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An essential biography of a cricketing great, exploring his achievements as a player, manager and political activist.
This ground-breaking biography of Sir Clyde Walcott explores the extraordinary life and achievements of a man who was both an important activist and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
In the 1950s Walcott was part of the legendary ‘three Ws’ batting triumvirate with Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell that helped give West Indies cricket a new identity distinct from its colonial past. After test cricket he became a prominent administrator and advocate of Black consciousness, managing the great West Indies teams that dominated the sport in the 1980s. A vocal supporter of using cricket to apply pressure to the South African apartheid regime, in 1992 he became chairman of the International Cricket Council – the first Black man in that influential role.
Shining a light on Walcott’s largely ignored part in effecting change through the vehicle of cricket, this book also shows how he contributed to dramatic social transformation in Guyana as cricket and social organiser for the country’s sugar estates from 1954 to 1970, bringing about improvements in the living conditions and self-esteem of plantation workers while promoting the emergence of several world-class cricketers from a previously neglected corner of the Caribbean.
Longlisted for the Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award 2025
‘Peter Mason’s book gives us a timely reminder of the huge impact that Clyde Walcott, who often seems to be the least celebrated of the “three Ws”, had both on and off the field. It is also a fascinating exploration of how the West Indies came to dominate the game for so long at the end of the twentieth century. A wonderfully crisp, concise account of a great West Indian’s contribution to the game.’
Vic Marks, journalist and former England cricketer
‘Authoritative, accessible and insightful. A must-have for anyone interested in this crucial era of the West Indian game, written by an author with a profound understanding of his subject.’
Simon Lister, author of Fire in Babylon: How the West Indies Cricket Team Brought a People to its Feet
'A lucid, accessible and necessary work on a towering personality not only in West Indies cricket but in the sport universally.'
Clem Seecharan, author of Joe Solomon and the Spirit of Port Mourant
‘Peter Mason has written a worthy and essential assessment of one of the most consequential figures in West Indies cricket history.’
Simon Wilde, author of The Tour: The Story of the England Cricket Team Overseas
'Mason paints a rich picture of Walcott’s on-field success.'
Franklin Nelson, TLS
'This book is worthy recognition of a life well-lived and a man of considerable and deserved reputation. Highly recommended.'
Steve Dolman, Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Introduction
1 Early years and first-class cricket
2 West Indies hero
3 India, Enfield and the Hutton tour
4 To British Guiana
5 Reaching a peak - and retirement
6 Steering West Indies to greatness
7 ICC and beyond
8 An assessment
Timeline
Statistics
Notes
Bibliography
Index