The Frank Worrell legacy

AUGUST 1, 2024 MARKED the centenary of the birth of Sir Frank Worrell, a person many regard as the quintessential Caribbean man. Known for his exploits on the cricket field, he equally matched them with his activities off it.

Born in Bridgetown Barbados, he made his first-class debut at the age of 17 for Barbados. He moved to Jamaica, aged 23 in 1947, and played for Jamaica till 1964. George Headley became the first West Indian captain of colour in the first Test against England in 1948 in Barbados. He was ironically replaced for the next Test in Trinidad by Frank Worrell, who would go on to be the first captain of colour appointed for a whole series in 1960. Incidentally, he scored 97 in his first innings.

I invoke the two names, Headley and Worrell as the former was undoubtedly the first sporting superstar the region has produced, and Worrell the first regional giant in what he achieved or influenced across it.

Performances and impact must be matched to the prevailing social and political climate. Sir Frank came at a time when Caribbean minds could dare to think about self-determination and self-governance. Though Universal Adult Suffrage was first introduced in the 1950s, the confidence of being able to govern and even independence from Britain, which held the reigns of power for over 250 years was growing. Regionalism was a fledgling thought, but each island was developing a political identity. Political parties had been formed and people of colour were part of the discussion. Two regional bodies were emerging: West Indies Cricket and the University of the West Indies (UWI).

West Indies cricket was around informally since the 1880s. The West Indies played their first official Test in 1928, becoming the fourth Test-playing nation of the Imperial Cricket Conference (as ICC was then called). The make of the team was heavily influenced by the lightness of one’s skin. Many believe that that was what prevented George Headley from making that first tour. When the UWI opened in 1948 (as the University College of the West Indies in relationship with the University of London), it brought young minds of the region together to study medicine, offering opportunities to all races to study at home. It was in that year that Frank Worrell made his debut for the West Indies.

Three Ws

He, along with Clyde Walcott and Everton Weekes, constituted the famous three Ws that would influence world cricket for decades. But cricket then was as much as a sport as it was a test of self-confidence. Cricket was played in the plantations of the West Indies and was the only place where master and worker could play against, and even with each other (never as equals). Through liberation and beyond, the desire to beat the former masters and colonial leaders could only be realised through cricket. So, when the West Indies first beat England in England in 1950, it was a crowning moment for the region for many reasons. And front and centre of that was Frank Worrell. That feat was repeated in 1953 but more importantly, the West Indies were beating other teams with regularity, fuelling regional self-belief.

As his own Test career grew, so did his reputation as a man of reason and responsibility. The team relied on his advice as did young debutants, such as Garfield Sobers. Playing for Jamaica then, many young Jamaican First-Class cricketers attribute their success to his early guidance. By the time he was appointed captain for the tour of Australia in 1960-61, he was a towering figure in the team, as a true all-rounder, being very good at batting, bowling and leading. The team, by then, had Garfield Sobers who had broken the Test record by scoring 365 not-out two years earlier, and had the likes of Weekes and Kanhai for batting and Hall, Griffiths and Gibbs for bowling.

That special series, with the first tied Test, the Gibbs hat-trick and hard competition between the two ended with defeat for the West Indies (2-1) but could easily have been a 3-1 victory had things gone their way. It was not that they lost, but how they played, that defined that series as one of the best in history. And much of that was because of the leadership of Worrell on and off the field. So much so, that the send-off for the team from Melbourne on open buses saw 250,000 people bidding farewell.

His Test career ended in 1963 with distinguished personal statistics. But not before another incident of note in 1962 when the touring Indians were playing Barbados and a ball from Charlie Griffith hit captain Nari Contractor in his head. Needing surgery the next day, the first person to donate blood for him was Frank Worrell. Such was the impact of this action, that in 1981, Cricket Association of Bengal renamed their blood drive to commemorate this and have had annual drives since, leading to 10s of thousands of units of blood donated in memory of that gesture. The UWI named its own blood drive after Sir Frank in 2009 which was launched by Nari Contractor himself.

Contribution to the region

The end of his cricketing career was certainly not the end of his contribution to the region.

He joined the UWI as warden of Irvine Hall and was instrumental in upgrading the Mona playing fields for use in the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston. His contribution to the University and the region has prompted all cricket grounds at UWI to bear his name, solely at Mona and St Augustine and as the 3Ws Cricket Oval at Cave Hill, where all three are buried.

In 1963, he was also named to the Senate of Jamaica, where he served till he passed away. In 1964 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his services to cricket. While on his final tour to India in 1966-67 as part of the West Indies team management, he was diagnosed with leukaemia. He returned to Jamaica and died a month later in 1967, aged 42. His short life achieved more than most do in a full lifespan. He was the first sportsman to have a memorial service at the Westminster Abbey.

The UWI continues to honour him through the Frank Worrell Memorial lecture series at Cave Hill. Inaugurated by a speech in 1994 by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, the 22 lectures thus far, have been delivered by six regional prime ministers, one British, three CWI Presidents and three Test captains – Richie Benaud (Australia), Nari Contractor (India) and Ali Bacher (South Africa). The latest presented by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley stirred the minds and turned the necks of many in the region.

Sir Frank believed, not only in winning but in playing the right way. He was an institution builder who believed in structures and proper Governance. One wonders not only what West Indies cricket would look like today had he lived a full lifespan, but what the West Indies would look like.