Antigua's past, present and future

The Antigua Recreation Ground, the old Test ground in the middle of St John’s, a magnificent ramshackle affair that routinely staged the most atmospheric matches, has been bypassed. The ground that witnessed the emergence of Viv Richards and Curtly Ambrose, giants both, and played host to Brian Lara’s twin world-record Test scores, stands as a forlorn monument to an era of West Indies cricket that has passed. Its successor, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, is a utilitarian, concrete bowl, built for the ICC World Cup in 2007 in the middle of no man’s land and is inconvenient for the working masses. Between what West Indies cricket once was and what it has become, Stanford saw a chasm that represented an opportunity. As families watched the opening match on Saturday in comfort and in the knowledge that they were partaking in something vibrant, it was clear where the balance of power now lies.

The world has gone mad for it, a lot of people are making a heap of money on its back in a short space of time and the traditional game as most people recognise it, if not necessarily adhere to, has been downgraded in the public mind. India are playing out a pivotal Test series against Australia but this week, like it or not, attention will be focused on a single game, lasting little more than three hours, of no consequence beyond the immense and unprecedented financial inducement it brings.

Their calypso way is the Twenty20 way: walk out with a bit of a strut, relax the shoulders, the odd kamikaze run between wickets, and hit the ball a long way, especially back-foot sixes over extra-cover. Obviously I remember Viv Richards and Richie Richardson, but also Carlisle Best and Gus Logie: no fear, no checked drives, and plenty of sixes over extra-cover.