Sir Clyde Walcott
November 16, 2007
Much before the West Indians emerged as a world cricketing force; when the island nation was still a novice in the world of international cricket, much before Lloyd and Richards and Haynes attained superstardom, the West Indian batting scene was dominated by three neighbors from Barbados, three school mates who scripted the destiny of their nation’s cricket dreams. Known as the three W’s, Worrel, Walcott and Weekes were the highlight acts of the 50’s and 60’s international cricket. Amongst these, the most versatile was the tall, burly Clyde Walcott
Son of a printing engineer with the Barbados Advocate newspaper, he was educated at Combermere School and, from the age of 14, at Harrison College in Barbados. He made his test debut in the drawn test against England in 1948. With an unorthodox batting stance, the right handed bat didn’t get off to a very bright career start. But his versatility paid dividends and he was retained in the squad as a wicket keeper for about 15 tests. He took 53 catches and affected 11 stumpings in that brief stint. But in a couple of years, he proved his mettle with an unbeaten 168 against England in 1950 in the Lords’ test. This was also the first test win for West Indies and a landmark innings for the young Walcott. After that there was no looking back. In the 1955 test series against the Australians, he scored hundreds in both innings of two tests and amassed a total of 827 runs in 10 innings, a record for most runs scored in an innings at that time. In 44 tests, he scored 3689 runs at an average of 56.68 with a top score of 220. He was also a useful medium fast bowler and bagged 35 first class wickets. With such a vast range of talents, he was the greatest asset of the West Indian team at that time and unarguably the best batsman of the 50s.
While his international career came to an end in 1960 and domestic career in 1964, the first non white superstar of West Indian cricket continued to be associated with the game in more ways than one. His insatiable desire to be with the team and his contribution to the country’s cricketing history ensured that he’d become the chairman of the West Indies board of selectors between 1973 and 1988. He was the manager of the one day squad in the successful 1975 and 1979 world cup campaigns and was an inspiration for many of the radical new age batsmen who copied his batting style and shot making techniques. Brian Lara’s squat often attracts comparisons with the great man.
In 1992, he got involved in international cricket administration and became chairman of the International Cricket Council in 1993 and 1997, the first non-English person and the first black man to hold the position.
Titles and recognitions:
For all he did for cricket in West Indies and also for Guyana, he received the Order of the British Empire, a huge honor for any black man at that time. To top it all, he received knighthood from her majesty, the Queen of England in 1994 just like his two W comrades and became Sir Clyde Walcott henceforth. He passed away in 2006 which was followed by a period of national mourning in the Caribbean. He left behind a legacy, a legend that all the cricketers not just in West Indies but also in the world would want to live up to.
Sir Clyde Walcott was a man for the ages, the sort who can change the destiny of something bigger than themselves. He was respected tremendously by all and still remains a national icon.
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