By Paras Ramoutar, IANS
Port of Spain : Deryck Murray and Larry Gomes are now etched in figurines. The two former West Indies cricketers will now have their figurines placed alongside that of Windies legend Sir Everton Weekes.
Only 200 figurines of each cricketer will be produced, at the cost of $500 for one, according to West Indian sculptor Frances Ross. “It is an effort to honour Caribbean cricket heroes,” she said.
Murray, former West Indies wicketkeeper and now president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Club, said that it was “a great honour to be chosen as an icon to be featured alongside Gomes and Sir Everton from a rich history of great West Indian players”.
He pointed out that when he started his cricket career his main goal was “to enjoy cricket with the ambition of playing for the West Indies and making them the number one team in the world. But I did not envision myself as a statue and a part of living history.”
Murray hoped that the sculptures would spark awareness about the history of cricket in the Caribbean. “Hopefully these figurines would provide the impetus and catalyst for the present and future generations to learn about the past.
“I always believe that the history of cricket should be taught in all primary schools. We need to learn about the pioneering works of cricket and its movement from a colonial game, to amateur status, to the benchmark we made it in the 20th century and beyond.”
Former Windies left handed batsman Gomes said it was an honour to be regarded “as an icon alongside Murray and Sir Everton at such a young age.
“Deryck and myself go back a long way, we have been friends a long time and now we will be sharing these figurines together.”
Ross said that all figurines have been copyrighted. Each year, she added, three more cricketers would be featured.