West Indies Cricket Fans

Maps,

give us a review of this guy...

aver 54!

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/C ... 36444.html




"Babulal had one look at the wicket and went, 'People get out here?!' There is no such thing as getting out in Guyana, you know. The first match Kanhai ever played there he got 294 not out. 'Only time you get out is the only time you never see the ball,' he said. 'If you practice often enough, you see all.' Kanhai used to practice all that time. He bat, he bat, he bat all the time! Rohan flicked the balls to covers you know. He flicked it all the time."

Charlie is famous for running out his captain, and idol, Garry Sobers in the 1969 Lord's Test. He recalls the incident with great fondness.

"Garry just said, 'F*** man Charlie,' as he went past me! So I tell myself, hold on, it's better to stay in here than get out and go to the dressing room."

He stayed put for 371 minutes to make his maiden hundred. At Lord's. He had to go to the dressing room during the break and was confronted by Basil Butcher.

"Butch tells me, 'The skipper don't run singles,' and I went, 'You are telling me this after six weeks in England!'"

Here we have the raw bones of Charlie Davies test career from cricinfo.

For those who are not too familiar with using cricinfo, by clicking on the test # you can view the match scorecard. For each Test there is an Almanack report where you can read a web version of the Wisden match report. Personally I prefer to read the original Wisden as it gives rise to a heightened sense of nostalgia.

Anyway, amongst Charlie's stats we can see a match against India in 1971 in which he was not out in both innings - he had a good series and a great year with the bat from March 1971 to April 1973.

Don't know if the tradition existed back in 1969 but he could also have his name on the honours board at Lord's for the century Googley referred to (103) that he scored there; Sir Geoffrey Boycott also scored a century in that game.

Out of curiousity I checked up on his last test match and noticed that it was a game in which Clive LLoyd actually opened the bowling with Keith Boyce - what a surprise to learn that. Davis himself bowled 10 overs in the game.

Thanks indeed to Googley for promoting the trip down memory lane in honour of Charlie Davis.

if yu have the time HOWZDAT you may also check the fourth test at the QPO in 1968...Sobers' famous declaration test. LLoyd may also have opened the bowling against England in dat game with Sobers.

by 1968, Hall and Griffith were a spent force. but in that test, the fourth in a series of 5, Griff alone was selected and he got injured during the game and cold not bowl in the last innings.

I am not certain of all this but Lloyd must have twice used the new ball for the westindies

Charlie Davis used to bowl medium pace and was quite efective a few times, in Oz in 1968 he was picked for a test as a bowler. could have been the second test of dat series at Melbourne.

the experiment failed after all test batsmen are not sheffield sheild batsmen, whom Chalie ran through a few times, hence his selection to bowl the ball.

dat too was as a result of the decline of Hall and Griff!

between the tour of england 1969 for 3 tests and 1973, a period during whcih westindeis did not play too many too much cricket Davis played some good inings for the westindies, especially when runs were desperately needed.

charlie was a tough batsman, quite the opposite of lil Bravo, Pollard, Gus Logie and lil Simmons.

I could have easily used Davis, along with Dravid, Sobers and Richardson as example for lil Bravo to follow, if he wants to develop into a batsman who scores tons more often than not.

whenever westindies need runs and davis was in the side it was more than less assured dat Davis wud score.

But Davis had health problems which intervened. indeed it is a pleasnt surprise to realise that he is still alive, 67, and having a good time