Throughout the 1990s and much of the 2000s, West Indies cricket batting was centered around the legendary Brian Lara. While players like Carl Hooper occasionally made their mark, it was Shivnarine Chanderpaul from Guyana who consistently played a supporting role to his more flamboyant teammates. Many perceived Shiv as a gritty player capable only of anchoring innings; however, he occasionally demonstrated his ability to shine brightly. One notable example was his century against Australia on his home turf at Bourda, Georgetown, during the opening day of the first Test in the 2003 Frank Worrell Trophy.
On April 10, 2003, Shivnarine Chanderpaul achieved the third-fastest century in history. Although his aggressive innings currently ranks sixth for Fastest Hundreds (by balls faced) in Test matches, let’s revisit that day when the dominant Australians were unexpectedly overwhelmed by someone they least anticipated.
The anticipation leading up to the series in the Caribbean.
Australia arrived in the Caribbean with another World Cup victory to their name, dominating every team with Ponting leading by example. However, Steve Waugh was still playing Test cricket and serving as captain, so the Aussies were poised to continue their journey as the world’s dominant Test side. Shane Warne was still under suspension, and Glenn McGrath was unavailable for the first two matches of the series due to his wife’s illness. For the home team, Brian Lara returned as captain for a second time, which did not sit well with the people of Guyana since he replaced local hero Carl Hooper, creating animosity among fans at the start of the first Test.
WI batters faced difficulties against the Australian bowlers.
Lara won the toss and chose to bat on a typical Bourda wicket, which had always been quite placid. However, the Australian bowlers were prepared to put in the effort to extract any advantage they could from the flat surface. Their efforts quickly paid off as both Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie dismissed the openers cheaply. Lara, who faced jeers from the crowd, came in next but shrugged off the negativity and soon found his rhythm with some elegant strokes. Unfortunately, his teammates at the other end struggled to remain at the crease, losing their wickets frequently until they found themselves at 47 for 4 when Chanderpaul joined his captain.
Lara left the scene, leaving Chanderpaul to take affairs into his own hands.
Brian Lara quickly scored 26, hitting six boundaries, but the home team’s comeback was hindered when spinner Brad Hogg took two wickets in successive deliveries. Shivnarine Chanderpaul managed to evade the hat-trick ball. He began with confidence, flicking Hogg to score his first run, and shortly after, he sent Bichel’s first delivery of the following over to the boundary for four runs. It was a back foot punch that indicated he was in fine form.
However, just when it seemed that both Lara and Chanderpaul would save the West Indies from disaster, Lara was dismissed after Bichel achieved an lbw ruling against him. This decision felt a bit unfair to Lara, as the ball seemed to be heading over the stumps. The score stood at 53 for five when Ridley Jacobs came out to partner with Chanderpaul.
Impressive performance by Shivnarine Chanderpaul amidst intense pressure.
The Australians may have jumped the gun in their optimism. They were unaware of what awaited them. Lee took Hogg’s place but was met with complete disdain after conceding a four. Meanwhile, Bichel was hit for two consecutive boundaries. He quickly scored 24 runs off just 14 deliveries and appeared to be a serious threat. Waugh reintroduced Hogg, but it made no difference. The ball spun away from him, who sliced it so powerfully that it rebounded a considerable distance after hitting the fence. The astonished crowd gasped, struggling to comprehend what was unfolding before them. Waugh introduced MacGill; the leg-spinner delivered a ball outside the off-stump, prompting Shiv to showcase another shot from his collection — a colossal slog-sweep over mid-wicket that soared into the Bourda stands. That six brought up his fifty off just 37 deliveries, including seven fours and one six.
Shiv stepped up his game to deliver an innings of the highest quality.
The onslaught continued. Hogg was hit for two fierce fours in the following over, and shortly after, Chanderpaul executed another slog-sweep against MacGill for an enormous six — this time over square-leg. The next delivery was pitched on the off-stump; Chanderpaul stepped forward with his right foot and struck it perfectly straight. The timing was impeccable, sending the ball racing to the boundary. MacGill then attempted a short delivery: Chanderpaul knelt on his right knee, deemed it too short for a traditional sweep, and innovatively adjusted his bat to execute a sweep that eluded fine-leg for yet another four.
With both McGill and Hogg appearing bewildered against Chanderpaul, Waugh decided to bring Gillespie back into the attack. He charged in and delivered a short ball that rose sharply, but Chanderpaul was unfazed. He positioned himself well over the ball, which zipped across the ground and crossed the boundary.
A performance that was commanding from beginning to end.
A wide delivery from MacGill was sent racing through extra-cover. Just two balls later, he claimed another wicket, and when MacGill bowled another one outside off-stump, Shivnarine Chanderpaul once again sent it skimming through extra-cover. With his bat raised high, he removed his helmet and kissed the ground in celebration.
Jacobs rushed over to embrace him as the crowd, along with those in the dressing room and even the fielders on the pitch, erupted in cheers: he had reached his hundred off just 69 balls—the third-fastest ever recorded.
The assistance provided by Jacobs was essential. He strained a thigh muscle early in the match while trying an ambitious sweep against Stuart MacGill, and he played nearly all his innings with one leg and significantly restricted movement. Three balls later, Chanderpaul attempted to push Bichel through mid-on but misjudged his shot and slipped; unfortunately, the ball struck his knee.
Asoka de Silva raised his finger for an out decision while fielders gathered around as their legendary player fell to the ground in agony. The physiotherapist quickly attended to him on the pitch as his remarkable innings of 100 runs off 72 balls came to an abrupt conclusion.
A noteworthy performance was squandered.
The West Indies were bowled out for 237 runs, while Australia, propelled by their batsmen Langer (146), Ricky (117), and Adam Gilchrist’s explosive 77, amassed a substantial first innings total of 489, establishing a lead of 252 runs despite Vasbert Drakes’ remarkable five wickets for 93 runs.
In the second innings, although Lara and Ganga put on a good display, the West Indies collapsed from a strong position of 295 for two to finish at just 398 all out, with Gillespie claiming five wickets for only 39 runs. Australia successfully chased down the required target of 147 runs while losing Hayden in the process and secured a series lead of 1-0 by the fourth afternoon.
sketch prepared by S. Rajnikanth
