The Barbados-sier

As the second Test between India and West Indies is underway at Bridgetown in the West Indies, here are some sweet 'n' sour moments at Kensington Oval in Barbados

The Barbados-sier

As the second Test between India and West Indies is underway at Bridgetown in the West Indies, here are some sweet 'n' sour moments at Kensington Oval in Barbados

FOR the first time in history, in India vs West Indies Tests, there is not a single Mumbai player in the squad for a Test at Barbados. Barbados and Mumbai have been the powerhouses of West Indies and Indian cricket.

In the 1952-53 Test playing XI, there were seven cricketers who, at some point in their careers, played for Mumbai Madhav Apte, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, G S Ramchand, Dattu Phadkar, Subhash Gupte and Vinoo Mankad.

Cricket at Barbados is picture postcard

Six Mumbai men, Dilip Sardesai, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar Bapu Nadkarni, Farokh Engineer and Ramakant Desai were in the XI for the 1961-62 Test.

FOR Nari Contractor, the former India captain and opening batsman, Barbados will never be a place he will remember with delight. It caused him his darkest hour of his cricketing career.

After defeats in the Trinidad and Kingston Tests, India played a tour game against Barbados before the third Test there.

Barbados captain Frank Worrell had a terror pace bowler in his ranks Charlie Griffith, the man who hit Contractor on the side of his head, damaging his skull to such an extent that the then captain never figured in Test cricket thereafter though he played domestic cricket with success after recovery.

Destiny played its role in Contractor's injury. He was supposed to skip the game, but was forced to play due to injuries to his teammates.

Secondly, Contractor fended a delivery before the fateful one but Conrad Hunte fielding at forward short leg took it on the half volley. Had Contractor been caught, the life-threatening injury would never have occurred.

And thirdly ufffd Contractor's concentration was disturbed by some movement in the dressing room (the ground had no sightscreen) as Griffith ran in to bowl that delivery. Contractor wanted to stop the bowler to get that sorted out, but then decided that he would fix it after the delivery. Alas!

Griffith later wrote in his autobiography, Chucked Around: "Every day I went to visit Nari in hospital. For most of the time he was unconscious. When he regained consciousness, it was as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulder."

THAT the 1980-81 tour of West Indies was a tough one for England's assistant manager and former batting great, Ken Barrington would be an understatement.

Apart from having to cope with a formidable, unbeatable West Indian side, there was the Robin Jackman controversy. The government of Guyana revoked Jackman's visa because of his links with South Africa. This resulted in the England team's refusal to arrive in Guyana and the second Test was cancelled.

Barrington suffered a heart attack in his hotel room during the third Test in Bridgetown, Barbados and died on March 14, 1981 at age 50.

Jackman, who made his debut in this Test after the Guyana drama, reportedly bowled with tears in his eyes.

THE India vs West Indies Test at Barbados in March 1997 must rank as a low point for batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. India had never beaten the West Indies in Barbados and this was their golden chance.
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The Indians had to score just 120 but were bowled out for 81. Tendulkar batted brilliantly in the first innings for his 147-ball 92 although he succumbed to Ian Bishop in the second dig for four with rival skipper Brian Lara taking the match-winning catch at slip. Lara later described it as the most important catch of his career. It was a tearful time for the India captain.

INDIA'S next battle at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados was in 2002. After winning the second Test at Trinidad by 37 runs, Sourav Ganguly's Indians flopped badly in Barbados and lost by 10 wickets.
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According to West Indian supporters in Trinidad, India had it coming. Here's what the then India coach wrote in John Wright's Indian Summers: "After our win in Trinidad, the spectators relocated to the bar across the road.
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By the time we left the ground, they'd spilled out onto the road. 'Wait for Barbados, man,' they yelled. 'We'll get you in Barbados.' And they did."

Former Australia captain and India coach, Greg Chappell's biographer Adrian McGregor writes in the book, Greg Chappellu00a0 (Courtesy: William Collins Pty Ltd):

HAVING drawn the first Test (in Jamaica, 1972-73), the Australians moved on to Bridgetown, Barbados, for the second.
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It was 2,400 km to the East and they began to understand the administrative problems of the far-flung West Indian cricket islands. Greg succeeded with 106 in the second Test, but only after struggling for the first 40 runs. It was the first time uncertainty interceded since his century at Lord's (in 1972).
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Since then he had averaged 60 in three Tests against Pakistan in the early Australian summer and began with centuries against both Jamaica and Barbados in the island matches.
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It reminded him how fickle form could be. As this Test too sagged to a draw, a giant young West Indian stepped over the fine leg boundary fence and approached Greg with a dollar note.

'Sign this, man,' he said smiling. 'You play cricket?' asked Greg. 'Yeah man, I'll play against you one day.' Said Greg, 'Well good luck to you.' It was Joel Garner.

Sports Editor Clayton Murzello says: Joel Garner preserved that note. I was surprised that he produced it when I asked Garner about this incident in 1999 when he was here as manager of the West Indies 'A' team in 1998. He said he kept it for his daughter Jewel, who is a model.

Street cricket in the West Indies

Garner started playing international cricket against Chappell in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket by 1978.

Former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge writes in the book, The Laugh's On Us - Cricket's Finest Tell Their Funniest (Courtesy: Swan Publishing):u00a0

Cricket crowds the world over have their own particular brand of wit. In the West Indies it tends to be biting and, if you're not accustomed to it or take it too seriously, it can get you down at times. And it is directed at anyone the spectators feel merits it, Test star or first-timer.

Take Wayne Daniel, for instance. Wayne was one of the fastest bowlers we've had and a very good one, too. Perhaps if he had come along at a different time and not when there were so many contenders for the fast bowling spots around, he would have played more for Middlesex and, whenever he came back home to play for Barbados in the Shell Shield competition, he usually did well.

But he would sometimes have off-days - don't we all! - and this was one of them. He just kept pitching up half volley after half volley and almost every one went crashing to the boundary with a big drive. The home crowd at Kensington Oval wasn't liking it very much and was vocal in its comments and advice.

As it happened, there had been a story in the papers that morning about the arrival of a big shipment of Mini-Mokes from Australia, the jeep-type vehicles that the tourists get around in when they're in Barbados.
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Amidst all the shouting from the stands came one clear voice that had us all falling about in the middle: "Hey, Daniel, you must have come in with that Mini-Moke shipment. Everybody's driving you!"

Former West Indies opening batsman Desmond Haynes writes in the book, The Laugh's On Us - Cricket's Finest Tell Their Funniest (Courtesy: Swan Publishing):u00a0

Nerves hit Vanburn Holder, the big Barbadian fast bowler who played for West Indies in the 1970s, in a big way when he came into the Barbados team for the first time as a boy of 19.u00a0

He was almost unknown since he was playing in the Barbados Cricket League at the time.

He felt pretty good when given the new ball, ran up smoothly and delivered the first ball with no problem - or so he thought It was only when he noticed the batsman hadn't played a shot or the 'keeper collected the ball that he realised something was up.

What was up was that he still has the ball in the grasp, frozen there by the fear of his first big occasion.