Bring on the rum

I promise you I can smell it……the salty wafting from the sea that caresses your nostrils as you embark on a Caribbean adventure. What an experience, what an adventure. A time I will never forget. The curious blend of warm sea breezes, casual attire and drawling local accents stays long in my memory…..almost as long as the sweet taste of some of the finest rum I have ever sampled.

Sadly I am not there this time but will not miss a ball during the tour of the West Indies by India. It will be a fascinating clash and is live on SuperSport.

Thursday the 11th brings us the first Test from Guyana, which to be honest is a country racked by poverty. It is one of the few Caribbean destinations that the cruise liners and busses pass by with foot firmly planted on the pedal. The hotel where the players will be staying is on the seafront and only a five minute drive from the rather dilapidated Bourda Cricket Ground. The hotel does possess one of the latest closing, well-stocked pool bars you will experience anywhere in the world but also has the ability to significantly rock your conscience. Not much further away than the length of a long handled bat is a superbly equipped gym with glass frontage that seems to beckon for your attendance as you quaff yet another Banks beer……still some way off satisfying your thirst.

Mind you after travelling halfway around the world and suffering from a radical shift in body clock mechanism, by the time you are wide-awake at 4.30 a.m. every morning it does seem a reasonable trade off.

Once the Test gets underway in Guyana the place transforms itself into a frenzy of cricket loving locals with work suddenly taking a back seat. The mound pumps like crazy and the DJ spins his discs and proudly proclaims that he is the best cricket entertainer in the Caribbean. He’s wrong but hey why spoil a good party. “Chickee” who fires up in Antigua is the king…..he will never lose his crown.

Lara versus Tendulkar…..who will play the lead act in Batman Returns? That has the locals talking a million miles an hour and booking their seats for the next few months.

In my view Tendulkar is the superior batsman but Lara the most thrilling. I just have a feeling that Brian will be attempting to do his fair share of upstaging, starting this week.

It will be Calypso cricket at its best………pass the rum.