CommentsFrank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell
- A great leader
He did not just have a lordly name. On the field too, he was a most majestic cricketer and leader. The first Black to skipper the West Indies in Test cricket, the influential Worrell won nine of his 15 Tests at the helm. He was also the man in-charge during the famous first tied Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1961. Much before Steve Waugh, Worrell preached the creed of attacking batsmanship and his loyal team responded gloriously, winning the hearts and souls of spectators in Australia and England. Knighted in 1964 for his role as one of the finest ambassadors of the game, Sir Frank made 3,860 runs in a 51-Test career. After his retirement in 1964, he went on to become a senator in the parliament of Jamaica. He died aged 43 of leukaemia on March 13, 1967. The Frank Worrell Trophy that is awarded to the winner of the West Indies-Australia Test series has ensured that this great captain and batsman will continue to be celebrated in the years to come. In India, meanwhile, 'Blood Donors Day' is known as the 'Frank Worrell Day' in remembrance of his act of donating blood to Nari Contractor, who was felled by a bouncer from Charlie Griffiths.
