Poetry & Talk on Writing - March 19

Shivnarine Chanderpaul - WI Great

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, one of the greatest contemporary cricketers and batsman the game has seen, recently announced his retirement from the game. His accomplishments are many, his genius singular. Perhaps, if not for a bit of politics, Shiv, still at the peak of his game would have become the Caribbean batsman with the most Test runs. The West Indies selectors, ignominiously, looked the other way in the last year - maybe, more than politics at play. Yet being just short of that achievable landmark is in itself a testimony to his greatness and genius. We are told, by those whose knowledge of the game of cricket surpasses mine, that his two-eyed, front-on stance "has been the greatest technical advancement in cricket so far in the 21st century" (Kartikeya Date on ESPN), that greatness is not only in the numbers. This is for you Sir Geoffrey, and the rest of the English commentators. And yet, Tiger, as he is also known, has the numbers and West Indies and World batting records that many would envy. Here are a few in Test cricket:

• The most unbeaten 50s twice in a match - in the world
• The most consecutive 50s (tied with 7 others) - in the world 
• The most Test 100s by any batsman in the world, scored in the Caribbean
• The most Test matches played for the West Indies
• The most 50s (and over) for the West Indies

There are others, I am sure. Keep on Keeping on Tiger!