions there were allegations of “friendly” home-town umpiring decisions.

While the World Cup was a one-day tournament, 60 overs a side, it started a revolution in world cricket and ushered in a period of unbridled domination by the West Indies team. The triumph was repeated four years later but the Windies carelessly threw away the opportunity of a three-peat, losing to a much inferior India in 1983. It took an awful long time, but our cricketing pioneers had their day, or rather night, last Sunday.

“Heroes, champions, revolutionaries” – Those were the glowing terms used to describe the ground-breaking victors of 1975 who ushered in more than a quarter century of global dominance. Sadly though, the West Indies have yet to regain a World Cup championship. The accolade was showered on the seven members of the 1975 team present at the honouring by Cricket West Indies President, Vincentian Dr Kishore Shallow.

He showered praises on the history-setting team for their accomplishments, calling them “giants of world cricket”. Dr Shallow also announced that in addition to the plaques given to the members, each one would receive a monetary contribution of Bds $20,000.00 on behalf of the Board.

Cricket West Indies has been heavily criticised in the region for taking so long to honour these pioneers.

Indeed one of the seven honourees, feared fast bowler Sir Andy Roberts, while accepting the award, had been less than enthusiastic before when informed of the gesture.The Antiguan pacer, who led what was to become the most fearsome quartet of fast bowlers in the history of cricket, when asked for a reaction to the announcement, had said that he was “not keen” about the award.

“Fifty years after the fact”, he is reported as saying, “you’re telling me that’s when you remember me. I’ll soon be in my grave.” Despite these caustic remarks, “Andy”, as he was fondly called by fans, did turn up to receive his honour. He was joined by fellow Antiguan, the “Master Blaster” batsman, Sir Vivian Richards, who said that he was “moved” by the reunion with his “brothers”. Sir Viv described the historic victory as “the closest a cricketer could get to winning a gold medal at the Olympics”.

The World Cup winning captain who led the victorious West Indies team up until 1985, Sir Clive Lloyd, was fittingly at the centre of the celebrations. Not only did he lead the 1975 team,   but he played the most crucial role in the victory, scoring a cup-winning hundred, putting on a magnificent fielding display, and even bowling a crucial spell. Above all his leadership inspired the team, not just to the 1975 triumph, but to dominance in world cricket.
The other four members of the 1975 team present at the honouring were veteran spinner Lance Gibbs, wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, Alvin Kallicharran, and Collis King.

A Watershed in West Indies Cricket

While it is true that it has taken an awful long time for the world-beaters to be honoured thus validating the criticism, at least one can say, “better late than never”. I have written and continue to write about our shortcomings in this regard. We seem to live the moment but not to cherish it for longevity. I wonder how many of our current day cricketers and fans, whether alive then or born long after, can fully appreciate this day in our history. This was a triumph of the ex-colonials led by a man whose blackness would surely have induced a squirming reaction among the circles which controlled cricket, globally, in the West Indies and in our tiny islands. After our debut in the Test arena in 1928, it took more than three decades before a black man, in the person of the late Sir Frank Worrell, could be fully appointed West Indies captain in 1960.

That 1975 victory, at a time when only Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados had regained their independence, was as much a social watershed as any independence achievement. We must never tire of telling the tale, drawing the lessons and ingraining this as part of our proud heritage.

• Renwick Rose is a Social and Political commentator.