Cricketing genius Everton Weekes expired-Greatest of all West Indies batsmen?

[Harsh Thakor]

 

On July 1st the legendary Everton Weekes left for his richly deserved heavenly abode.His exploits on a cricket field will never be forgotten till the game exists.His domination in the middle was reminiscent of an invincible army conquering territory after territory or an emperor dictating his kinghts.

 

Weekes took domination of bowling or pugnacity  to merciless levels .He made opposing bowlers look like cattle walking to a slaughterhouse making a cricket bat resemble  a lawn mower..Unorthodox and principally a back foot player who would step away from the crease as none could and punish deliveries.He cut,pulled and hooked in manner none did in his time and to many critiques he played more like Bradman than anyone.With Clyde Walcott and Frank Worrel he constituted the 3 W's.a trio whose class ws unmatched in the history of the game.In total contrast to Worrell Weekes was brutal and savage ,but still very clinical.No batsmen in his time looked as much as a cricketing machine in enforcing a demolition job.In full flow more than any batsmen he resembled flour or powder being grinded in a mill more than anyone,with his clinical execution of strokes.

 

At his best in early 1950's he plundered runs more than anyone after Bradman on the tour of India where he scored 5 successive test centuries and averaged over 111.It is hard even envisaging Bradman surpassing Weeke's performances on turning pitches in India.In England his 1st class averages were over 79 including a 304 he scored at Fenners v Cambridge.Fw batsmen ever displayed such skill agaisnt the moving ball as Everton.Arguably no batsmen dominated bowling in New Zealand with such remorseless ease as Weekes who averaged over 100 there.In the modern era possibly he may have even done more justice to his contempt for bowling surpassing the domination of  the likes of Sehwag.Gilchrist or Devilliers.

 

To me the most memorable innings of Weekes was his 90 at Lords where he revealed batting prowess at regions of the sublime.

 

Pertinent that Don Bradman and Gary Sobers ranked Weekes as the best batsmen ever from West Indies.Bradman preferred Weekes to Headley just as Sobers rated Everton above Kanhai,Viv or Lara.Weekes averaged 58.61 which is more than Lara ,Sobers or Viv but he did not score as many runs pr play as many test matches.Weekes also averaged 49 runs away ,39.66 against Australia and 45.27 against England.In Australai he avergae a mere 24 and in England 33.His main runs were staggered against India and New Zealand unlike greats like Viv or Sobers. Still remember his great first class performances .Sad we did not see Weekes against the likes of Lillee,Thomson,Mcgrath,Wasim or Warne but bowlers like Subash Gupte and Ray Lindwall rate him at the very top.To be fair Weekes did not play enough test cricket to show whether the likes of Sobers,Viv or Lara were ahead.

 

Would Weekes make the all-time West Indies test XI ?I feel he may just be displaced by Viv,Lara and Headley in the middle.To me in the history of the game the batsmen who came closest to Weekes was Walter Hammond.,who averaged about the same .Overall amongst batsmen to me he would just edge out the likes of Javed Miandad and Alan Border and be a whisker below Greg Chappell,Graeme Pollock and George Headley in test cricket.To me amongst the 30 best cricketers,15 best batsmen in test cricket and 20 best batsmen overall.Opinions in cricket are at such variance that to to some experts thee is case to place him as the best ever West Indies batsmen and amongts the 5 best test batsmen of all.In the end it may be so unfair to compare batsmen of diffident eras  and thus asess who was better between Weekes,Sobers,Viv or Lara .

 

 

Above all he radiated the spirit of the game above everything and gave back all to the game it had given him as a coach and manger.He never engaged in politiking like so many of the recent past.

 

His grave should be preserved as  a monument of his memory.Even if physically dead and buried his memories will shimmer in our minds forever like an inextinguishable light flashing.Few more beholding sights in sport than see Everton Weekes in full flow out in the middle,as though God had sent him to bat.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Harsh Thakor