A sticky wicket at Kensington
Easter Monday, 31st March, 1997 — A constellation of kites danced in the wind, against a backdrop of warm sunshine and a bright blue sky, as we began to leave the Garrison Savannah. I glanced one last time in the direction of the gigantic kite. It has plummeted to earth for the umpteenth time and the crew of eight, several of whom are wearing gloves, are fussing over it once more.
“It’s the tail. I keep telling you all, the tail too heavy. We have to cut this inch rope by two feet at least...,” one suggests at the top of his voice. His yelling fades as we walk away. I’m no longer concerned with the kite’s buoyancy. The fall of wickets in India’s second innings had been uncannily synchronised with the descents of the monster kite, but the match was over.
In the rental car, I switch on the radio and listen to the summary of the Test match. Two West Indian commentators are reviewing the game and the highlights are being relived via splices of commentary.
As I navigate the twisting roads of St Michael’s Parish, the review of the third day’s play commences. The first commentator is full of praise for Brian Lara’s captaincy in the absence of the injured Courtney Walsh, noting the shrewd manipulation of the resources at hand, the constant shifting of the field from offensive to defensive positioning, and the rotation of the bowlers. He notes that Lara entrusted the opening spell to the less experienced but inform Franklyn Rose over the spearhead of the attack, Curtly Ambrose, who, he quickly reminds us, delivered 15 no-balls in the first inning, and had bowled the opening over the previous afternoon. The acting skipper then opted for Ian Bishop to continue from the northern end, where he had delivered half an over on Sunday afternoon, before bad light stopped play after 1.3 overs. Mervyn Dillion, the fourth member of the quartet, playing in only his second Test, is never called upon to bowl.
Rose lived up to the challenge thrust upon his young shoulders, and in a hostile spell of nine overs, the second commentator