Dear Editor,
Regarding (letters in SN) President Donald Ramotar’s cricket comment in his Caricom speech about the West Indies Cricket Board taking international matches to Florida instead of utilizing facilities developed by regional governments to benefit their own territories, the President is not in tune with the views of diaspora lovers of cricket in North America. The President was misadvised and whoever wrote the President’s speech erred and clearly was misinformed, and it suggests the President’s speechwriters need to be more careful in their research. It was Caricom that suggested years ago that cricket should be promoted internationally, particularly among the regional diaspora in North America. The WICB is simply implementing suggestions from the regional body. In addition, the West Indian diaspora has been calling for international matches in Florida and elsewhere.
Almost as many West Indians live in North America as in the West Indies. They play and enjoy cricket – for most, the only form of sports.
I played cricket in the Bronx and Randall’s Island with many Guyanese and other West Indians since the 1970s and sought to get it introduced in the schools. I wrote to the NYC Board of Education and the Superintendent in my district to consider introducing it in the schools. Organizers have been trying for some four decades to promote cricket in North America. Gyanda Shivnarain, a Berbician, spent large amounts of personal money to get a cricket stadium going in Brooklyn.
He received support from NY politicians who assisted with some infrastructure for the game in several parks in NY. Every cricket promoter, myself included, is very pleased that West Indian international matches can be played in North America and many travelled to Florida for the matches.
I was in Florida during the two 20-20s against New Zealand – not to watch cricket but to discuss the introduction of international cricket in Ft Lauderdale as well as to study the lifestyle and sociology of Guyanese and West Indians in that part of the country. Every Guyanese and West Indian I spoke with supported the holding of the matches at the Broward Stadium – the only internationally recognized cricket stadium in North America. The Florida matches were sold out – almost 35K spectators for both matches. A majority of the spectators were Guyanese. I met them on the plane, at the airport, at social clubs or bars (rum shops), religious houses, weddings, restaurants, etc, to sound out their views. They came from the far corners of Canada and the US and some even went up from the Caribbean islands and Guyana – clearly they would not agree with the President’s remarks about the matches being taken out of the region.
No Caribbean national was critical of the matches being played in Florida.
They welcomed the matches to promote the sport in the US. And several non-Caribbean Americans, including politicians, came to the match.
We have been struggling for some four decades to get major matches played in the US. In 1978, a match was played between an international 11and USA at Shea Stadium – Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Lillee, Kapil Dev, etc, played in that match.
In 1991 there was a match between a top WI team and USA played at Randall’s Island stadium – Carl Hooper, etc, played. Matches were also played between India captained by Gavaskar and WI captained by Rohan Kanhai. Alvin Kalicharran, Faoud Bacchus, Leonard Baichan, etc, played in that match. There was also a friendly match between Pakistan (captained by Imran Khan) and USA – done and sanctioned by the ICC to promote cricket in the US.
And there were several other matches between international teams and the US by US cricket organizers. One-day internationals were played in Canada between India and Pakistan during the 1990s. My faint recollection (I stand to be corrected) was one-day internationals were also played between India and Pakistan in NY and between WI and India and WI and Pakistan in Toronto during the 1990s. So we have done well to promote cricket in NA and now is not the time to criticize WI matches in Florida. Instead, more matches should be played in NA. I agree with the President that matches should be played in the Caribbean, so territories don’t lose out on revenues, but these should be in addition to, not replace, those in North America. The WICB did well in terms of revenues for the Florida matches – perhaps better than if the matches were played in the Caribbean.
I should note that in recent times, cricket has received coverage in the mainstream NY papers – Times, Newsday, Post, all carried articles as well as the weeklies. Through the effort of people like former UG Professor Dr Tyran Ramnarain, Vishnu Mahadeo, Gyanda, Vishnu Bisram and others, cricket has been introduced in NY schools. The sport is getting increased recognition throughout the US. Commercial sponsors are slowly coming on board. Advertisements on TV show a little bit of cricket. I recall one ad during the 1980s had the famous baseball player Joe Dimaggio dressed in white and posing with a cricket bat for Citi Bank.
The Florida matches were featured in the Miami Herald as well as several other major newspapers in Florida, and scores were also reported in the USA Today. We need more international matches featuring the WI and other teams in North America.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
