By Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - SportA CELEBRATION of 75 years of Caribbean Test cricket was launched yesterday at the Kingston Cricket Club, Sabina Park.
The first official West Indian team departed the region three quarters of a century ago and, to honour the occasion, a complex series of events will be held to celebrate the English-speaking Caribbean's most unifying force.
The project, called the Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee, is a lengthy project which, with the help of cricket bible Wisden's and Cable and Wireless, ultimately will name the five greatest West Indian cricketers of all time.
At a function attended by Sports Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Cable and Wireless vice-president Usman Sadaat, Scotiabank managing director William Clarke, the Governor-General, Sir Howard Cooke, and the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers, a slick presentation outlined the schedule leading up to a gala evening in Birmingham, England on July 27 when the region's best five players of all time will be named.
A shortlist of 30 players will be selected by the public and a special Wisden jury will decide the five all-time greats.
PROFILES
The Gleaner, as a partner in the project, will supply profiles of the top players the region has come up with and also the supreme batting and bowling efforts and stunning games the Caribbean has produced to make Calypso
cricket something special
and recognised throughout
the world.
U2's Beautiful Day got yesterday's proceedings under way and was accompanied by a video presentation highlighting some of the golden moments of West Indian cricket.
Said Simpson Miller: "Over the next few months, we will be recalling the glorious history of West Indian cricket, its role as a unifying force and its impact on the world, as we celebrate the game and honour its finest sons.
"But not only will the Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee remind us of the historical significance of cricket, it will also provide the sport with tangible 'here and now benefits'," she said.
The basic premise is for each territory to select its best players through a write-in or phone-in vote (1-900 JUBILEE).
For Jamaica, 15 players have been nominated from which five must be chosen for the elite cast of 30. Full details will appear in The Gleaner in the coming days.
