EDWIN SEERAJ

FOR several years now and with increasing frequency, there has been a clarion call from many quarters for the naming of the National Stadium at Providence after one of our famous international cricketers. In addition, the cry is also out to have the stands, media centre, the two ends of the pitch and even the entrances to the ground named after our star players, administrators, media personnel and officials.
From as early as 2007 when the venue hosted its first matches in the International Cricket Council’s World Cup tournament, the distinguished Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh expressed the view that the facility should be baptised ‘The Clive Lloyd Stadium’ in tribute to the phenomenal West Indian captain whose statistical record and leadership qualities qualify him ahead of the others.
On the other hand, Avinash Ramzan of the Guyana Times opined that the accolade should be given to the durable and dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose career stretched over 21 years during which, among other feats, he became the most capped West Indian in Tests and registered the most runs and centuries by a Guyanese in that format of the game.
However, Ramzan’s main reason for giving Chanderpaul the edge over Lloyd is the fact that while the “Super Cat” played for a long while with many top-quality men around him, the “Tiger” was part of a struggling team throughout his tenure, but through discipline and determination he was able to regularly bring a measure of respectability to the cause.
Other media personnel and fans have voted for “The Corentyne Thunder”-Rohan Kanhai-undoubtedly the most stylish, lethal and technically correct batsman ever to emerge from this country, whose exploits on the cricket field were hailed all over the cricketing world.
The Guyana Chronicle’s Rajiv Bisnauth, Clifton Ross of the Stabroek News and Sean Devers of the Kaieteur News (perhaps the most persistent of the lot) have all called on government figures to make the “Naming Project” a priority.
In addition to anyone of Lloyd, Chanderpaul and Kanhai having their names associated with the stadium, the media men have proposed several others for the exercise, including batting aces Roy Fredericks and Alvin Kallicharran and bowling masters Lance Gibbs and Colin Croft.
Of course, there are others who consistently excelled at the top level or instantly became a hero in one pivotal moment of a match or in the course of one particular game or series.
So what of Basil Butcher and his effort; Joe Solomon and his part in the first tied Test; Marius Fernandes leading the West Indies to a Test victory for the first time; John Trim who is the first Berbician to play in a Test and excelled on the tour to India in 1948-49; Carl Hooper who charmed everyone with his exquisite timing and grace; Roger Harper and Clyde Butts, both of whom were good enough spinners to force their way into a team dominated by outstanding and effective fast bowlers; and Stephen Comacho, who was one of the most effective administrators of cricket in Guyana and the West Indies?
In a Kaieteur News article dated January 1, 2016, it was reported that Minister within the Ministry of Education with responsibility for Sport, Nicolette Henry, said “I do not want to spend the next five years defending the names,” when asked about naming the stands at Providence.
The author of the article took umbrage at the minister’s response and referred to the naming of stands at Bourda many years ago, citing the fact that there has never been any controversy with regard to the cricketers chosen or not chosen for the accolade.
It is instructive to note that the Minister of Sport in the immediate past administration, Dr. Frank Anthony, responded similarly to the same question during his time in office.
Both ministers have a good enough reason for the stand they have taken simply because primarily we live in an ethnically divided society-as the 2015 general and regional elections so forcibly reminded us. So going with Lloyd on the one hand or Kanhai and Chanderpaul on the other will cause even more murmurings, division and unease.
To compound the issue at hand, the fact that we have produced so many cricketers of note-while a good thing in itself-will almost inevitably lead to some being left out of the picture. This again can trigger expressions of indifference, favouritism and racial imbalance.
Let’s not forget that Bourda is a privately owned facility as opposed to the Providence Stadium and the naming of the stands had no governmental input at the time. The project was a collaborative effort, principally between the Georgetown Cricket Club and the Guyana Cricket Board.
It was pointed out in the said piece that, “Guyana is the only country that has an international cricket venue without the names of the past players, administrators or journalists on its stands,” but this is not so.
Warner Park in St. Kitts, the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent and Grenada’s National Stadium have no names attached to the edifice, the stands or the ends of the pitch. Dominica’s Windsor Park has one stand named in honour of the local world-class umpire Billy Doctrove.
One may argue that these tiny nations, even together, have produced only a handful of international players, administrators and officials and as a result are hard-pressed to find the names of candidates to adorn the stands.
Only in April of this year, after the West Indies won the ICC T20 World Cup for the second time under his captaincy, the Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia was renamed the ‘Darren Sammy Stadium.’ One of the stands was named after Johnson Charles who was a member of the West Indies squad.
This was an easy assignment, since very few St. Lucians have played at the international level.
In Antigua, a new facility at North Sound was constructed for the hosting of matches in the 2007 World Cup and it was christened the ‘Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.’ Interestingly, no names have been attached to any of the stands or the ends of the pitch, even though the islanders Andy Roberts, Curtly Ambrose, Richie Richardson and Ridley Jacobs played with distinction.
The main reason for this is because the top Antiguan players contested most-if not all-of their international matches at the Antigua Recreation Ground which hosted its first major game in 1981.
The Kensington Oval in Barbados-where the West Indies contested its first-ever Test in the Caribbean in 1930-remains in the same spot 86 years after. All the history and records in international games were played out there.
Therefore, it is relevant for the ends of the pitch to be called the ‘Malcolm Marshall End’ and the ‘Joel Garner End,’ after two of the most devastating fast bowlers in West Indian cricket. The “Greenidge and Haynes’ stand and the ‘Three Ws’ stand testify to those who had played there with aplomb.
Similarly, Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, also hosted its first Test in 1930 and will be at it again when the Indians visit us in about a month’s time. So the rich history of international cricket in Jamaica was achieved on that same piece of real estate over the years.
Consequently, the ‘Michael Holding End’, the ‘Courtney Walsh End’ and the ‘George Headley Stand’ are significant and in order.
The Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, like Barbados and Jamaica, was the venue for one of the Tests in the 1930 West Indies-England series and will also be hosting one of the India Tests in 2016 on the same ground.
All the records were set there and the Trinidadian players practised their craft there, so the relevance of having a ‘Learie Constantine Stand’ and a ‘Brian Lara Pavilion’ is justifiable.
Now, as a country, the majority of our records would be at Bourda and our players-great or good-would have performed there.
Did Marius Fernandes, John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Lance Gibbs, Alvin Kallicharran, Roy Fredericks, Stephen Camacho, Colin Croft, Carl Hooper, Clyde Butts or Roger Harper ever face a delivery or bowl a ball at Providence? Why then this fascination of naming the stands after these players?
Let those who are responsible, with the aid of governmental and corporate support, rehabilitate Bourda and preserve its history and name the stands, pitch ends and entrances after the players who graced that venue.
Leave the naming of Providence for contemporary and future stars.