Tony Becca

SIR CLYDE Walcott, one of the greatest batsmen of all time, has passed on.

The cricket world mourns the loss - not only as a batsman, not only as a coach, not only as a selector, not only as a manager, not only as an ICC match referee, not only as the president of both the Guyana and the West Indies cricket boards, not only as the chairman of the ICC, but also as a person.

As a batsman, Walcott, who started his first-class career as a 16-year-old playing for Barbados, was one of the famous Three Ws, his partners being Frank Worrell and Everton Weekes, who were also knighted for services to the game. He scored 3,798 runs with 15 centuries at an average of 56.68 in 44 Test matches.

That was a performance better than Worrell, two years his senior, who finished his career with a record of 51 Test matches, 3,860 runs with nine centuries at an average of 49.48, and just below that of Weekes, one year his senior, who finished at 48 Test matches, 4,455 runs with 15 centuries at an average of 58.61.

As a batsman, Walcott, a big man who was tremendous off the back-foot whether driving, cutting or pulling and who scored an unforgettable 168 in the West Indies memorable and historic first victory in England at Lord's in 1950, enjoyed one purple patch - one brilliant series against Australia in 1955 during which he scored 827 runs including five centuries and two centuries in a match on two occasions.

Walcott enjoyed batting at Sabina Park and, in 1953, in his second Test at the venue, he scored 118 against India in the same innings that Worrell scored 237 and Weekes 109. In 1954, in his fourth Test at Sabina Park, he scored 116 against England. In 1955, in his fifth Test at Sabina Park, he scored 108 against Australia; and again in 1955, in his sixth Test at Sabina Park, he scored 155 and 110 against Australia.

Stroke-filled exhibition

Walcott, who made his debut for the West Indies in the first Test against England in 1948 at the same time that Weekes did and one match earlier than Worrell, who, with 131 in his second Test, scored a century before them, also matched his two comrades in a stroke-filled exhibition at Queen's Park Oval in 1954 when Weekes, batting at number three, scored 206, Worrell, batting at number four, scored 167, and Walcott, batting at number five, scored 124.against England.

During his brilliance in that series, and apart from his 124 at Queen's Park Oval and his series-ending 116 at Sabina Park, Walcott also preened himself on his home pitch at Kensington Oval during his career-best 220.

As a coach in Guyana, he produced such West Indies greats as Rohan Kanhai, Joe Solomon, Basil Butcher, Lance Gibbs and Roy Fredericks.

First black ICC chairman

As a selector he, along with captain Clive Lloyd, was responsible for the building of the great West Indies team of the 1970s and '80s. As a manager for 18 years or so, he was at the head when the West Indies won the World Cup tournaments in 1975 and 1979, apart from being the president of the Guyana Cricket Board and the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, he was the first non-Englishman, the first black man to become the chairman of the International Cricket Council, and as a person, he was, particularly in the days after he had put away his bat, a charming and wonderful man.

Clyde Walcott was a great cricketer - a great batsman. More than that, however, he was also a great coach and an outstanding administrator.

More than that, he was a gentleman - a humble man who served the game with the hope that he would produce cricketers as good or better than he was, and that he would make the game better for the players than it was during his days.

Walk good, Sir Clyde. Well played, and thank you very much.