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THE EDITOR: On the morning of July 23, I awoke in deep reflection of the glorious event that took place the previous night at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord's Castle.
I was part of a vibrant and highly appreciative audience that witnessed the eighth annual CWI/WIPA Awards, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the West Indies 1975 World Cup victory.
It was on June 21, 1975, at Lord's Cricket Ground in England, that the West Indies defeated Australia by 17 runs to capture its first global title – the inaugural ODI World Cup.
At 50-3, batting first, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd was joined by Rohan Kanhai. A rescue mission ensued and the Guyanese duo produced a winning partnership of 149 runs for the fourth wicket.
It was the longest day of the year and the WI had the Australian bowlers dancing to the pulsating music of Lloyd's bat (102 in 85 balls), with resolute support from the 39-year-old Kanhai (55 in 105 balls) in his last international match for the WI.
Seven members of that triumphant team were present at the July 23 red-carpet event, now in their 70s and 80s – "Happy Hooker" Sir Clive, "Master Blaster" Sir Viv Richards, Deryck Murray, Lance Gibbs, Sir Andy Roberts, Collis "Kingdom" King, and "Little Master" Alvin Kallicharran.
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, was one of the feature speakers.
In his address, the president of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Dr Kishore Shallow, described the members of that historic team "as giants of world cricket, who were heroes, champions and revolutionaries."
Shallow later announced that each player in attendance, in addition to medallions received, would be gifted US$10,000 as a token of appreciation.
The highlight of my attendance was meeting Richards in person. Even at 73 he carried an unmistakable mark of invincibility – an indomitable presence of mind, body and spirit.
There is no doubt in my mind that between 1974 and 1986, Richards was the most feared and dominant batsman in international cricket.
After dinner, the players were swarmed by dozens of local and foreign fans for autographs and photos.
On that day in 1975, West Indian cricket fans celebrated all over the world in true Caribbean style. Renowned cricket commentator Joseph "Reds" Perreira, now 86, recently told me he would never forget the iconic moment of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, handing over the World Cup trophy to Lloyd before thousands of spectators.
The West Indian cricketers of the 60s, 70s and 80s were indeed a very special breed of talent mixed with heavy currents of pride, passion, preparation and professionalism.
Congrats to CWI and WIPA for honouring our 1975 World Cup heroes.
Was celebrating an event of this magnitude 50 years later a defining error? The optimists would say "better late than never."
With a few tears rolling down, it was a night I will never forget.

REZA ABASALI

El Socorro
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