Murray eager for return of cricket action

FORMER TT and West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Deryck Murray is eager for a return of cricketing action, as soon as possible.

But Murray, the former WI vice-captain and manager, is also mindful of the current effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, which has seen sporting events almost grind to a halt since mid-March.

Speaking on the Barbados-based Mason and Guest radio show on Tuesday, Murray mentioned, “The sooner we can get back to (some sort of) normalcy as we can, the better. In my case, you’re looking forward to cricket. You don’t want it to be an artificial-type (of) normalcy. You want to see cricket played.

“You want spectators there to enjoy it, not just a television audience,” he continued. “You want the players to be able to interact as they do, whether in joy or in disappointment. That’s all part of the game so we need to get that back.”

But Murray, who is currently the TT High Commissioner to Jamaica, pointed out, “We also have to guard against opening doors (and) relaxing lockdowns. If we have to stay away for a little bit longer, it’s a small sacrifice in the wider context of things.

“While I would love to see cricket as usual, in early-May in England, so be it if we have to miss one season for the well-being of the Caribbean and the rest of the world.”

The 76-year-old Murray was a veteran of 62 Test matches and 26 One Day Internationals, from 1963-1980, and was also a member of the World Cup winning teams of 1975 and 1979.

Asked about any advice he would want to give to the current bunch of WI players, Murray replied, “An understanding of what it really means to represent the West Indies. That is something that would be difficult for people to assimilate without the kind of mentorship that I had, and I’m sure many of the youngsters that were coming into the team, in the era that I played in.

“People talk now that cricket is a job, it’s a profession, you have to hit 100 balls in practice,” he continued. “That’s not what international cricket is about. International cricket is about having the desire to play a Test match, to win a Test match, to win a Test series. It’s nothing to do with how much you get paid or how the coach gets paid.”

Murray added, “That’s about wanting to do something. You go out and you train. You need to get the passion for what it is that you’re doing (and) how you’re doing it. You need to believe that there is a meritocracy at work. You need to feel that if you are the best then the coaches will pick you, the selectors will pick you, and you just go out and be able to do the best that you can. You strive to ensure that the team that you’re playing in, the West Indies team, (does well).”