A smile is what is often needed,
In a world where complicatedness can take over simplicity
It’s something that often happens in the great game of Cricket,
Yeah one that is nowadays allowing more involvement of technology
Not that human intervention is lacking,
But it seems where there’s genuine dearth, then it is of compassion
Talents.. there are north of thousand
But not every one brings to life a sense of frankness or sincerity,
Just like not everyone manages to retain that smile… little need to look for its meaning in books on philosophy,
In a sport that’s ultimately about numbers,
It’s increasingly rare to find a person behind the personality,
But in that lair of cricketing earth where there’s cool breeze, great vibes, where one doesn’t need to make a loud statement about fanfare,
Where one couldn’t be any bothered by the the might of your wallet, or get aroused by the sound of the dollar, euro or paisa,
There’s a certain Merissa Aguilleira,
She’s a pillar of simplicity, a cricketer whose power is humility,
A person like you and me but actually like few others,
A girl who batted, kept, led and perservred for the West Indies and for every son, mother, father or brother,
…. For whom cricket isn’t just the cacophony of number-crunching,
But a way of life,
A path to find oneself,
Amid the strife of life,
Long before we fans came to even realise that cricket isn’t just this men’s game (alone),
She had already debuted for the West Indies,
Not too long after the mighty Deandra Dottin first smacked a white ball in the game,
Merissa arrived and played, contested with nothing but dignity… a game that’s anything but mundane,
As she turns 35, having left the crease, but not our minds,
Having played, make no mistake, many different parts,
That of 116 catches, 60 stumpings, having also scored no fewer than 2,500 international runs,
The heart goes out to this affectionately-smiling simpleton who brings to life a very simple philosophy,
One she epitomises just as well today as she did back when none among the redoubtable talents like Darren Bravo or Sune Luus, Lizelle Lee or Martin Guptill had even arrived,
That it’s about giving everything to the cause of the team,
… whilst making little space for oneself- for the ‘self’ is but an extension of a unit,
One to which you belong despite facing the ups and downs on the cricket pitch called life,
Keep smiling Merissa: O endurer, trier, doer, and giver of an entire decade of life to this mighty sport,
The captain the team was fortunate to have when few like Nadine George made breakthroughs,
The leader who got everyone together for the future of the West Indies,
The one who contested with a passion not hard to understand
But also one who never made big noises despite creating magic behind the stumps,
So may the many years ahead be replete with sun-kissed happiness O joie-de-vivre of the game for the men, boys, girls and ladies,
And for as long as nicknames and achievements shall lead the way for eyeballs and constantly turning heads,
You’ll always be the smile of the West Indies!
