On Wednesday evening the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) took time to honour one of its cricketing icons, former Guyana and West Indies batsman Alvin Isaac Kallicharran.Kallicharran represented the West Indies from 1972 to 1981 as a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-spinner, and was known for his elegant, batting style.
Recurring tales of his career and his current involvement in cricket were mentioned and commended by guest speakers that included president of GCB, Drubahadur, sports commentator Reds Pereira and secretary of the GCB to name a few.
Present also were members of the 2014/2015 Guyana Jaguars team who claimed the title of the inaugural West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League four-day competition and also made it into the final of the WICB Super-50.
Kallicharran was on point in his remarks saying, “In my entire career what I have learnt is success follows success. What makes or made good cricketers? We can’t be good cricketers in one innings or one spell of bowling; we have to perform consistently over the period of time and make it a habit.”
The former WI captain believes that greater cooperative effort must be made for this country to produce cricketers like they once had.
He disclosed that a heart-warming moment is when he sees the younger generation in unity “which tells us, we are one people”.
At the ceremony the Berbician spoke of his path to success. He encountered hardships, but he spoke of the urge and dedication to overcome for the love of the sport.
He said now is the time for us lay a path for the youths because it’s their time and they have a good career ahead of them.
And president of the GCB, Drubahadur was quite brief in his remarks and stated his appreciation for the assistance the board has received.
“I wish to say that my executives and I have carried out our mandate – and the good work we have been doing can be seen through our teams; Our national team won the four-day and got into the final of the Super50 and also our Under-19s won both tournaments,” the president said.
Venturing back into his illustrious career, Kallicharran was a Wisden Cricketer-of-the-Year in 1973 then he was part of the 1975 and 1979 teams that won the Cricket World Cup. His highest score is 187 against India in the 1978–79 tour.
He also found success with Warwickshire in English County cricket while playing against minor county Oxfordshire in the 1984 one-day Natwest Trophy, He scored 206 and took 6 for 32.
He attempted to join World Series Cricket, but failed, and was appointed captain of the West Indies in 1977–1978 when Clive Lloyd resigned over the Packer issue.
Kallicharran was later involved in further controversy when he led an unofficial rebel tour to South Africa in defiance of the Gleneagles Agreement and anti-apartheid protesters in that country who declared that official sporting structures were discriminatory.
He saw out the rest of his career playing for Orange Free State and Transvaal in South African domestic cricket.
(Taken from Guyana Chronicle)