The next decade....what's in store?
Musings of a yamfooted traveller still trying to shake off those last 20 pounds as she treks across the Caribbean
I tell you, last night was stress bwoy. Had a couple articles to do for a couple of media, with time deadlines, forcing me to think creatively in a short space of time. Check Nation News and Caribbean Cricket.com for the results.
I felt the tension headache come on in a flash, and the effects lingered long into the night, so much so that if I got one hour's sleep, I got plenty.
So I will be on the train today from Leeds to Nottingham like a zombie. Hopefully, by the time I get back on the train in Nottingham after seeing school mates, and head to London, where I will see another in the train station, I will be more like myself.
Lack of sleep is not good!
The game will miss Brian Charles Lara
Taken at post match press conference today, Kensington Oval media conference room
For close to 17 years we watched him. And we watched him not only on the cricket field, but off the field as well. I suppose it came with the territory of being a professional sportsman, and a darn good one at that.
His legs were beginning to get weary, but perhaps not as weary as the constant blame...rightly or wrongly so...made him mentally.
At some point, according to one of my former bosses, you look up...you look down...and then you say "wait nah...there are other things more important than this in life."
He has achieved; there can be no question about that. And anyone who discounts the mavellous performances which punctuated his career, because of some indescretions possible for any human being made of flesh and blood to make, is disingenuous.
This upcoming England tour has certainly been dealt a blow. You could say all that you want about him, but there are still thousands of people in this world who would pay any money to see him bat, even nearing age 38.
Such was his hold over the game, the fans, the people. He has relinquished his dominance and the mantle must be passed.... but to whom?
Will there ever be anyone as great as Brian Charles Lara? Maybe only if he produces a son!
Who would have thought that less than 24 hours after sitting in a press conference with us journalists after losing horribly to minnows Ireland on Saturday, Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer would be dead?
No one.
He was found unconscious in the bathroom of his room at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel this morning, by the housekeeping lady who went to clean his room. He was taken to hospital and never regained consciousness. The press release said there was blood and vomit. There are also reports that he had a medical condition. An autopsy will be done.
This casts a pall of gloom over what is supposed to be a happy exciting World Cup, since it is being held in the lands of Happiness.
Hope Bob has found his happiness after the stress of coaching the very unpredictable Pakistan team. Rest In Peace.
That's one of the photos I took of him at the press conference.
How I planned and plotted and longed for this day to come. It's the start of the World Cup. Not football Dr D. That lovely game called cricket.
I applied to a US university for admission in 2003, specifically with the four year course (PhD) in mind. When I deferred enrollment until 2004, in order to take up a short term training contract (search the site for 'PhD' and you will find the stories), I knew I could not be away at this time, and so told the university 'thanks but no thanks'. Ok, is not only that....the course was not the right one for me.
So now that day has come. I am watching the West Indies in the opening match against Pakistan. Everything from a spectator perspective has gone well.
The atmosphere is fantastic. The weather, perfect. And West Indies are not in such a bad position so a victory is quite possible. Here are a few pics....
Brian Lara leading the troops at training yesterday
Horses on patrol on South Camp Road, blocked off from the Deanery and North Street ends.
For all you old timers....Lawrence 'Yagga' Rowe takes in the action in the Press Box
"I wasn't there when they called to say they had the anthem. They (Foreign Affairs) should have got the Chinese Ambassador to come and listen to the band rehearsing. Truth is, I don't think Foreign Affairs people knew there were two different anthems for PRC and ROC. I thought they were the same."
That's the gist of the conversation I had with said gentleman. So my conclusions were correct. Foreign Affairs is at fault, yet it's the Band Leader who is transferred. Me thinks he will have the last laugh.
Please click on the pictures at the right to see the new Queens Park Stadium in Grenada. The Chinese have done a great job. When they do the landscaping, it is going to be really nice.
But it's too big. 16,000 plus. Grenada doesn't have business to sustain that amount of seats. But anyway, it pretty.
Antigua, St Vincent and Bequia.
Cricket, and then family vacation. Will be in touch.
Things always work out, don't they? I would have booked to go to Antigua today to watch the two matches in the Stanford 20/20 tournament.
But the fare was exhorbitant; add that to one night hotel accommodation and that would really have been too much money to spend for one night.
Turns out that I wouldn't have got to see any cricket! The rain fell today and both matches were called off. I would have left Antigua at 5:45 tomorrow morning, thereby missing the re-scheduled matches at 3 and 7 tomorrow afternoon/night.
So consider the costs not spent a saving!
Taking the time off to have two and a half days of cricket, only for the West Indies to lose in three days! My two and half days would have started on day two of the match.
Cho. Well at least the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin redeemed us and we lost by 49 runs in the end. Brian Lara wants us to keep the faith, but Skipper, I telling you, it's hard. Why we couldn't show application in our first innings like the Indians did in theirs. If we had, I would have had at least a morning of cricket tomorrow.
Now I have to find other things to occupy my time! Anyway, it's on to exciting 20/20 cricket later this month. Looking forward to some fun cricket.
....having two days off and a whole morning and half the afternoon off when cricket is playing!
I will be off this weekend and don't go back to work until Monday 4pm. So I hope it doesn't rain in Jamaica at Sabina Park where I really should have been, but you know, duty calls sometimes.
I've rented a car for when I leave work on Friday afternoon, so the days off will most probably involve driving in the countryside somewhere. Must remember to take my new camera!
I'm in ecstacy. Watching cricket is better than sex. (on a creaking bed)
Maaaan, I thank India and West Indies for providing such a dull match (or maybe it is the curator who prepared the pitch I should be thanking). Were it not for this, I wouldn't have seen Jamaica's own home grown Asafa Powell equal the world record in the 100m England at the Norwich Union meet at Gateshead. Jamaica's Michael Frater was second.
Gatlin chickened out because he was fearful of the cold. He shouldn't have been. He shoulda been afraid of the heat that Asafa was going to put into his tail.
On to July 28th. That's when the two will class. Lawks a massy. Ah cyan wait. Ah cyan wait.
So, who is going to win World Cup this year?
I am voting for Italy. Do they even have a team in the competition????? Talk to me about cricket. I know zilch about football, but I promise to follow Italy's progress
As I read the scorecard between Sri Lanka and England and saw Andrew Flintoff's name, I remembered what one of my dreams was about last night.
I was somewhere, can't recall, a room of some sorts, maybe like the eating area of a cricket ground and Andrew Flintoff and another English player (?) came up to me and casually started a conversation. Then Andrew asked me where I got my sneakers from.
Oh my goodness! I totally forgot! I had been wandering around the England dressing room a couple of days before, and in my desperation to find a pair of sneakers (the Queen's Park Oval here in Trinidad is a bit dusty and I only carried slippers!), I took the pair that I saw. True, it was a bit bigger than my yamfeet, but nothing that an extra pair of socks couldn't address.
Anyway, when he asked me, it was with a knowing look, that these were in fact his shoes! Yes, they were. I immediately apologized, and he was very sweet about it all. I promised to have them cleaned up and put back where I got them from.
Hagen Daaz Cookies 'n Cream ice cream, Horlicks, bread with peanut butter and nutmeg jelly.....just in case you're wondering what di hell I ate before going to bed to cause me to dream something so weird!
...but somehow I didn't feel jubilant. Maybe is because I am hoping it is not a flash in the pan, and that we can sustain this effort when we go to the Champions Trophy (I had visions of attending that in India in October....would have been a great 40th birthday present), and then meet Pakistan afterwards.
I think that must be what it is...that we need to win away before I get happy. But don't get me wrong...it is lovely to see smiles on the faces of the team members and everybody rallying around each other.
Did I tell you that I was not too optimistic after we had lost the first match and looked like we were going to lose the second? Here is that that story .
Tomorrow, I leave St Kitts, head to Grenada (through Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados!), drop my bags at home, re-pack and head to the airport again for a night flight to Trinidad to see the final two ODIs against India. Hopefully we will win on Friday and clinch the series. Sunday will therefore be a relaxing match. Lawks, mi heart!
Everytime I see World Cup, I am thinking cricket, but I forget that there is a football world cup this year.
Of course you know the West Indies team beat India yesterday. This is why we watch cricket.
After the victory by 1 run, the players did a victory lap. I captured it on my camera....
I've been in Jamaica a week now. It's time today to move on to St Kitts to see the first ever ODI at the new Warner Park ground. Am excited to be back in Sugar City, a country I worked in for two months late 2004. If you search the October, November and December archives, you will find the entries done from there.
Go Windies! 1-1 in the series instead of 2-0
If you look at the photos to the right of this page, the first one is a picture of the wicket that Dwayne Bravo took to send back the last Indian man standing. Aint my camera great?
Yesterday West Indies played India at Sabina Park (that's for Dr D and all the other clueless-on-cricket readers of the blog!). As is customary, there was a post match press conference. There were about 25 media persons including myself in the room, when one of the West Indian cricketers walked in and said "Gentlemen, good afternoon".
I heard my voice on my tape recorder last night saying in a high pitched voice "and lady!". You see, I was the only lady there yesterday. There are other lady writers and lady commentators involved in cricket....just not enough and so the players not accustomed to us.....yet.
Anyhow, every now and then I google my name to see what's out there (who's spreading what false information etc). I enter the following words for the search - Cricket Michelle McDonald. Hear what the facety outaorder Googleman ask me....
"Did you mean: cricket Michael McDonald?"
I'm serious. Here is the link
Hrmph!
(But these things don't bother me these days...I just find it amusing really. Don't sweat the small stuff)
Bought a new camera. You've seen the pictures on this blog, yes?
Anyway, it can do short video clips as well.
Here's one.....
This cricketer last played for the West Indies in 1999. Lo and behold he is playing again. That must have been the longest ever wait in the wilderness.
Cricinfo, the kind of mother of all cricket sites, picked up the interview on their blog on 8 February, referring to it as "excellent".
I've known the cricketer for about 11 years now and it's nice to see how he has matured.
This is why this game is so sweet.
Here is a man, THE world record holder, who has struggled in the first two matches of the Aussie series, comes out to bat on Day 1, ends up with 202 not out, being only 11 runs short of equalling the record for the highest run scorer in history.
After reaching 202 on the first day it was taken for granted that he was going to get the 12 runs to go ahead on Day 2. But still, I have to admit that when McGrath was bowling to him before he got there, I was nervous. I had some work to do and could not take my eyes off the cricket.
Any of you watching, would have seen that Lara, apart from a brief jump, was not gloating, because he knew that there was a lot more work to do in order to give the West Indian bowlers something to bowl at. Sadly, his stumps went flying....bowled by McGrath for...I think it was 226. It don't matter. He's got the 11,187.
As I recall, the only other current cricketer who can surpass it one day is Sachin Tendulkar, and with his varying injuries, that won't happen for now I shouldn't think. So it means that the West Indies has a couple more years of celebrating Lara holding all the records.....
De world record for highest Test score - 400*
De world record for highest first class score - 501
De worl record for highest number of runs in TEST HISTORY!
Maaaan....I know he's no angel, but you've got to give him his props. Di man is di boss. He's just damn good.
He's from Trinidad, as you might know. His name was around for a bit in the first class season, because he used to score heavily and take wickets. He was also selected to go to the cricket academy in Grenada in 2003 but opted out because he was given the impression by a selector that he would have been selected for the home series against Sri Lanka and I forget which other team. So he was in the news, but I didn't know much about him.
How the decision is made to do these interviews is either I will see who is in the news and decide which of the young players has the potential to move up and then I request the interview, or Ryan will say "ask X for an interview". Bravo's own happened in the former scenario.
I was at Alaprt in St Elizabeth, and Jamaica was playing Trinidad, so there was an opportunity there. When I requested the interview, he was surprised that anybody would want to interview him. I explained that we try and pick the talent that's going to go far. That seemed to have pleased him.
He answered the questions well, rather than the monosyllabic ones that you get sometimes, and when I sent the transcript, I remember Ryan saying how much he enjoyed reading that one .
Either that evening of the interview, or the following evening, the team was invited to a dance in a little village. He loves Jamaican music and can do all the dancehall moves rather well. Put on quite a show I tell you.
When Dwayne eventually made his debut for the West Indies in 2004 in Guyana, mine was one of the loudest cheers you could hear. No, I wasn't there, but I was watching from afar. When he got to Barbados I did another interview with him, this time over the telephone, about the debut and about his going on to make the Test team. He wasn't cocky and even felt that there was no certainty that he would go on the tour to England. I told him he would, and so said, so done. He got more notice for his bowling than his batting that year.
The last time I saw Dwayne was in Barbados in October. It was his brithday, and Jamaica was playing Trinidad in the one day tournament. As a fellow Libran, I wished him happy birthday and all the best in Australia.
And so he has made us all proud, especially since Lara, when he captained him, had to remind him publicly that he Bravo was a batting allrounder and not a bowling allrounder. He made his first century this year in Antigua against the South Africans, and now this one against the best team in the world. What a great feeling this must be for him.
One of the things he said in that first interview was essentially that he would bring life and positivity to the cricket field, which is exactly what he does. He's an excellent fielder and his body language is always upbeat. When he has the ball in his hands, you know that something is going to happen because he likes to experiment and he tries to think out batsmen.
I know I've gone on and on, however, when young people who you know have the potential, start to show signs that they can fulfill that potential, it's a great thing.
Bravo, Dwayne! Don't stop there. Carry on and score another century in the 3rd Test.
As I was watching Dwayne Bravo stroke his way to a century, I started to add up the number of players in the current squad who I've interviewed in my cricket life (I am fortunate to lead a double life in training and cricket).
Let's see....
There were full interviews with the following
1. Chris Gayle
2. Wavell Hinds**
3. Devon Smith
4. Dwayne Bravo
5. Denesh Ramdin
6. Jermaine Lawson**
7. Tino Best**
....and short interviews with these
8. Ramnaresh Sarwan
9. Marlon Samuels
10. Fidel Edwards
So of the 11 playing the current test, I've interviewed 7. The ** denotes those who are sitting out this test.
Lemme tell you about the one with Dwayne Bravo in another entry...
Packing, packing and more packing. Sounds like I'm going with many 'grips' right? Nah. Just a large suitcase, a medium size suitcase and the carry on along with my laptop.
Air Jamaica, like BWIA, have dropped the weight allowance for Economy passengers to two bags @ 50lbs each. Previously you were allowed two @ 70lbs each. However, in Air Jamaica first class, you're allowed the 70lbs weight which I'm happy for.
Do you know that it's only US$70 or thereabouts to upgrade from Economy to First Class if you have a year ticket? Yup. The first time my travel was being paid for, my sister gave me that tip. She used to work at one of the airlines then. So I paid the difference to upgrade and have done so almost every time that my travel is being paid for.
For me, First Class is not for the champagne or free wine...it is for the space, the extra weight allowance ( and you know with my body weight being what it is, I need that!), and the space. Oh, I said that already. Also, the late check in, the departure lounge, and for who you might see in there that could be a contact. But I haven't quite learnt how to work contacts yet, so that's neither here nor there.
What else have I been doing? Running around doing errands, mostly consisting of fitting clothes, arguing with tailors and dress makers and of course in that process, there are a few drivers to curse inwardly.
I took some fabric to a well known tailoring establishment. It was the first time they were making a jacket for me. Previously they had made some pants and I swore I would never go back. But when you want a well constructed professional looking jacket, a proper tailoring establishment is the only place to go I think. Do you know it took me four trips there for them to finally get it right?
So when I was leaving on the third trip, I saw the owner and I told him that he will have to deduct something for the amount of gas I was using up coming to him all these times. He said he would be there today so I was to check with him. He took off J$500, so that was appreciated. But their system needs changing. There is a breakdown between those who take the instructions from the customer, and those who sew. One of the times I was there, I witnessed a young lady being very upset. She came to try on two skirts and they were flared skirts. She said she told them very clearly that she didn't want a flared skirt and sure enough when you look at the instructions, it said NO FLARE (or is it FLAIR?). That leads me to think that the tailors cannot read.
Seriously. Owners and managers do not look at the competencies required to do a particular job and then hire for that. They just take a man who say him used to sew at Mr John Black tailor shop, just because he says he has experience. For this job, the tailor needs to be able to read, calculate measurements, be dextrous, operate a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, etc etc. So a good element to add to this interview is to make him, under observation, cut a garment, sew it and adjust it by X inches.
Anyway, I am rambling. Let me finish up. I went to cricket yesterday and today as well. Unfortunately I won't be able to see any of Jamaica's home matches in the upcoming four day regional tournament. That is always a nice break, especially when they are playing in the rural parts. I should be able to see one of the Windwards matches though, so at least I will see some cricket.
Ok, it's tres warm. Must get back to the packing. Enjoy your weekend.
Click here
Be sure to look at images 20 and 23.
Jamaica's U-19 cricketers are off to Kami's home turf (St Vincent) to win both titles in the regional competition. Last year they won the three day title and reached the final of the one day title where they lost to Trinidad.
Jamaica, on paper, has a strong team. With eight of last year's winning team again included, they will provide stiff competition for the other teams who are coming to try and dethrone them.
Here are a few of the young cricketers, looking sharp in their green jackets...
(L-R) Nickoy Samuels (specialist batsman), Jeffrey Scott (wicket keeper), Cordell Simpson (spinner) and Albert Gopie (all rounder)
I just looked to see if my calendar has day planners for March and April 2007.
This is why.
I've been waiting for 2007 forever, putting off plans that would take me out of the Caribbean around that time. It has better be worth it. Or else mi will cuss mi real bad patois/Jamaican bad wud! (as if I know how to do that, but it sound good......doant)
Loraine called me today to tell me that my photo website was voted one of the two Websites of the Week in the Daily Gleaner.
If you have a copy, it's on D8 in the Business section. Unfortunately it is not online, but see below for what it said. The article is entitled 'Blogs, bloggers and blogging" and starts out by talking about what a blog is, then has lists of a few popular blogs, then has the section Websites of the Week.
Here's the blurb...
"Cricket fans who didn't make it to Sabina Park for the recent One-Day Internationals between the West Indies and South Africa can view dozens of photos from both matches at 'Yamfoot's Photo Gallery'. The photos include close-ups of players from both teams, the pitch and spectators, with each picture having its own sentence or paragraph of text describing the scene.
The site also features photographs from previous regional cricket matches, including the recently-concluded Carib Beer Series."
It was written by somebody called Sandor Panton, in association with the Gleaner Online. Go check it out if you have a printed version of the Gleaner today, Wednesday 18 May. Page D8.
If any of you watched the One Day match between South Africa and West Indies which took place in Barbados yesterday, you would agree that we performed pathetically.
But I am not surprised, really not surprised.
And I am very happy that I did not decide to waste money this year travelling around watching the team.
Go to my gallery for pictures from the 1st One Day international cricket match between the West Indies and South Africa.
We lost.
So if you don't hear from me until next week, you know why.
My 9 year old niece has a project to do, which involves finding a picture of the current West Indies team and pasting it in her scrap book. How lovely it was therefore to see one in today's Gleaner advertising the start of the Digicel Home series.
She looked at the fellas in the picture then said "Where's Brian Lara?". I said that he was not in the team. Then she went on to ask for both Chris Gayle (who she has met) and Sarwan. Same response from me.
Her response?
"Then that can't be a West Indies team then!"
Even at 9 years old, they know.
If any of you are going to watch the first test match between South Africa and the West Indies in Guyana, be forewarned. You will not be seeing Mr Brian Charles Lara, world record holder.
You no doubt would have been following the saga surrounding seven players, including Lara, who have individual personal contracts with Cable & Wireless, and how those contracts impact on the West Indies Cricket Board's team sponsorship with Digicel. Unless you've been living under a rock in Jamaica, you know that the two telecommunications companies are fierce competitors.
After advice by their legal counsel, the WICB announced that of the seven, only Brian Lara was eligible for selection because his contract was deemed to be "pre-existing". They gave Lara an invitation yesterday (Friday) and he asked for 24 hours to respond.
He responded today, but not to say yeah or nay. So the board has gone ahead and named 14 players.
No Lara. No Gayle. No Sarwan. No Bravo. Those are the four of the seven who would have been likely to be in the squad. I think who I feel it for most of all is Dwayne Bravo, a young Trinidadian who I've interviewed a couple of times, who just started his career on a great note.
Nothing is to prevent him from coming back into the team after he gets out of his contract (which can happen if they don't play as part of the West Indies team for I think it's 2 months). But dog nyam his supper if one of the "substitutes" does superbly. How would the selectors drop that "sub" for Bravo?
I ask myself the question....Did these players know what they were getting into when they signed? The WICB reported that it had warned them that they were going to sign with a competitor, but they went ahead and signed anyway. Did the players fully consider the impact of their signing with C&W and the WICB signing with Digicel?
Anybody can look 6 months down the road and tell me what the future holds for these players?
I'm out of town again. Yes, cricket again. The last time for the year I'll be out of town for cricket.
Fuzzy represents cricketers who could have been, but for circumstances and opportunity they never were.
Fuzzy is a taxi driver who I took from the Pegasus hotel home today. As I got in the car after having kept him waiting, I said "sorry to keep you waiting". Him face screw up. Immediately I knew that I had to work this one over to feeling better about having had to wait on me.
He started behaving like a typical taxi driver when he switched lanes. "Which way are you driving?" He points to the direction of the lane from which he switched. "So why did you come in this lane?". He explained that he was going to beg a space when he reached up the top. "Lord"....but I said that to myself.
If I could have had a sheet to cover my face I would have, the way he was boring. And then he boasted that he wouldn't get hit. I wasn't so sure, as evidenced by my rapidly beating heart.
Anyway, closer to home he mentioned that he played cricket, so my interest piqued. What club? Mona United. What high school? Kingston College. Then he mentioned how he made 198 not out one time, and last match took 4 wickets and was 88 not out. Clearly a man with talent.
"Mi woulda like fi play fi West Indies yuh nuh". What kept you from doing that? Wavell Hinds. Naturally I will ask Wavellous if he knows him.
So imagine if he had worked harder (he admits that Wavell had more stick-to-it-ivenss) he coulda be one of them embroiled in this saga now. "Ah waan mek di West Indies team and mek plenty money." The West Indies players would probably disagree with him.
But this evening's experience got me thinking about how people fall into paths that, had things been different, they never woulda got on to. Life is sure interesting.
(Dr D, Cricinfo is a cricket website).
""It is not a matter of performance today, it's a matter of how much I'm getting and it's a real pity."
On the eve of his 100th Test, Steve Bucknor reflects on changing attitudes of players"
This appeared on that site. It was taken from an this interview I did with the great Jamaican umpire who has created history.
Our first outright loss in the Carib Beer Series. That in itself might cause some people to say 'well done', but you always have to look at the loss under a microscope.
The Tamar Lambert supporters will say it's because they changed him from captaining. I don't know how it works on the cricket field, but I know that when I was assistant to anybody and I saw them going wrong, I would always tell them my thoughts, in a nice way of course so they didn't feel I was criticizing them.
I say that to say that if Tamar saw Wavell making a fielding change or bowling change and he felt that wasn't the correct thing to do, wouldn't he go to Wavell and voice his opinion? Wavell doesn't strike me as the dictatorial type.
The second thing is the batsmen. For my money, I would have carried Danza Hyatt. Not because Brenton Parchment made a century in the match against Guyana he should have been chosen when Chris Gayle had to pull out. Danza had more half centuries than Brenton. What would you rather? One score of 100 or two scores of 50? I'd take the latter. In the away games Brenton hasn't lasted long in any of his innings.
Then there is the issue of Xavier Marshall. Many, including myself, felt he should have stayed in the region instead of sitting on the sidelines in Australia with the West Indies. Since returning, he has scored I think it's one half century. Not anything significant for a fellow who is accustomed to really dominating. Had he stayed, he would have played himself in by now, and it is not difficult to assume that he would be in the top 5 of runs scorers.
We didn't get enough of a first innings lead. I was thinking today that the WICB should give bonus points, plenty bonus points, to the team who leads their opponent on first innings by at least 100 runs. This 30-odd lead is not sufficient. It is a psychological advantage if you can lead your opponent by more than 100 runs.
The bowling seemed to be very ordinary. Are the guys tired? The fast bowlers have been rotated. Nikita Miller the left arm orthodox spinner has not. He normally takes 5 or so wickets at least in a match. This match he took 2.
But well played to Trinidad and Tobago. After what happened to them in the first match against Jamaica (playing three men short when Shazam Babwah's father died and he had to return home, Sherwin Ganga got hit on the cheek and retired hurt, and Imran Jan had back spasms and couldn't bat in the second innings). Congrats to Lendl Simmons as well. It's nice to see the youngsters applying themselves.
Before I go on, I have to say who Lendl Simmons is. He's a young cricketer from Trinidad & Tobago. He represented the West Indies at the youth world cup last year in Bangladesh where we were beaten finalists.
Anyway, after Trinidad played us here in Jamaica in Round 5, he asked me to use my computer to copy something on to a CD for him. No he didn't have a blank CD. I said I would arrange it, don't worry.
Dropped it off for him the day they were leaving. He had some money in his hands and asked how much he had for me. I said "don't worry about it, I didn't have to buy a blank CD because we had one at home. What you must do for me though, is score at least one century during this tournament". Yes, he said. I said "Make sure yuh know".
So today he obliged, not with one, but with two. He scored an even 200 ironically in their match against us now going on in Tobago (which we are going to have to try hard not to lose).
When he makes it into the West Indies team in another 4 years or so, I'll remind him about it.
I'm off again for cricket (sucker for punishment but it's my only love at the moment).
Leaving Jamaica Friday 23rd April to see the One Day matches in Trinidad (2 matches), Grenada (my second home) and Barbados. Will return on Friday 7 May. My ins and outs look like this...
Friday 23 Overnight in Barbados
Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 Trinidad (had to get some cloth shopping in)
Tuesday 27 to Monday 3 May Grenada
Monday 3 to Friday 7 May Barbados
While I'm away, I hope to be so distracted that I lose some more weight (last 2 week period spent in Barbados saw 6 pounds being left there)
Take good care and make each day of your life meaningful. Just to remind you of this, I've attached something which some of you may have seen already (originally got it from Miss P), which is guiding me right now.
I'm going to write a story for the website on this, but let me tell you a lil bit about today.
Reached in the middle of them calling each bowler and showing them their action in slow motion. Messers Benjamin, Service, Haynes and the Big Man himself Mr Walsh were the ones going through with them. Using the principles from last night's Bio Mechanics lecture, they pointed out to each how by changing just a little thing, they could become better. The chaps took it in good stride. This was the first time they were going through anything like that.
I must say that all the gentlemen are very good with the youngsters. Service was a Maths and Physics teacher before, so that serves him well in this role. Benjamin has some very good teaching skills and Mr Walsh is very very motivational and gentle.
Now the high point of the day was seeing Lagga. De bwoy could dress. You should have seen his shoes. Two toned biege and brown matching perfectly his top. The individual analysis was going on in the dressing room so that's where I was. That's also where Lagga changed into his practice gear. I shut my eyes (didn't you know I'm shy?????).
I remember having a conversation with him and some of the other Jamaica players, while in Barbados and it was interesting to hear them talk about the various 'sizes'. I was in shock and asked them if they undress in front of each other. Yup. It's no biggie (well, for some, that is!).
After the analysis, it was time to go on to the practice pitch and start to do remedial work to correct the flaws and make them more efficient.
Fascinating stuff. A day well spent.
MB, not sure about Lawson's return, but when I interviewed him in Bim, he said he was good to go. I guess the selectors waiting to hear reports of how he performs in the Supreme Ventures Super League which starts this weekend.
Click for a picture of Lagga.
That's what I've become. After two decades of merely watching, I've decided that I need to take things to another level and learn the intricacies of the game.
The writing that I've been doing for CaribbeanCricket has allowed me the opportunity to do just that. Last night, as part of a piece I am doing on Philip Service, I attended a lecture for fast bowlers on Biomechanics, which is basically how the body works.
For those of you who might be saying "who's Philip Service?", he is the West Indies Cricket Board's Developmental Officer for Jamaica and the man responsible for working with fast bowler Jermaine Lawson over the past year. Lawson was found to have an illegal bowling action and had to do remedial work in order to get back into Test cricket. Service was the man working quietly behind the scenes to achieve this. And he has. So the website will be doing a piece on him.
Last night's lecture is part of a 4 day camp for promising school boy fastbowlers from the rural areas. The camp is being run by Service, along with former West Indies fast bowler Kenny Benjamin from Antigua.
Today will see me going down to Sabina Park during the day, and going back this evening to a lecture to be given by Dr Mansingh who is chairman of the WICB Medical Panel.
....That's how long it took the great Brian Charles Lara (Dr D, you do know who Lara is, don't you?) to break a world record. He did it first back in 1994 at the same ground in Antigua and he's done it again, very soon after the Australian Matthew Hayden (ok Dr D, I don't expect you to know who Hayden is!) broke Lara's record earlier this year.
Now I think many people would have hoped that his 390+ runs (they are on lunch break now), could have been divided up into 3 hundreds for each of the preceding 3 tests, to change the complexion, and results, of those matches. But we take them wherever we can get them, and surely, surely, this must motivate the rest of the West Indian batsmen to step up their game for the One Day matches.
My brother has just walked in and noted that Brian has broken the record on his, Patch's, birthday. As if that is significant.
Now it's time for a late breakfast (ackee, yam, plantain, fried dumplings, hot chocolate - then left over anniversary cake from the parents' 40th yesterday) before heading off to the gym.
Yes, the gym on Easter Monday.....for I want to break my own record too, also set 10 years ago, when I went down to the lowest weight I've been as an adult. I have a far way to go though....48 more pounds.
"It can be do".
