For many ardent West Indian followers and supporters over the age of
45 or so, remembering the great batting traits of Guyanese Rohan
Babulall Kanhai is like a very pleasant dream, especially when he was
paired, in the mind and on the field of play, with the incomparable
Barbadian, (Sir) Garfield Sobers. These guys operated mostly in the
60's. One such situation developed in 1968 when England were the
tourists. Kanhai made 150 and Sobers made 152 in the Bourda Test
match. Believe me, the grass actually became brown after such a
shellacking.
Of course, younger supporters would also remember that other great
pair of batsmen of the 70's too, Guyanese Alvin Kallicharran and
Jamaican Lawrence Rowe, who so dominated proceedings and tormented
opposition's bowlers, and had many a friendly tussle between
themselves, before the advent of the "Master Blaster", (Sir) Vivian
Richards. One would get that impression that, like fast bowlers
operating "in fours", especially in the Caribbean, batsmen in these
parts seem to come in at least "twos", or pairs, except Richards of
course, who was basically on his own, but superlative.
Well, I am here to tell you that the same will again happen sometime
in the not too distant future. Ramnaresh Sarwan of Guyana and
Sylvester Joseph of Antigua & Barbuda and the Leeward Islands, two of
the youths of the future West Indies cricket team, would most probably
emulate their legendary counterparts. These guys, young as they are,
inexperienced as they are, will be very special in their own way when
they eventually take center stage, which is already here, in a way.
Let us see what we find when we put the microscope on Sarwan.
In June, 2000, Ramnaresh Sarwan will be 20 years old. That is as good
a time as any to start one's "real" international cricket career,
"playing with the big boys." Sobers started his career much younger
than that, and so too, recently, did Shivnarine Chanderpaul. After his
showing so far this year, and hopefully, continuing from there, one
should not be too far wrong if one suggested that Sarwan would be
selected in the West Indies squad for the tour of England this English
summer. What a birthday present that would be for the young Guyanese.
Indeed, with his selection to the 14-man West Indies squad for the 1st
and ultra important Test against Pakistan at Bourda, Sarwan at least
has an opportunity, even if he does not actually play, to learn
something of the "big leagues" by rubbing shoulders with the "big
ones." Since Sylvester Joseph has already made his One Day
International debut against the Pakistanis in Grenada last month,
Sarwan could also be allowed to get his true international colors.
Guyanese fans would rejoice!!
Many of the older supporters have already suggested that Sarwan
reminds them so much of the budding "Lall", Rohan Kanhai. The
slight, but very loose frame, the liquidity of movement, the standard
seemingly effortless, but effective ability of dispatching bowlers,
fast and slow, to all parts of the field, yet the nonchalance of
seemingly not being involved at all, are all there. If anything,
Sarwan seems so confident, something I knew was very much part of the
make-up of Kanhai, that perhaps he still thinks that cricket is a
game. Soon, he will probably understand it is his job, and therefore
more thought would have to be put into the effort, if his career is to
blossom from the bud it is now, and take off to being the wonderful
fruit is can become, and last some considerable time too.
Sarwan has been playing for Guyana since 1995, as a Youth player, and
since 1996, as a regular member of the senior Busta Cup squad. He has
actually done quite a lot since his arrival on the cricket scene. Not
only has he impressed everyone with his obvious poise, even if he has
not yet really produced scores, before this year, to really impress
with statistics, but he has already been on two tours, almost
simultaneously. In 1997, he was selected to that ill-fated Youth
World Cup in South Africa, then asked to stay on for the West Indies
"A" team tour there. He impressed all with his poise and
understanding of the game.
Amazingly, he is the first batsman anywhere in the Caribbean recently
that anyone could have suggested, after just seeing him bat once,
that, all things being equal, he will definitely play for the West
Indies. The last person to have such an accolade was Chanderpaul
himself. If anything is sure, then, after those two classy centuries,
100 and 111, against Zimbabwe while playing for the West Indies
Cricket Board President's XI, in which he displayed all of his
abilities of driving, cutting and stroking, it was a certainty that
Sarwan had pencilled in his name for future, higher honors. The 1st
innings 100 against Zimbabwe at Guaracara Park was one of those
innings that will probably be remembered by all who saw it for some
time to come. "Classy" just begins to describe that innings.
There was a feeling that Ramnaresh Sarwan could have been somewhat
"big-headed" in the past. That is as maybe. Perhaps he now
understands that cricket at its highest level is not played with
words, but by deeds.
"Look, I know that I have a lot to learn. Okay, so I have made two
centuries in the same game, and I am very proud to have done so. I
even hear that I have broken a record or something, as since 1968, I
think, when Roy Fredericks also got separate centuries in a first
class game, I am the next person to do the same feat. I hear that I
am the first to do so for a President's XI representative game against
touring teams. That is good for me, and my confidence is up.
However, I also know that I have not really gone anywhere yet, and I
have so much more I need to do. I can only learn and, hopefully, get
better."
Ramnaresh Sarwan is nobody's fool. He knows where he wants to go.
Somehow, he also gives the impression that he knows where he is. All
he needs now is to take the journey upwards. Those two centuries
against Zimbabwe have certainly put him on his way!!
If he is selected in the final XI for the 1st Test against Pakistan at
the weekend, it would be the icing on a career which has started
rather young, stuttered a bit for production, but may have come to
fruition at the correct time. Like no other time in the past, the
West Indies batting line-up need personnel, both gifted and
determined.
With Chris Gayle, Ricardo Powell and Wavell Hinds joining the batting
ranks recently, the young brigade of batsmen have a chance to make
names for themselves, and more importantly, enable the West Indian
bowlers to do their jobs without the immense pressure they have had
recently. The West Indian bowlers need help from the batsmen badly.
Let us hope that Ramnaresh Sarwan, along the other recently capped
players, understand this need and do their part to help out here!!