On his 41st birthday, Shiamak Unwalla looks at 11 interesting things about the man whose crab-like technique has confounded aficionados of the sport for years.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, born August 16, 1974, is one of the leading run-scorers in Test history and West Indies’ second-highest run-scorer after Brian Lara. A poster boy for longevity and tenacity, Chanderpaul is rarely considered among the greatest batsmen of his era despite dominating the run charts for over two decades.
1. Tiger
A young Chanderpaul was briefly coached by Rohan Kanhai, who used to be called “Tiger of Port Mourant.” Kanhai passed on the mantle of ‘Tiger’ to Chanderpaul, and the moniker stuck. Chanderpaul has since said that no other batsman has influenced him as much as Kanhai.
2. The crab
Perhaps the most recognisable aspect of Chanderpaul’s batting is his stance, which has often been compared to that of a crab. It’s an astonishing stance in which he faces the square-leg, and which got more pronounced with passage of time. He adopted this unique stance because he believed it got him a better view of the bowler. Chanderpaul once said that as a youngster facing the fearsome fast bowlers of his village, he would have to get the bat up to protect his face, so eventually he adopted this approach as a better way deal with the bowling.
3. Longevity personified
Few cricketers in history have shown durability at the international level as Chanderpaul. Though he is 40-plus, Chanderpaul has rarely looked unfit, and almost never missed out on an extended period of time due to injury since his debut for West Indies in 1994. Though he is currently out of the side, he remains an active cricketer, and has said he wants to play on for West Indies. He has been an international cricketer for over two decades — a feat only 15 cricketers have matched in the history of the game.
4. As versatile as it gets
If one looks at Shivnarine’s usual strike-rate, it will be around 30-40, regardless of whether West Indies are 50 for five or 300 for three. He is known for batting for long hours and extremely difficult to dislodge. He famously faced 1,051 deliveries against India in 2002 without being dismissed, batting for an insane 1,513 minutes. He has sometimes been mocked for his adhesiveness in the middle, but when the need arises, Chanderpaul can wreak havoc as well. He scored a 69-ball Test century — then the third fastest Test hundred — against Australia in 2003. In 2008, he hit a four and a six against the bowling of Chaminda Vaas, with 10 needed off two balls to win an One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka.
5. Bounced but not out
Six years prior to the on-field tragedy that led to the demise of Phillip Hughes, Chanderpaul almost suffered that fate against Australia in 2008. In the first Test at Jamaica with West Indies 276 for 8, Brett Lee bowled a short one at Chanderpaul, who was batting on 86 at the time. Chanderpaul misjudged the length of the delivery and ducked into it, taking his eyes off the ball. He was hit on his helmet on the back of his head, blacked out instantaneously as he fell on his back. Lee was at his side immediately and for a while it looked like Chanderpaul needed to be stretchered off. Instead, in typical show Chanderpaul grit, he was up and running in a few minutes and even went on to score a century.
Chanderpaul said later, “I did not know where I was, my entire body went numb. I could not move my hands and I could not move my feet. However, I told myself if I left the field we would have been in a bad state.” Classic Chanderpaul!
6. Chasing history
It was arguably the most closely-contested Test match of all time. West Indies and Australia both scored 240 in their respective first innings, before Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul created history when they combined to help West Indies chase down a 418-run target at Antigua in 2003. It was the highest-ever successful chase, with Sarwan and Chanderpaul scoring 105 and 104 respectively. The duo added only 123 together, but their individual brilliance was enough to award West Indies the game.
7. Statistician’s dream
Chanderpaul offers statisticians a wide range to choose from; he holds some of the most exclusive records in the game. As statistician Bharath Seervi points out, Chanderpaul has been involved in a mind-numbing 750 partnerships in Test cricket. Rahul Dravid comes second with 738; the next best is Sachin Tendulkar with 675. In addition, Chanderpaul has batted with as many as 82 different partners. He has also witnessed 500 dismissals from the non-striking end, another record. Another absolutely stunning record Chanderpaul holds is that of being stumped for the first time after having batted in 266 innings! This happened only in June 2014, 20 years into his Test career!
8. Father and son
Shivnarine’s son Tagenarine Chanderpaul, born two years after his dad made his Test debut in 1996, is also a cricketer. He played ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2014, and made his First-Class debut in 2013. Tagenarine is left-handed batsman with a temperament similar to that of his father. Both father and son have also batted together for Guyana in First-Class cricket.
9. The patches below the eyes
Many might wonder what the black patches under Chanderpaul’s eyes are for. If one looks closely (ideally in a high-res picture) the word “Mueller” is visible. These are the anti-glare patches Chanderpaul has worn for a good portion of his career. Chanderpaul found a way to use his face to advertise!
10. The lone ranger
West Indies may have become a weak side since 2000, but Chanderpaul has been the cement that prevented his side from disintegrating more than once. Chanderpaul is the seventh-leading run-scorer in Test cricket with 11,867 runs in 164 Tests at 51.37. He is 86 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara as the most successful West Indies batsman. Since 2000, barring Chanderpaul only Sarwan (5,842), Brian Lara (6,339), and Chris Gayle (7,214) have scored more than 5,000 Test runs. In this same time, Chanderpaul scored 9,633. The term “lone battle” was almost coined for Chanderpaul!
11. Unceremoniously dumped
Despite his immense contribution to West Indies cricket, Chanderpaul was disrespectfully cast aside by the selectors after one poor season. He scored 84 not out and 101 not out against Bangladesh at Gros Islet in September 2014, and after a lean patch against South Africa (he scored just one 50) and England (highest score of 46 in three Tests) he was dumped from the team. Chanderpaul, in distinctive style, refused to be forced into retirement and vowed to return and go out on his own terms.
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