=Continued=

In Globalising Cricket: Englishness, Empire and Identity, Dominic Malcolm wrote that cricket became a part of the black culture as a “constructive past time”. However, racial policy dictated that black players could become bowlers, but rarely batsmen and captain. Perhaps, it explains why West Indies later achieved supremacy in the fast bowling department.  This, however, did not mean black players weren’t good batsmen. Sample this:

Between 1928 and 1960, white players only hit 25 fifties and no centuries. On the other hand, black players scored seven double centuries and 29 centuries.  Racial policies, nevertheless, protected the white players from being dropped for poor performance.

While cricket was a tool for the white colonialists to show their loyalty towards the British crown, the natives saw the game as a means to fight against the racial colonialists and outplay them in their own game. Cricket became the vehicle for forging a “national cause” which transcended political divisions and bound citizens of the constituent island through the common thread of black equality.

Perhaps, cricket’s impact on the Caribbean psyche could be gauged by this quote of "whispering death" Holding:

“I have five million West Indians depending on me to perform at my best so they can walk the streets and be proud.”

Sir Vivian Richards is considered one of the greatest batsman to have played the game of cricket. Getty Images

Social commentator CLR James – popularly called CLR – is considered a legend in the West Indies. One of the few cricket writers to look at the game beyond its technicalities, CLR was instrumental in helping Frank Worrell become the first black captain.  For CLR, Worrell’s appointment was a major step towards black empowerment in the Caribbean.

Nevertheless, while individual performances of Worrell, Garfield Sobers, Alf Valentine, Everton Weeks and Wes Hall grabbed people’s attention, the team remained an underdog.

The 1975 tour to Australia was a major turning point for the islanders. The Clive Lloyd led-West Indies were trashed 5-1, and ridiculed – often with racial overtones – for their inability to withstand bouncers. Learning his lessons from the debacle, Lloyd encouraged his bowlers to exploit their impressive height to bowl lethal bouncers. The strategy worked wonderfully against India and England.

The late Tony Grieg unwittingly helped consolidate black pride in the constituents of West Indies. Days before the 1976 tour, Grieg mocked the West Indies’ bowling attack, vowing to make them “growel” – an apparent reference to the slavery era. Driven by a sense of revenge, the West Indian bowlers targeted Grieg, as the all-rounder failed with bowl and could score only 51 runs in eight innings. The West Indies won the series 3-0.

=To be Continued=

=Continued=

The world took notice of the fearsome four and the cricketing world changed forever. The “perennial underdogs” had begun their journey to achieve ultimate glory. When the West Indies trashed England 5-0 on the own turf in 1982, the black man’s revenge was complete.

After Worrell retired, Gary Sobers took over the reins of the team. Sobers is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. Getty images

As Virat Kohli took the rudderless Caribbean bowlers to the cleaners in the final ODI, West Indies looked a pale shadow of their former self. After dominating world cricket for nearly quarter of a century, the Windies team now seem to be a bunch of uninspiring, inconsistent and directionless youngsters.

The decline in West Indies’ fortune started in 1995, when they were finally beaten by a Mark Taylor-led Australia. However, the individual brilliance of Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose helped West Indies delay their downfall.

From the 90s onwards, cricket – especially One Dayers – turned more and more into a commercial sport. India especially was in the forefront of the “gold rush”, owing to its large population and the vast economic opportunity that the newly opened economy offered.

The commercialisation of the game coincided with the rise of Jagmohan Dalmiya, a Kolkata-based businessman who was elected as the ICC chief in 1996. Dalmiya was instrumental in bringing the World Cup back to the subcontinent in 1996, and it turned out to be a major commercial success.

Dalmiya emulated what the Calypso Kings had already done on the 22 yards – ending the white man’s hegemony. With India becoming the single-largest revenue generator for global cricket, the non-white Test-playing nations rallied around the BCCI for raking in the moolah.

As commercialisation set in, cricket increasingly became a professional sport. It is here that the West Indian Cricket Board lost the plot. Cricket had always been an emotional affair for the black community in the Caribbean, but the game did not pay well. In fact, Holding once admitted that he had joined the rebel World Series Cricket (WSC) out of financial considerations.

=To be Continued=

=To be Continued=

The failure of the WICB to adapt to the changing times began reflecting in the mid-2000s, when the contract disputes between the players and the board threatened to derail international tours. With monetary considerations taking precedence, the idealistic notions of restoring black pride and racial equality became the thing of the past.

West Indies have become a potent unit in T20Is, winning the 2012 and 2016 World Cups. Getty images

Published Date: Jul 12, 2017 05:07 pm | Updated Date: Jul 12, 2017 05:09 pm

=End=

Was Kanhai, Kali, Soloman, Baichan all Black??/

Imagine what these Boys had to deal with. Kali spoke openly to a Journalist about the RACISM me experienced in the dressing Rooms. I am sure Kanhai and others have similar stories to tell.