–

Against pace (like Australia’s) or spin (like India’s), when the West Indies batting crumbled around him, he stood and batted, curbing his natural attacking strokeplay when necessary in the interest of his team. But he could turn it on, as he in in the inaugural cricket World Cup in 1975 vs Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson (possibly the most fearsome pace duo ever) !

–

At that time, there was no helmet or other protection for the batsman, & pace bowlers were not restricted as they are now, to just one bouncer an over, no bowling down the leg side etc…this was the sequence of runs in 10 balls bowled by Dennis Lillee to Kallicharran  4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 6, 0, 4 !

–

Looking like a school boy he cut, hooked and drove Lillee & Thomson in an assault that paved the way for the eventual victory by the West Indies, when they met Australia again in the Finals.

–

Cricket does not exist in a vacuum, and social, racial & political struggles heavily shrouded West Indian and world cricket over the decades, and Kallicharran was in the middle of that – though “Fire in Babylon” made it seen as though it was Black vs White – it was much more complex than that players of Indo-Caribbean descent were a minority, who, for instance, could not gain a place in the West Indies team from 1982 to 1993.

–

In 1982 Kallicharran scored over 2,000 First Class runs in the English County season, with 3 double centuries after being dropped from the West Indies team for playing in South Africa. He later coached non-whites in South Africa.

–

In the years before following in the footsteps of his idol Rohan Kanhai, making his Test debut, Kallicharran was part of the Jodah family, and future American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah, as a boy, woke Kalli in the early morning to ‘train’ at Bourda Cricket Ground – running & practicing in the nets.

–

Now decades later the wheel has come full-circle, and Kallicharran will be an at-large Coach for American College Cricket, & ambassador for cricket in the USA. Kallicharran will be a TV color commentator at the 2014 American College Cricket National Championship, meet with players and present Awards. He will also be at future American College Cricket Regional tournaments & events.

–

A book is currently in the works about the life and times of Alvin Kallicharran – to be published in the USA & around the world.

–

Outside of his American College Cricket duties, Kallicharran is available for Speaking engagements at Dinners & Awards Presentations, and for coaching assignments all over the USA. To reach Alvin Kallicharran contact Lloyd at Dogevpr2@aim.com

–

Recently Kallicharran had appearances at Awards Dinners & Coaching Clinics in North Carolina, California, Pittsburg PA, Bronx NY, and Maryland.