Sir  Learie  Constantine

At Eden the other day when Carlos Brathwaite was plundering the England attack with those towering sixes, one could see the ghost of Learie Constantine hovering around him.The power and precision-timing of Brathwaite’s bat merely exemplified the spirit of the man who was among the first to entertain the cricket world with incredible and uninhibited stroke-play.

At the turn of the 19^th century, WG Grace had laid the foundation of classical cricket technique. Ranji had revealed the artistry of the Orient with his wrist-work. Trumper had shown the fearlessness of youth. Jack Hobbs his technical perfection under all conditions, even on the ‘stickiest’ of pitches. But with the arrival of Constantine from the Caribbean a novel dimension was added to the repertoire of cricket: entertaining cricket without a bother for the morrow.

The West Indies squad for the world T20 championship seemed to reflect the varied charms of the master entertainer, Learie Constantine. Gayle’s big-hitting with gay abandon, Russel’s boundless energy, Bravo’s variety in bowling, Samuel’s cool planning, skipper Sammy’s perpetual smile were all reminiscent of the man. Constantine represented not a region, but a race. He represented not an era but an aeon that went beyond a century. Constantine’s charisma has rubbed off on his cricketing grand-children and great-grand-children.

His ebony complexion and curly hair reflected the soul of his land. Life was short and was to be enjoyed. Live life to the full: sports and spirits; dance and drums. Enjoyment and entertainment are to complement each other. The spontaneous effort was all that mattered. The outcome, even if successful, was totally secondary to the creative urge. The result was less important than the means. Constantine took his front-foot wide outside the off-stump and swatted the ball over the mid-wicket fence! Sacrilegious in the 1920s. The coach shouted, “Look where your feet are.” A broad grin emerged, “Sir, look at the ball, forget the feet.”

He was indeed a revolutionary in the ethos of the time. The contemporary Englishmen depended on well-tested conventional techniques and strategies. The South Africans were in the Brit mould. The Aussies were a little different. They relied on orthodox ideas but were distinctly more aggressive. But with the arrival of the coloured West Indian, the whole perspective of cricket underwent a radical change. The transformation was the signature tune of Learie Constantine.

When not swatting the ball, he would hurl thunderbolts at the batters and laugh at the latter’s discomfiture. If the batter was a dear friend, then he would get more bouncers and guffaws from his friend ‘Conny’. Once, Wally Hammond had a taste of the chilling fury of his close pal. A well-directed, menacing bouncer split open Hammond’s chin, the mark of which was to last a lifetime.

Constantine had the uncanny habit of sweeping the ball behind the wicket-keeper. If it took his fancy he would bowl spin off a long run-up or bowl pace from a few strides. For providing unalloyed excitement, Learie Constantine had very few parallels. Sir Don rated him to be the most enterprising of cricketers.

Learie Constantine is dead and buried. Long gone into the sands of time. But the spirit of the radical lives on. Every Caribbean cricketer is born with a big enough drop of Constantine’s blood. The crimson with an electric hue.

Physical power he possessed in abundance. The lithe elastic body carried a bundle of energy. Seemed to be in a state of perpetual motion. Even after the end of the run-up, Constantine would scamper to field the ball wherever it was. With every movement, he appeared to be accumulating energy. Once Constantine actually caught Andy Sandham off his own bowling when the defensive prod had popped the ball just about three yards down the pitch!

 Muscular yet supremely supple, he released the ball at fearsome pace yet never lost his cool. Highly respected not only for his brilliant mind, but more so for his magnanimous nature. No opponent has ever been so revered, except perhaps his own protégés like Frank Worrell and Gary Sobers.

Although the Trinidadian was ever ready to laugh at his own follies and failures, he was till the last day a rebel in approach. This was the difference between him and the other great pioneers of the game. Constantine would never seek self-glory or self-publicity. Would never disrespect others. Would be the first to stick his neck out, especially on race-relations and other social issues. Learie Constantine completed his bar-at law and later became the high commissioner of Trinidad in Britain. An exemplary role model from all angles. Unfortunately today in the world of cheap publicity, his happens to be a long-forgotten name.

Cricket-wise he came under the guidance of English coaches as a youngster in Trinidad. But he went far beyond conventional thinking and classical techniques. He adapted the game to his genes. A very high back-lift and a complete follow-through of the bat between the shoulder blades. Jumped out, even to pace bowlers, to lift the ball high, wide and handsome.

Between the wickets no leopard could out-run the born athlete. He was without a trace of doubt the best fielder of his generation and beyond. From 75 yards his unerring throw would be on top of the bails. Incredible catches he took through sheer athleticism.

The typical West Indies mould developed with the arrival of Constantine. He was a child of nature. Gave full vent to his feelings. No inhibitions, no anxiety, no theory ever bothered him. Today’s West Indies cricketers follow the pattern set by him in 1920s. It is in their genes. The spirit of adventure is what sets the West Indies cricketers apart from all others. They are spontaneous, highly spirited, fun loving, born entertainers.

Constantine is still rated to be the best-ever performer in the Lancashire Leagues, the precursor to the over-limit format. Not only because he was very successful but because his presence would guarantee entertainment for the spectators. His sole intent was for the benefit of the audience.

Following his tenets, West Indians in the following generations have proved themselves to be among the most prominent entertainers. Time and again they dominated the world cricket scenario, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, but their real appeal lay in their entertainment value in all formats of the game.

West Indies cricket has suffered for over the last two decades for various reasons. Now with the new-found successes – men’s team, women’s team and u19 team – it may appear that a turnaround is just round the corner. Whether West Indies as a team is successful or not, there is no semblance of doubt that individually the Caribbean cricketers are still the most entertaining and exciting of all.

The West Indies team may not be able to replicate its earlier successes but the entertainment value of the Caribbean cricketer will never falter. The spirit of Constantine is still in full flow in their veins. The charisma of Sir Learie Constantine (knighted in 1962) has gone beyond boundaries, has traversed a century. He stands supreme among the great entertainers of the cricketing pantheon. Sir Learie is the fount from which spring the enterprise, the excitement and the entertainment value of the Caribbean cricketers.


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