This post has to be very special for it's dedicated to a person who has continued to remain special in our memory for a better part of last two decades. Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The first 3-D batsman of our generation as he is hilariously known and called in some quarters of World Cricket. Shiv today announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket and thus we shall never get to see his like (well he is his only copy) again in International Cricket. I did a post on Shiv some four-five months ago as he was supposedly preparing him for the unlikeliest of records (and certainly the biggest) in West Indies Cricket History- To become the greatest scorer in Test Cricket for WI. He was supposed to topple the prince of Trinidad, Brian Lara and everyone was in awe, including Lara. But Lara being one of the most gentleman cricketer ever was all praise for Shiv's longevity, ironclad determination and insatiable appetite for runs. But other people, apart from Lara and his fans, Chaderphiles (they are now known as) were certainly apprehensive and even jealous of his achievement. How in hell Shiv could match the geniuses of Lara? How in hell could he match Lara's ability of making opposition surrender within 2 hrs of aggressive batsmanship? How in hell could Shiv become as good as Lara by simply playing more tests and time? It has to be impossible, right? Wrong.
Shiv Chanderpaul did lack in all the departments that make batsmanship beautiful, as some great observers and critics of our game would say but he made up for all these deficiencies by simply sticking with golden rule of test batting: just wither the bowling down, hold your ground and run will come. His grotesquely curious (read 3-D amusingly) stance which has been much talked and celebrated than his run-scoring abilities had a lot to do with his perseverance on the 22-yard strip and he most of the times just abide his time. He was not the most typical of those flamboyant WI Batsmen like Lara, Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards, Carl Hooper or Gordon Greenidge but he certainly became the most effective of them all especially during the 'free-fall era' West Indian Cricket entered in 2000. If there was one sight that was most frequent yet disappointing, it had Shiv holding down one end of Windies batting while other were simply too busy throwing their wickets. But I'll be seriously vindicating him if I do not discuss his ODI and T-20 batting. He used to be aggressive, often very, in ODIs and his average of 41.60 with 8800 runs will be a justifying testimony to that fact but like Sachin and Kallis, he molded his batting technique during the later phase into a more sustaining and accumulating garb so that Windies did have something to show on Scoresheet. He would often go not out either with a 50, 70, 80 or a valiant hundred and every bowler in the world, be it Brett Lee, McGrath, Gillespie, Dale Steyn, Shane Warne, Curtly Ambrose, Jimmy Anderson and all the Indian ones, simply gave up on the idea of bowling him OUT. West Indies Cricket Board, as it happened, never gave him the chance to break Great Lara's record after a rare, dismal series failure against South Africa in late 2014 and when the chance again reappeared (that's when I did my post on Shiv and every other prominent cricket writer elsewhere) in home series against England, he was dropped from the side. For good. Greats like Clive Lloyd, also happens to be the chief of WI Selection Board and Michael Holding, declared him 'not-so-good-anymore' but Shiv didn't give up.He kept playing domestic cricket for his native Guyana when all the other so-called test cricketers of WI were playing in various domestic T-20 Leagues everywhere around the globe. All Shiv ever wanted to play test cricket for West Indies for he only knew and recognized the honor and pride maroon of West Indies Cricket brought to a young West Indian from Guyana. The 'crab' who would have been the 'king' was once again robbed of all his dignity and accomplishments but deep down inside, even his staunchest critic, will be remembering and reminiscing about the legendary resilience of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. His contribution to a free-falling West Indies side shall never be forgotten and thus for all his extraordinary accomplishments in world of cricket, this post offers a three-finger royal salute to this greatest, quietest and most understated and underrated cricketer of the world...........#ShivChanderpaul........#Legend.......#Respect
Shiv Chanderpaul did lack in all the departments that make batsmanship beautiful, as some great observers and critics of our game would say but he made up for all these deficiencies by simply sticking with golden rule of test batting: just wither the bowling down, hold your ground and run will come. His grotesquely curious (read 3-D amusingly) stance which has been much talked and celebrated than his run-scoring abilities had a lot to do with his perseverance on the 22-yard strip and he most of the times just abide his time. He was not the most typical of those flamboyant WI Batsmen like Lara, Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards, Carl Hooper or Gordon Greenidge but he certainly became the most effective of them all especially during the 'free-fall era' West Indian Cricket entered in 2000. If there was one sight that was most frequent yet disappointing, it had Shiv holding down one end of Windies batting while other were simply too busy throwing their wickets. But I'll be seriously vindicating him if I do not discuss his ODI and T-20 batting. He used to be aggressive, often very, in ODIs and his average of 41.60 with 8800 runs will be a justifying testimony to that fact but like Sachin and Kallis, he molded his batting technique during the later phase into a more sustaining and accumulating garb so that Windies did have something to show on Scoresheet. He would often go not out either with a 50, 70, 80 or a valiant hundred and every bowler in the world, be it Brett Lee, McGrath, Gillespie, Dale Steyn, Shane Warne, Curtly Ambrose, Jimmy Anderson and all the Indian ones, simply gave up on the idea of bowling him OUT. West Indies Cricket Board, as it happened, never gave him the chance to break Great Lara's record after a rare, dismal series failure against South Africa in late 2014 and when the chance again reappeared (that's when I did my post on Shiv and every other prominent cricket writer elsewhere) in home series against England, he was dropped from the side. For good. Greats like Clive Lloyd, also happens to be the chief of WI Selection Board and Michael Holding, declared him 'not-so-good-anymore' but Shiv didn't give up.He kept playing domestic cricket for his native Guyana when all the other so-called test cricketers of WI were playing in various domestic T-20 Leagues everywhere around the globe. All Shiv ever wanted to play test cricket for West Indies for he only knew and recognized the honor and pride maroon of West Indies Cricket brought to a young West Indian from Guyana. The 'crab' who would have been the 'king' was once again robbed of all his dignity and accomplishments but deep down inside, even his staunchest critic, will be remembering and reminiscing about the legendary resilience of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. His contribution to a free-falling West Indies side shall never be forgotten and thus for all his extraordinary accomplishments in world of cricket, this post offers a three-finger royal salute to this greatest, quietest and most understated and underrated cricketer of the world...........#ShivChanderpaul........#Legend.......#Respect
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