The West Indian . Mar 05, 2016 . Page 53 These days Sunny Sunny says with pened when he took 7 for 0 runs Anna Cathe- against rina. with York lives in New his wife Drupatty and his children Komal and Nalini and their three grandchildren. special moment A occurred when Sunny met with President Barack Obama at the White House. Sunny in is still involved as he umpires He softball matches. thanks Robert Chris- Gibbs and tiani, Lance Camacho for George their kindness. Sunny admires Gary Sobers, and Richards Viv Shivnarine Chander- paul but he reserves a special mention for . nostalgia in his voice, We ‘Kanhai can bat!’ wish Sunny Basdeo and his family all the best in the future. Sunny refused and he returned to Guy- ana with memories of cricket only! He continued to play local West cricket on the Coast of Demerara. His best bowling hap- was one catch: he had to marry the daughter cials. of one of the offi Dr. DHANPAUL NARINE DHANPAUL Dr. By ‘I showed my fi nger to ‘I showed my fi Sunny toured the ning fi nger and he found ning fi a boil on it. He managed to bowl two overs and had to stop. Christiani and he ad- vised me to see a doctor,’ Sunny said. ‘ I went to Jardine and he treated Dr. able to it but I wasn’t Sunny had an- bowl.’ other chance when India Indies under West toured Hazare. Sunny Vijay rst fi got a in his the English team. Sunny the English team. Sunny could not sleep the night before the game and he was up early for nets at Bourda. England won the toss and elected to bat. But as Sunny looked at ngers on right his the fi hand something strange happened. He began to feel a pain on his spin- Sunny Basdeo meets Sunny President Obama at the White House. over and then the Indians declared and there was no chance for him to bowl interna- again. Sunny’s tional career had come to an end. He recalls meet- ing Rohan Kanhai, and and says that they were courteous to him. Caribbean with the Leonora team and one was Trinidad outing to most memorable. His bowling performance was so outstanding that he a house and was offered But there a job and a car. A PROUD MOMENT: A PROUD Len Hutton’s English Len Hutton’s Sunny was impressed said, ‘ When I played in said, ‘ I would get the wickets of Basil Joe Solomon Butcher, He did well and the rest.’ in the local matches and persistence and work hard nally paid off. fi West team was visiting Indies in 1947/48 and Sunny was picked to play in the colony game. He would represent British Guiana against impress. with some of the spin bowlers of the day including Edwin Mo- hamed, Ganesh Persaud The Bristol and others. was played Trophy between Port Mourant and Leonora, two of the strongest teams. Sunny om left in the second row. CricketDays! in Old the Christiani congratu- Sunny had never met Sunny was on song. Gibbs, George Camacho, Gibbs, George and another wicket giving gures of 5 for 47. him fi The fans lifted him in the air and a new spin bowler was born. lated Sunny but he had a The following day plan. Christiani kept wicket and had Sunny bowl to see how Sunny was able to turn the ball. Sunny was invited to more trials where he continued to call to the ground. Robert call to the ground. Robert Christiani took the call and relayed the message to Berkeley Gaskin the Sunny was on his way on the other boat. Christiani but now he would be bowling against The pavilion was him. in noisy as Christiani was The fans told prime form. Gaskin that the little boy at the Sunny would suffer hands of the great Chris- tiani and that maybe Sun- ny should not bowl. But Gaskin threw the ball to rst delivery fi The Sunny. was hit hard back to the The second ball bowler. was pitched outside of the leg stump and Christiani The a stroke. did not offer ball turned prodigious- ly and clipped the off stump and Christiani was bowled around his back. He was stunned. wicket Christiani’s opened the way for Sunny to bowl Bruce Pairaudeau, Glendon of The ofWeek The Sunny Basdeo In the fi rst trial at fi In the there were only two play- ers that remained from the 24 that were called to trials and they were Sun- Audrey Bishop. ny and At the end of that trial Bishop get four wickets and Sunny got 3 wickets This led Sunny for 5 runs. to play in the second trial and this was at the East Indian Cricket Ground. Sunny missed the boat at and had to Vreeden-hoop nd a phone to make a fi the match. Coach Wool- the match. Coach ford was impressed and relayed to the cricket Board that he had spotted a new talent. Sunny says, ‘ I was called to trials in When we Georgetown. got to the nets the rules were strict. If you were a batsman and you did not do well you were The same applied to out. on had to be You bowlers. top of your game.’ Cricket Club The Leonora team in 1947. Sunny Basdeo is seated second fr Sunny The Leonora team in 1947.

Woolford brought Woolford Sunny’s cricketing cricketing Sunny’s Sunny Basdeo was

t was 1947 and he could well have well could he and 1947 was t

been Guyana’s answer to Sonny to answer Guyana’s been PROFILE

his team from George- town to play the local Leonora club. Sunny was picked to repre- sent Leonora and he took six wickets in career began with softball and then the team moved on to hard ball. Every week- end they would play at Leonora seawall. He would miss meals because of cricket but Sunny mind. he didn’t took up welding through the sugar rst fi estate but cricket After a on his mind. stint in club cricket Sunny found that he could spin the ball and he began taking wick- ets. It so happened that in 1948 a coach from Bookers visit- ed Leonora. He was and he was Woolford looking for talent. born at Plantation West Leonora on the Coast of Demerara. He is the youngest of three children. His father is Dhupan Maraj and his mom is Somaria. Sunny Anna Cath- attended erina Primary School that was opposite the cricket ground. He liked reading but cricket got hold of him and he went to work in the factory ‘ pushing wheelbarrow and throwing turn wood in the boiler.’ He would throw wood in the night and this would free him up to play cricket in the day. Basil Butcher and others. and Butcher Basil Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Joe Solomon,Kanhai, Joe LanceGibbs, greats in cricket including Rohan including cricket in greats cy the beginnings of some of the the of some of beginnings the cy and he could recall with accura- with recall could he and the country. His memory is sharp is memory country.His the and to make a name for himself in himself for name amake to and represent Guyana as a spin bowler bowler spin a as Guyana represent Nevertheless, Sunny managed to to managed Sunny Nevertheless, had to compete for a single spot. spot. single a for compete to had that several outstanding players players outstanding several that ed and when the talent was so rich so was talent the when and ed But Sunny Basdeo lived in an age aninage lived Basdeo Sunny But Ramadhin if things were different. different. were things Ramadhin if

when the opportunities were limit- were opportunities the when

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