Cricinfo article.
Among the host of people that form a part of the support staff assisting the West Indies Women in their World Twenty20 2016 campaign, a tall, lanky figure stands out.
Under the blazing sun that has been beating down mercilessly on the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies allrounder, is working tirelessly with the girls in his role as head coach – throwdowns and batting lessons with the sidearm pro, fielding drills, long chats with the bowling group, et al.
Like most West Indies fast bowlers of the past, the 46-year-old Drakes cuts an intimidating figure. But beyond that tough, calm exterior was a talented cricketer who made one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of the game.
An indifferent start to his international career in 1995 consigned him to seven years in county cricket and on the domestic circuit in South Africa. But he returned at the age of 33, shining brightly throughout his second stint in international cricket from 2002 to 2004. Ask Drakes about being a late bloomer and his eyes narrow, the nostrils flare slightly and a hint of irritation creeps into his expressions.
“I never got an opportunity, so I couldn’t have done much,” Drakes tells Wisden India. “Being in the race with a great bunch of cricketers like Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Ian Bishop and Ottis Gibson, it was very difficult for me as young bowler to get into the squad and stay there with those fabulous bowlers around.”
Making his international debut at the age of 25, Drakes’s West Indies career was limited to five One-Day Internationals against Australia in 1994-95 and a place in the subsequent tour of England.
Capable of generating a lot of pace with a short run-up, he was a useful lower-order bat as well, but in those five ODIs against Australia, he picked up just three wickets and scored 27 runs. Lack of chances forced an international sabbatical, and Drakes decided to pursue a career as a professional.
“Since the opportunities were limited, almost none, I decided to take a break from international cricket, and in 1995 got an opportunity to play for Sussex. But it was my stint with Border in South Africa where I truly developed as a cricketer and human being.”
In a first-class career spanning over 15 years, Drakes played for four teams in the English County Championship – Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Sussex and Warwickshire – and was player of the year twice with Border in the South African Super Sports League. An international comeback was not on the radar, but a chance encounter with Viv Richards, the legendary batsman and then selector, in June 2002, changed Drakes’s fortunes.
“I had taken 60 wickets in nine games and broken a few records that season, but despite that I wasn’t expecting a call-up. I was at home relaxing and looking forward to the county season with Leicestershire when a chance to adjudicate in a match featuring the local WICB team and the touring New Zealand side came up,” recalls Drakes.
“There I met Viv Richards, who asked if I believed I could still play a role in West Indies cricket. Thanks to him, I was picked in the West Indies side as a fresher who could be of all-round use with my experience over the years.”
Comebacks at the top-level in the 30s are tough, but Drakes made an impact almost immediately. In the West Indies side for the Champions Trophy in September 2002, he picked up the wicket of Jacques Kallis in the first over of his return to international cricket after seven years.
While returning from that tournament in Sri Lanka, Drakes became one of only five batsmen in the history of first-class cricket to be given out timed out. Selected for Border against Free State in East London, it was a peculiar case as he was not even in the country at the time as his flight to South Africa had been delayed by several hours.
In his second stint in international cricket, Drakes played 29 ODIs and picked up 48 wickets at an impressive average of 22.68. But he will probably be best remembered for netting one of the most memorable catches in the history of the game.
In a brilliant display of athleticism during the 2003 World Cup, Drakes caught John Davison, the Canada opener, at the long-on boundary. Davison was at his destructive-best, batting on 111 off just 76 balls, having scored the then fastest ton in World Cup history.
But Drakes’s agility cut down the onslaught when Canada, who were cruising at 156 for 2 in 22 overs, were bowled out for 202. Quiz him about the spectacle and he shrugs it off as “one of those fluke things that happen on a cricket field”. He followed it up with his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs, snaring 5 for 44, to hand West Indies a comfortable seven-wicket win over Canada.
“We needed something spectacular to stop Davidson, we didn’t expect it would come from a catch though,” he says. “A fluke catch where I’d misjudged the ball as it travelled very fast due to the altitude, and fortunately when I did see the ball going past me, I just stuck to the basics, kept my eye on the ball, stuck my hand out and the rest is history.”
Using his height to good effect, Drakes troubled the batsmen with accuracy and subtle movement. In six matches at the World Cup, he picked up 16 wickets at an average of 13 and economy rate of 4.01.
With four first-class centuries to his name, Drakes was also a hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who played 12 Tests from 2002 to 2004. But his most important Test innings came during the record chase of 418 in the fourth Test against Australia in Antigua. Unbeaten on 27, Drakes stitched a patient 46 for the eighth wicket with Omari Banks to pull off a sensational win.
Even now, almost 13 years later, there is a glint in his eyes as he recalls that day. “Brian Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan had all batted superbly to set the tone in the second innings. As one of the oldest guys in the side, it was only fitting that I make some contribution as I hadn’t done any justice with the ball in that match.
“It was the Aussies, we certainly didn’t want to be whitewashed, so I’d mentally prepared myself and even visualised that I’d be knocking off the winnings runs. It was the power of my thinking and belief.”
As he wound up his international career, Drakes harboured talent at various levels, and was appointed as coach of United Arab Emirates in 2008. By then, his two teenaged sons, Dominic and Joshua, took a liking for the game and Drakes felt the need to prioritise.
Back home, he started coaching various regional sides in Barbados before shouldering the twin responsibilities of the West Indies Under-19 and Women’s team in 2015.
After the triumphant Under-19 World Cup campaign, where he shared coaching responsibilities with Graeme West, Drakes is hopeful that the women’s team would go the distance, having made it to the semifinals in the last three editions of Women’s World T20.
While his own career might not have panned out as expected, Drakes has no regrets whatsoever, and is looking forward to living his dream through the success of his many wards including the 18-year-old Dominic, who like his father is a fast-bowling allrounder.
First Published On Cricinfo.