Of West Indian and Siberian Tigers, the Amazon and the Nile

For the first time this series, the West Indies ended a day actually ahead of England! Starting dismally on Saturday and then fighting back, the Windies almost threw it away today with some poor shots, but the ever impressive Chanderpaul, ably supported by Collymore, managed to give the score some respectability. Chanderpaul, the West Indian tiger, continued his defiance of the English bowling and has now batted for just over 13 hours without being dismissed. In the process of this innings, he also became the seventh West Indian to pass 7000 test runs, joining an illustrious group comprised of Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Garry Sobers, Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd and Desmond Haynes. Poor bowling at the start of England’s innings was fortunately negated by the quick loss of three England wickets just before close of play. This is the West Indies we are speaking about however, and while they may appear to be on top, I would not be surprised if the tables are turned around by lunch tomorrow. This is after all a team which has not won an overseas test for several years and has no culture of winning.

I came across this article on the BBC website about researchers in Brazil claiming to have scientifically proven that the Amazon River is actually longer than the River Nile. The researchers claim that an expedition has found that the source of the Amazon is in the South of Peru and not in the North of that country as was previously thought.

I also read an article which reported good news for wildlife- the endangered Siberian tiger has seen a population increase with the birth of 84 cubs in captivity in China. It can be read here.

Weight Gain, Swimming and a Cricketing Legend

The doctor give me another six weeks home when I saw him yesterday, which means I will be indoors for most of spring! Spring is the best time of the year and I have to be inside. I am not a winter person but I also don’t like the extreme heat of a New York summer, so the arrival of the mild temperatures of spring is to my liking. I am not happy about this at all. It also means six more weeks of minimal activity and more time to put on weight. The time I have spent immobile at home has resulted in a realisation of one of my worse fears- putting back on all the weight I had lost last year. I will now have to work extra hard when I get back into the gym. The therapist has strongly suggested that I do some swimming to strengthen the muscles in my foot and the doctor agrees. The resistance in the water would help the muscles but there will be no weight bearing on the foot. I checked the YMCA near me yesterday but I have to be a member to use the pool. Membership is $55 a month plus a $110 initiation fee which I am not inclined to pay as I am already paying a tidy sum for my gym membership. Oh how I long for the sea! I have never been in a pool- the idea of a small body of water filled with sweaty bodies doing God knows what does not appeal to me. I prefer the sea but I guess in the interest of healing my foot I may have to bite the bullet and take to the pool. I will probably have to try and obtain some guest passes and at least get in a few sessions.

While I hate being stuck at home, I honestly do not miss my office, the UN or my job! My job can be exciting at times, but for the most part it is stressful, frustrating and an exercise in futility. Besides all of this I have to deal with various personalities and that is one of the most difficult and exasperating things to be burdened with!

On May 1st, 1951, Gordon Greenidge, one of the greatest openers in cricket history and a member of the finest opening pair cricket has seen was born. He possessed an excellent technique and matched it with brutal strokeplay- who can forget those vicious cuts and off-drives and the hook and pull executed with one foot in the air. Exactly forty years later, he would play his last test innings against Australia in Antigua. He made 43 before he was run out. He went on the subsequent tour to England but hurt his knee in the second one-day international and would never play for the West Indies again. Since his retirement and that of his opening partner Desmond Haynes, the West Indies has not managed to find a real opener. It is a sad indictment on our cricket when Chris Gayle is touted as the premier opener of the past few years!

CWC 2007 Comes to a Close and Memories of Kensington Oval

*Photo from www.cricinfo.com

The biggest event to ever have been hosted by the region is drawing to a close. It has been a financial success for the ICC. For fans from all over the world, Caribbean people and cricket in general, it has largely been a failure. Much has been written about all the problems that have plagued the tournament so I will not dwell on that. Needless to say, I have very strong views on the issues but I think its best for me to stick to the actual field of play.

Tomorrow’s game will be a rematch of the 1996 final. Eleven years ago, the Sri Lankans were not regarded by anyone as having a chance of winning. Their victory and the manner in which they played the game was the stuff of fairy tales. A team which had only recently been the whipping boy of international cricket was now world champion. In 2007 they are an established side with genuine world class players and a few cricketing legends to spice things up but they will still go into tomorrow’s game as the underdogs. Such is the dominance of the Aussies. I will be rooting for the Sri Lankans as I have been doing since the West Indies knocked themselves out of the tournament.

A good preview of tomorrow’s game can be read here.

And for added measure, here are two articles (1 and 2) about the home of West Indian cricket, Kensington Oval. Holding’s over to Boycott and Rowe’s 302 were before my time, but I did see among many other stand out performances, Marshall smash Salim Yousuf’s nose with a bouncer in 1987, Ambrose run through England’s batting on the last day of the test in 1990, Carlisle Best score 164 in the same match, Greenidge brutalise the Aussies in his last test innings with a double century in 1990 and Haynes score a century off Wasim and Waqar in 1992. Unfortunately I was in England studying in 1999 when Lara scored 153 against Australia in what is regarded as his best innings and could only watch on tv. Good memories but there are also bad memories like 1994 when Alec Stewart scored two centuries in a match as we lost a test at Kensington for the first time since 1935 and 2003 when Ponting and Waugh scored centuries to help Australia to a mammoth 605 on a slow dry pitch that was an insult to Kensington. That was the last time I went to Kensington. I chose not to go in 2004 when the English were there because I knew we would lose and I refused to suffer the indignity of seeing in person the old enemy securing their first series triumph in the Caribbean for 36 years at what was once our fortress.