And, as told in an interview published here in a monthly Christian newspaper, ‘The Messenger’, edited by Barbadian sports journalist, Michael Goddard, 'Sir Carl', as hailed by his admirers, has been influenced by his wife, Constance, and mother-in-law into turning over "my life to God".

A primary factor that helped him to his decision in becoming a "true believer", a "born again Christian", was the serious illness of his son, Carl Junior, when he was a baby.

Hooper said he "bargained with God", telling Him if He made "my baby well, I would turn to Him ... Junior is now a healthy, strong boy", he said.

And his dad, the WI team's skipper, has been an active Christian for almost two years.

"I started going to Church and doing a lot of praying", Hooper told ‘The Messenger’, the latest edition of which was released in churches and other outlets yesterday.

"I realised how far I had moved away from God. With lots of success and money it was easy to lose sight of what life was all about. I did not give God thanks and praise for what He had done", said Hooper.

The WI captain also spoke of how the death of his "close friend", Malcolm Marshall, had deeply impacted on his life.

‘Maco’, he said fondly of the celebrated West Indian cricketer, "was the closest thing to family. When we were last together in South Africa, there was nothing to indicate that he was seriously ill. I still can't believe that Maco has gone".(Rickey Singh)