Antigua boasts 365 beaches, and they joke, there’s one for each day of the year. Visiting this tiny country, surrounded by the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the calm serenity of the Caribbean Sea, feels like stepping into the realm of the incredible. Few can believe that such idyllic and tranquil surroundings can produce a batter, the sound of whose willow sent shivers down the spines of the bowlers worldwide, and a bowler who struck fear into batters’ hearts.
But then the sandy white beaches and pristine blue waters of Antigua are deceptively intoxicating. They are inseparable from cricket, having witnessed many iconic moments, Brian Lara’s record-breaking scores of 375 and an unbeaten 400 for instance. The cricket history and legacy of the place are storied and legendary.
Vivian Richards had scored a 56-ball century in 1986, against England, then the fastest century in Test cricket; West Indies had a successful chase of 418 runs, still a world record in the five-day game; and then Chris Gayle’s triple century in 2005 are all part of folklore of the Antigua cricket. The island hosted the Women’s T20 World Cup final in 2018 and four years later the U 19 World Cup final in 2022. Antiguans are proud that one of the smallest countries in the world has hosted the finals of the global events.
When Antigua hosted its first Test in 1981, it was a time for celebration. The event coincided with the wedding of national icon Viv Richards, known here as Vivi Richards, to his childhood sweetheart – the locals are not pleased that the world has shortened his name to Viv. The wedding, with Ian Botham in attendance, turned into an international affair. “It was like a festival,” recalls a veteran journalist here.
But the biggest moment of them all, yet, was when Sir Andy Roberts made his Test debut on March 6, 1974. Earlier this year, the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moment and later this year they will celebrate Golden Jubilee of Richards’s Test debut, on November 22. “Imagine West Indies playing cricket for almost 100 years (96 years) and Antigua having a Test cricketer for only 50 years,” Roberts, who has played all his cricket with ‘fierce passion’, tells Cricbuzz about the big moment in Antigua cricket history.
Since Roberts made debut and Richards followed suit, players like Curtly Ambrose, Richie Richardson, Ridley Jacobs, Eldine Baptiste, Winston Benjamin, Kenny Benjamin represented the country. Active internationals like Alzarri Joseph, Rahkeem Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr are among more than 20 internationals from the island. Richards’s brother Mervin, half brother Donald and son Mali are popular cricketers too as were first class players like Tony Merrick (who later became a groundsman at the venue), Robbie Joseph and Danny Livingstone. Needless to stress, cricket is the most popular sport on the island and it aims to leverage that popularity.
“So our pedigree in international cricket is there for the world to see. And I believe that our contribution to international cricket has been absolutely phenomenal,” country’s Sports Minister Daryll Matthew says in a conversation with this website. “The last 50 years have been absolutely phenomenal. But then we speak about what the next 50 years look like for cricket in Antigua and Barbados? What can our contribution be to global cricket?”
The Minister answers that question himself. “We have recognized that despite the popularity of some other sports, cricket still remains the sport that has put Antigua and Barbuda on the world scene. It still remains the sport for which we have made the greatest investment through the construction of infrastructure and facilities. And it still remains the only sport that has produced a number of professional athletes. And so logically, we as a cabinet have taken the decision to continue to invest in cricket.” Antigua also houses the headquarters of Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Roberts looks back saying these 50 years would not have been possible without a sense of pride as an Antiguan. “Looking back I had some wonderful times. I enjoyed my 50 years and the vast majority of 50 years we were successful. The reason is that we are proud people, we take pride in whatever we do. I had to compete with players from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and elsewhere. I had to be better than them in order to maintain my place,” the tearaway pacer, who featured in 47 Tests in an international career spanning nine years, says.
If Richards was the best batter of his era, Roberts was one of the best bowlers of those times with someone like Sunil Gavaskar rating him as the best he had faced. “We always had better players. But we were never given the opportunity. Now you know we had talent in this country and all we needed was an opportunity to unleash that talent. When we did, they saw what we could achieve from this small country. The players must have passion for it. Just ability will not help. There must be passion that goes with the talent. I had that passion, Viv had that passion, So did Ambrose and Richardson. You talk to Ambrose and he would tell you how passionate he was. Also you have to be committed to the cause.” The sense of pride is inescapable when he says that.
The Antiguan government also recognises the potential to encash on the rich cricket history and the popularity of the icons, who still draw massive crowds and attention all over the world. “There’s a clear recognition that if we’re going to continue to benefit economically from cricket, if we’re going to continue to provide the world with good cricketers, we must continue to invest as a government. And that is a very strategic position that this government has taken that I believe will bring benefits to Antiguans and Barbudans and cricketers all around the world and cricket loving persons all around the world for many years to come.”
Antigua has two international level grounds – Antigua Recreation Ground, St John’s, which has hosted 12 Tests and 22 ODIs and the Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound. The second has seen 22 Tests, 11 ODIs and 21 T20Is played there. The Minister says they want to have another international level ground in the island.
“I believe with that investment. We have been able to host more international cricket over the past 10 years than we’ve ever hosted before. We were able to demonstrate to the world that in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re able to host international cricket before, I believe, any other jurisdiction in the world. It demonstrates that we have the know-how, we have the ability, we have the talent, and we have the resources and infrastructure to, in fact, remain the centre of Caribbean cricket. And that is our mission, to make Antigua the cricket Capital of the Caribbean.”
For that to happen, Roberts believes the current lot of cricketers need to have passion rather than greed for money. “The current cricketers are more interested in money. Not that I did not pay interest in money, I did not have the greed. I am not a greedy person. These guys are more interested in money while we were interested in becoming the best. Because at that time there was not much money, what you had to do was to be the best in your field,” he points out and continues, “I am not involved in politics. I am a cricketer and I still have passion for cricket and I want to see the West Indies get back to the top. I can help.”