Not three or four, but just two. First, read this clipping from some notes of mine made when I was a boy of ten: To the passionate love for the game which inspires so many of his countrymen, and to the lissomeness of limb, the rapidity of vision, and the elasticity of muscle, Leary Nicholas Constantine adds qualities peculiarly his own, so that whether batting, bowling or fielding, he becomes the centre of all interest.
In him we see The spirit of adventure, the sheer pleasure of enjoying the game, the desire to exploit rather than to employ his marvellous powers which always lure him into attempting the impossible Yet even the great Lord Constantine, was more than once made a scapegoat. But in this article we are speaking of two, not one, and Sir Leary is not one of the two.
Why? Let me answer with this conundrum: Because there are two of us! Back in my out-for-play days, we didnt speak of scapegoats, you know; we spoke of whipping boys. Whipping boys? Dr Richard Allsopp's Dictionary of Caribbean Usage explains: In slave-time, the words man and woman were not used in reference to slaves, but only boy or girl, I suppose, lest even in that way the idea of their manhood should find admission into the mind of a slave. And to make you feel still more queasy, let me tell you that on leaving school I myself had to take out a deed poll; that's how my first name became Pryor.
You see, there was no name on my birth certificate. Young man, you MUST read Richard Allsopp's masterpiece; it's monumental.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The Tiger. He's our first scapegoat. Next week I'll mention my second. Here is a quote from SN of Tuesday, April 6: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, one the most reliable middle-order batsmen in the West Indies team, has been dropped from the squad for the Fourth and final Test against England in Antigua.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced a 13-man fourth-Test squad on Monday with Antiguan Sylvester Joseph as Chanderpaul's replacement, but there were no official reasons offered for the axing of the left-handed Guyanese.ö
Chanderpaul has failed this series.
His scores were 7-0-2-42-50 and 0. His average is 16.83 a wee bit higher than Singulara's and just lower than Ramnaresh Sarwan's, Chris Gayle's, Ryan Hinds'. It's been said, but not officially, that Chanderpaul was dropped for non-cricketing reasons, but no details were provided.
Let it be known to all in Gath that the Tiger's current average in the 74 Tests he has played for the Caribbean is 42+.
Let me just end with this comment from Viv Richards: ôIf I say anything, I say it because I'm defending the rights of the Caribbean people, not the Board. I'm defending the people who stay up all night listening to our cricket.
"They are the people who employ us. Do you remember saying that, Sir Viv? Worse, writing it? I am asking Sir Vivian, now Chairman of our Selection Committee, and ipso facto a member of the Board: Why make the Tiger a scapegoat?