It was a moment that this simple man with patience and enormous powers of concentration will remember for long.
The 36-year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the most capped player for the West Indies at the Windsor Park here on Wednesday.
The tortoise has left the hares of the West Indian cricket behind. The tenacious left-hander, who made his debut in 1994, is now playing his 133rd Test. He has surpassed the mark of great fast bowler Courtney Walsh, who made 132 Test appearances.
Batting legend Brian Lara, third in the list, has figured in 131 Tests.
Before the start of the match, Chanderpaul, who hails from Guyana, was congratulated by the entire team at a brief ceremony in front the Billy Doctrove Pavilion. To mark the occasion, Chanderpaul presented first Test caps to debutants Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards.
Chanderpaul said, “It feels good to reach this landmark. I just want to keep doing my best in every match.”
Ahead of the third Test here, Chanderpaul had made 9228 runs at an average of 48.56 with 22 centuries. He has often revelled in crisis situations for his team.
West Indies team manager Richie Richardson and batting consultant Desmond Haynes were both prominent part of the team when Chanderpaul played his first Test against England at Bourda in Guyana more than 17 years ago.
“This is a tremendous milestone, His achievement is truly remarkable,” said Haynes.
Richardson said, “When Shiv (Chanderpaul) first came into the team years back you could see in him the desire to play for a long time. He has worked hard over the years and it is great to see him reach this landmark.”
