S Poddar
Frank Worrell was a stylish batsman and a unifying figure for the Caribbean who revitalized the staid world of 1950s Test cricket to become the West Indies’ first black captain.
If he had lived, Sir Frank Worrell would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Thursday. If anyone can arrest the present slide of West Indies Test cricket—underscored by the 3-0 defeat in England—it had to be Worrell. The crisis is pressing, the West Indies’ batting lineup in disarray, and the financial strain of keeping Test cricket going weighing heavily on the region.
But Worrell’s legacy went much further than just the cricket field; he was, in a sense, a statesman of the Caribbean. He died of leukemia, aged 42, in 1967, just a few months after he had set West Indian cricket on the road to its golden era. His role was instrumental, particularly following the 1957 series, when England’s superiority helped prompt a reassessment.
The arrival of Worrell as captain in 1960 heralded a new era of panache into Test cricket. His first tour to Australia culminated with a historic ticker-tape parade and a record crowd of 100,000 in Melbourne. On the 1963 tour to England, Worrell’s dependence on fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, and his ability to gel the team together, gave players like Rohan Kanhai and Garfield Sobers the opportunity to shine. One teammate once described Worrell as having “an iron fist in a velvet glove.”
His style of leadership was transformational. If he were alive today, looking at saving West Indies cricket, he would more than likely orchestrate a cadre of Caribbean leaders to reform the cricket board and enlist some cricket legends—people like Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Clive Lloyd. He would see the board consisting of people who truly love the game, made up of West Indians from the region and the diaspora, with an obvious key addition of female members.
West Indies Test cricket is too precious to be lost. This game has received some of its finest expressions in players such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Michael Holding, and Sir Vivian Richards. The legend of Worrell speaks of an art and spirit that are hallmarks of West Indies cricket.
