Debasis Sen, Port of Spain: He is the only living member of the famous 3Ws- Worrell, Walcott and Weekes. At 91 years Sir Everton Decourcey Weekes still looks fit and cheerful. The second oldest living West Indian cricketer will be the main attraction along with Sir Gary Sobers, Brian Lara and Sunil Gavaskar for tonight’s 125 years celebration of Queens Park Cricket Club.
The 3Ws formed a batting triumvirate that dominated West Indies batting between 1948 and 1958. On being asked whether The 3Ws – was it only because there were three men with surnames beginning with ‘W’ or was there more that went into the legend, he said, “I think the first mentioned would be the case here, the three names starting with W”
The social conditions for blacks in Barbados were appalling during the time of Weekes. In Barbados like most West Indian countries, cricket was forged and influenced by the same conditions which dominated the other facets of the West Indian social structure and culture. The emergence of the Three Ws as a batting force in international cricket was the first indication that black Barbadian cricketers could bat.
“Well I don’t suppose that everybody would have noticed it. The colour of one’s skin should not interfere with performance or general behaviour,” said Sir Weekes.
He takes very little time to declare the name of George Headley as his childhood hero. “For a start it was George Headley. Then there was Bradman, Hammond in those days that I admired.”
According to Sir Weekes, he admired George Headley for his leadership. “It was George Headley who paved the way for West Indian dominance in international cricket with his leadership during 1948. Later on Frank Worrell took over in 1961. It was a huge thing for the entire West Indian cricketing public to have such legends as captain,” said the living legend of West Indies cricket.
Weekes, who made his debut against England at Kensington Oval in 1948, scored 5 consecutive hundreds against India. After scoring 141 at Sabina Park, Weekes scored 128 in Delhi and 194 and wrote his name into the record books in Bombay with 162 and 101 at Calcutta. But he was also in the news for controversially given run out 10 run short of a sixth successive century in the fourth Test at Madras. After 68 years this record is still standing.
According to Weekes, “I would like to deal with the controversial run out first. I thought the decision was a very bad one. I suppose in the game of cricket the element of decision making would not always depend on the right result and therefore whenever umpire gives you out, I think he feels you are definitely out. I don’t think there is any dishonesty attached to it.
And about scoring those consecutive hundreds against India, I would say it was a great performance. Over the years no one has come close to it, so it will always remain in one’s memory.”
Due to health problems Sir Everton Weekes could not prolong his international career. “I suppose yes when one is fit no distance is too long really and I would have thought that without the problems of pulling muscles and so on would have interfered in my career,” feels Weekes.
The batsman ship of Sir Everton Weekes was said to epitomize the spirit and the flair of the plebian tradition in cricket. It can also be said that with his bat Sir Everton showed that the black West Indian male was equal to any man on the cricket field.