Review for:

By Tony Cozier

PUBLICATIONS on, and dedicated to, West Indies cricket are few and far between. As I know from the frustration of putting out the West Indies Cricket Annual between 1970 and 1991 and the Caribbean Cricket Quarterly from 1991 to 2000, it is a difficult and financially unrewarding business.

But Vijay Kumar is one of the most ardent supporters of West Indies cricket and, in the space of a year, has given us two significant books celebrating two glorious events in West Indies cricket history. His "418 To Win", faithfully chronicling the magnificent victory over mighty Australia in Antigua in April, 2003, follows his similarly detailed account of the West Indies’ momentous triumph in England in 1950.

The extensive pictorial coverage by Colin "Jah Bones" Cumberbatch, as passionate a follower as Vijay, complements the comprehensive written account of a remarkable match that gave West Indies cricket a timely boost of pride and self-confidence.

It merits its place in the library of all those who cherish the glorious history of West Indies cricket.

Tony Cozier

Dear Mr Kumar,

I just finish reading your book,and I love it.It's funny insightful and I like how you got the players opinion on how they felt with balls dropping, or how theygot out.I remember that match as if it was yesterday. After I saw how Ridley was ruled out after being not out,I said to myself we should win the match because of that. And we did. What I also like was how you give Brian Lara the scorecard to look at,and he strategise from there. Also how you explain
what a duck meant and the nightwatchman. Thanks for that.Also as Sarwan is my boy, you give me where he comes from,something I never knew. But also what turn me off was the reaction of the Australian payers. The
behaviour is what turn me off. Any team who beats them I like.Sad also is what you correctly said. No journalist in the Caribbean wrote anything about that. Sad. Anyway as I said I Like the book, but unfortunately it is a
library book, so I have to return it.But again overall I like everything about it and I give you the highest score in cricket a six.

A FOREVER WEST INDIES FAN
sorry I shout but it's the truth

Cecily D Eastmond
August 18,2005
11:40
Barbados W.I.

Review for:


By WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY

Fifty years ago it was West Indies who stood triumphant at the end of a long summer of cricket. They had trampled a full-strength England side 3-1, and gained their first series victory in this country.

The publication of Cricket Lovely Cricket is more than just a contribution to the archives of 1950. It was written as a tribute to perhaps “the most significant tour of the 20th century.” Kumar’s convincing assertion is that West Indies marked their international arrival as a cricket force with that 3-1 victory; that their subsequent dominance, and the characteristics introduced by them, did more to change the shape of cricket last century than anything else.

Kumar does not just produce a narrative of the four tests played that year. He introduces a series of accounts taken from the participants and commentators and sandwiches them between an historical layer of the past – and its distinctions of class, colour, and colonialism – and a slice of the subsequent impact.

Snatches of interviews with each of the six surviving members of the West Indian team (Allan Rae, Robert Christiani, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Sonny Ramadhin, and Alf Valentine) appear throughout the book.

The impact of the series on West Indies players an their fans is examined quite closely, with a look at the calypsos composed in their hour. In fact, the book’s title comes from the first line of one composed by Lord Beginner (Victory Test Match), who was part of the musical band led by his fellow calypsonian Lord Kitchener across the field at Lord’s after the Second Test.

Statistician Mervyn Wong must have had a glorious time weaving prodigious helpings of figures, dates and other snippets into the text. Several photographs painstakingly gathered also contribute towards making this a fascinating read.

It is quite obvious that his book was written by a West Indian. The range of sources and unlikely tit bits suggests a researcher with inside knowledge. Cricket Lovely Cricket is a comprehensive and vital West Indian look at the 1950 tour – and the next best thing to being there.