Stranded Batsman by Edwin L. Martin (review)

Abstract

the British in the early twentieth century as a part of the British colonizing scheme. As in all important areas of colonial management and affairs, white cricketers also occupied the highest positions of the game. By the decade following World War II, however, Black, Asian, and some Portuguese cricketers were making gradual inroads into the highest positions of the game, mainly because of their talent and the relaxation of strict race relations that once disfavoured non-whites. The result was that by the mid-1970s not only did black cricketers form the majority members of the West Indies team but they also became the most powerful cricketing team in the world until the early 1990s. Cricket players like Wes Hall, Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Lawrence Rowe, Andy Roberts, Alvin Kallicharan, Larry Gomes, Michael Holding, Colin Croft, Malcolm Marshall, Curtley Ambrose, Brian Lara, Shiv Chanderpaul, to name a few, became household names among cricket fans in the English-speaking Caribbean and across the world. It is within this context of domination and popularity that author Edwin L. Martin situates the story of Jim Allen, a cricketer from Montserrat, a tiny island in the Leeward Caribbean. The book’s narrative revolves around how Allen, although talented, was never picked by selectors to play for the West Indies test team. “Fearless, ferocious and frenetic he dazzled fans with his power [and] Jim was a powerful batsman. He powered with potent beauty. It was beautiful to watch” (40). Like so many West Indian cricketers of that period, Jim Allen did not receive any formal coaching on how to play cricket. Young West Indian cricketers learn to play cricket by watching other cricketers on the playground or on television or by receiving advice here and there from senior players whenever possible. “Jim’s education in cricket was unconventional. He Edwin L. Martin, Stranded Batsman. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2017, 284 pp. ISBN: 9781530956777, 60 photos