Award was extremely big for me

By K.R. Nayar
November 12, 2008

Abu Dhabi: Shivnarine Chanderpaul has shown his calibre in all forms of the game. Although the West Indies have struggled against top teams in recent years, he has stood out as their consistent batsman.

Chanderpaul even went on to bag the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Year award this year.

Though he could not fly to Dubai and receive the trophy during the ICC function, he was delighted to have bagged it. In fact, it was his first visit to the UAE after he won the award.

“It was extremely big for me to have won the ICC Player of the Year award. I consider it as the biggest one that one can achieve as an international cricketer. I will also be proud to have won it as a West Indian. It will guide me from strength to strength,” he told Gulf News after practice at the Shaikh Zayed Cricket stadium.

Asked how tough was it to be at the top and how he handled the pressure of being the best player, Chanderpaul said: “I don’t think too much about being at the top. I just think about what I need to do to keep performing at my best.

“I always go out to the nets and put in all the hard work, and so when I go out into the middle, hopefully things will go my way. With God’s will, hopefully I can keep performing.”

Milestone

Chanderpaul is just 500 short of 8,000 runs in one-day cricket. He has already scored 8,001 runs in Tests. How does it feel to have scored so many runs over the years?

“It will be a special feeling to have scored 8,000 runs in both forms of the game because not many West Indians have or gone past such a mark. It will be good to know that through hard work, I have achieved something.”

Asked what the secret was behind his consistency, Chanderpaul said: “It is nothing but my hard work and every thing is the result of all the hard work I have done in the nets. I make sure I work on my mistakes and strengthen my batting. I believe that if you can correct the mistakes at the nets, hopefully when you walk out into the middle you can perform at your best,” he said

However, Chanderpaul was secretive about the milestone that he was aiming for.

“In the back of my mind I have a figure and I am quietly working towards it. This is something I don’t discuss openly but I keep it always in the back of my mind.”

Chanderpaul enjoys the challenge of playing in UAE. “It has always been nice here as I have been to this part many times and enjoyed playing here. Hopefully, people will come and support us,” he concluded.

Source: Gulfnews