Published: May 04, 2015, 11:05 AM (IST)
Edited: May 04, 2015, 12:54 PM (IST)
At the age of 40, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has played 164 Tests for West Indies. He has close to 12,000 runs at an average of 52. He has 30 centuries to his name. While his longevity in the game is commendable, Pramod Ananth feels this is perhaps the time for him to bow out.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his international debut in 1994 in a home series against England and made an instant impact, scoring 62 on his debut innings and contributing in his side’s comprehensive win. He had a magnificent series, scoring three fifties in the six innings he played. However, he had to wait until 1997 to get his maiden ton, which he scored against India at home. Chanderpaul would then go on to score his maiden One-Day International (ODI) ton in the same tour. Read: West Indies vs England, 3rd Test at Barbados Highlights
Chanderpaul was often criticised for not converting starts into big scores. However, his career took a positive turn when he had a surgery on his foot in 2000. He hit a purple patch then, scoring three centuries touring India and also scored the then third fastest century in Tests—off 69 deliveries against Australia in a home series.
The Guyana-born cricketer was also the part of the record run-chase of 418, where he played a match-winning knock of 104 at Antigua to help West Indies to one of their most incredible victories in Tests. Chanderpaul scored his first and final double ton against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2005. His record is next to the great Brian Lara in Tests. Read: West Indies win 3rd Test against England at Barbados by 5 wickets
Leading run-scorers for West Indies in Tests:
| Player | M | I | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Brian Lara | 130 | 230 | 11912 | 400* | 53.17 | 34 | 48 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 164 | 280 | 11867 | 203* | 51.37 | 30 | 66 |
| Viv Richards | 121 | 182 | 8540 | 291 | 50.23 | 24 | 45 |
| Garry Sobers | 93 | 160 | 8032 | 365* | 57.78 | 26 | 30 |
| Gordon Greenidge | 108 | 185 | 7558 | 226 | 44.72 | 19 | 34 |
Chanderpaul had a fantastic run in the shorter format of the game. He was among those who peaked a little late in ODIs but made a significant contribution nevertheless. He has a strike-rate of 70, but has often dug his side out of a spot of bother when required. India’s Rahul Dravid too was considered unfit for ODIs but like Chanderpaul, he too played quite a few vital knocks.
Leading run-scorers for West Indies in ODIs:
|
Player |
M |
I |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
SR |
100s |
50s |
| Brian Lara |
295 |
285 |
10348 |
169 |
40.9 |
79.6 |
19 |
62 |
| Chris Gayle |
266 |
261 |
9166 |
215 |
37.56 |
85.1 |
22 |
46 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul |
268 |
251 |
8778 |
150 |
41.6 |
70.7 |
11 |
59 |
| Desmond Haynes |
238 |
237 |
8648 |
152* |
41.37 |
63.1 |
17 |
57 |
| Viv Richards |
187 |
167 |
6721 |
189* |
47 |
90.2 |
11 |
45 |
After the quarter-final defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Chanderpaul decided to retire from ODIs and to solely focus on Tests. One felt that it was going to be just a matter of time before he calls it quits even from Tests. But four years have gone past and Chanderpaul looks in no mood to call it a day. Read: Malcolm Marshall smashes Andy Lloyd’s face to end his Test career
Recently, Chanderpaul also batted with his son Tagenarine in a List A game for Gandhi Youth Organisation against Transport Sports Club, where the father-son duo smashed unbeaten centuries. It is said that Tagenarine has characteristics similar to his father. He marks his guard with a bail, sets his helmet and then his gloves before taking guard. The only difference is however Tagenarine does not have a stance like that of his father’s.
Coming to recent events, Chanderpaul has not been at his best. His last five innings’ scores read 0, 25, 7, 1 and 13, which is not good for a batsman batting at No.5. Then again one can argue the numerous times Chanderpaul has dug his team out of trouble. His last century came in September 2014 against Bangladesh. His big chance to rectify this would have been to take his team to victory against England in the recently concluded Test, where his side were just chasing 192 for a win on the third day. He fell for a duck and missed a golden opportunity.
Is this the right time for Chanderpaul to bid adieu? For someone who has followed cricket since the middle of 1995, it seems as though Chanderpaul has been around for a lifetime. West Indies middle-order looked secure with him being around. Back in the day, it looked like one of the strongest units in the world with the likes of Brian Lara, Carl Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Being an admirer of Chanderpaul, it’s time he says goodbye and if he does quit now, he will leave on a high as his side won a Test match comprehensively against England at Barbados and level the three-match series at 1-1. Although, personally it will not be a high for Chanderpaul, it’s better to walk out with dignity when people ask “Why?” instead of “Why not?”
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has been merciless in the past when it comes to chucking out players. Chanderpaul for one, surely would not want to be dealt in a similar manner. If all goes well, we might even see another Chanderpaul in West Indies uniform soon!
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
