The Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain didn’t host any T20 World Cup matches this yr however served as a coaching base for the groups. Very similar to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is within the coronary heart of Bengaluru, simply off the central MG Street, the Queen’s Park Oval is positioned on Tragarete Street, one of many busiest areas within the area. This venue affords a stroll by means of its museum, which reaffirms its wealthy historical past.
Within the museum, alongside Brian Lara’s signed bats and Ricky Ponting’s autographed bat and helmet from his ultimate Check within the West Indies, there are a lot of different vital artefacts. One small however notable show is especially related given the continued T20 World Cup and considered one of its finalists.
This exhibit commemorates the fiftieth Check match performed at Queen’s Park Oval. The match passed off in 2001, that includes South Africa’s second Check in opposition to the West Indies in Port of Spain. South Africa secured a dramatic victory, bowling out the house aspect for 162 to realize a 69-run triumph, thus taking a one-nil lead within the five-match collection following the opening attract Georgetown, Guyana. This sport was notably notable as Courtney Walsh made historical past by changing into the primary bowler to take 500 Check wickets. Walsh claimed his 499th wicket by dismissing Gary Kirsten, caught behind, after which trapped Jacques Kallis lbw simply two balls later to achieve the milestone. Man-of-the-Match Daryl Cullinan’s spectacular scores of 103 and 73, coupled with the West Indies’ spectacular collapse, shedding 5 wickets for simply 51 runs within the fourth innings, resulted in a win for the Proteas.
Courtney Walsh of the West Indies celebrates with fellow West Indies team-mates his five hundredth Check Wicket after trapping Jacques Kallis lbw for a duck in the course of the 2nd Check performed between South Africa and the West Indies at Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain Trinidad in 2021.
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Courtney Walsh of the West Indies celebrates with fellow West Indies team-mates his five hundredth Check Wicket after trapping Jacques Kallis lbw for a duck in the course of the 2nd Check performed between South Africa and the West Indies at Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain Trinidad in 2021.
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The show consists of three framed bats, every signed by the West Indies workforce, the South African workforce, and Daryl Cullinan. On his Grey-Nicolls match bat, Cullinan wrote: “Congratulations in your fiftieth Check match celebration. All the easiest in all you do, and thanks for the honour!”
Moreover, the exhibit options two match balls utilized by the host and visiting groups, a commemorative medal, the stumps utilized in that Check with Cable & Wi-fi – who sponsored the ICC Cricket World Cup within the Caribbean in 2007 – embossed on it and a pattern of the turf, which the museum curator is fast to level out, was “sluggish and didn’t encourage free strokeplay.”
South Africa would go on to win the five-match Check collection 2-1 and comply with it up with a 5-2 drubbing of the West Indies within the ODIs. Twenty-three years later, one other South African workforce, led by Aiden Markram, is getting ready to attaining one thing outstanding on Caribbean soil. It’s set to face India in its first T20 World Cup ultimate on the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday. “Who is aware of, the bat that hits the profitable runs may simply find yourself right here,” chuckles the museum curator.
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The museum affords one thing for everybody. For followers of a sure classic, whose nostalgia continues to prevail, there’s {a photograph} capturing the tense ultimate moments of the fourth Check in Adelaide from the West Indies tour of Australia in 1960/61. It immortalises MacKay and Kline’s splendid rear-guard motion, with each West Indies fielder crowding across the bat, that denied the visiting workforce a collection lead, with Australia in the end profitable 2-1.
There’s additionally the pristine Chaconia Gold Medal awarded to Queen’s Park in its centenary yr in 1996. In line with the web site of the Workplace of the President of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, the Chaconia medal “could also be awarded to any individual (citizen in addition to non-citizen) who has carried out lengthy and meritorious service to Trinidad and Tobago tending to advertise the nationwide welfare or strengthen the neighborhood spirit.”
There are reserved parking spots for 4 all-time greats – Lara, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, on the floor, which simply go to point out Queen’s Park’s enduring love for the sport and those that play it, previous and current.