Although he was an accomplished batsman who marked his 1st Class debut in 1955 with a century in each innings, Nariman Jamshedji “Nari” Contractor will always be remembered as the batsman who was on the receiving end of a fierce Charlie Griffith delivery in 1962 that nearly killed him. The affable Indian opener was in a coma for several days after the incident, and a big part of his recovery was the blood donated by fellow cricketers as he bravely fought for his life in those early days. The spirit of cricket was much to the fore when the top Barbadian surgeon operating on Contractor made the call for donors, and not surprisingly the first man to answer the call was West Indies captain Frank Worrell. The accident shocked the cricket world and eventually led to cricket helmets coming into the game. Looking back this may seem a minor technological advancement, but it was a small step on a road that has eventually taken us to the stage when highly sophisticated technology appears likely to change the game forever. How ironic then, that Nari Contractor should return to the scene of his demise and deliver the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture at the University of the West Indies in Barbados, and amongst those in attendance was the once fearsome Charlie Griffith. Perhaps even more ironic was the fact that Nari Contractor chose the subject of technology in cricket as his theme, and what an enlightening debate it aroused.
The annual lectures in memory of Sir Frank Worrell have involved some of the leading cricket personalities in the game, and their existence pays homage to a great visionary in West Indiescricket whose life was prematurely taken by leukaemia. Sir Frank was the first black West Indies captain and is recognized as the progressive leader who brought racial equality into Caribbean cricket, and who was surely destined to play a huge part in West Indies politics had he survived. He played for the West Indies againstIreland atCollege Parkin 1957 and was one of Frank Fee’s four wickets that also included the great Garry Sobers. The annual lectures highlight topical cricket issues, but their publicity also highlights a more humane appeal, namely an annual blood drive as several units have been set up in the West Indiesand Nari’s home state in West Bengal in his memory.
Mention of Nari Contractor’s brush with death will also bring back memories of the late great Raman Lamba, who graced Ulster and Indian cricket with such panache until he was tragically struck on the head by a ball in Bangladesh in 1998. Unlike the former North Down favourite, Nari Contractor survived to tell the tale, but there’s no a shade of bitterness in his charming personality.
A large cricket and literary gathering attended the lecture including former cricket legends Wes Hall, Gordon Greenidge, Robin Bynoe, and of course the inimitable Charlie Griffith himself. Nari dealt with all the major technological changes in the modern game in a structured and informative manner, and overall welcomed the changes. He is very keen to see Hawkeye and the Hot-Spot technology utilized much more, but he feels the player’s referral system is against the spirit of the game. His reasoning may seem antiquated but nothing could be further from the truth as Nari embraces technology with a passion. He simply feels the spirit of cricket is embodied in the concept that the umpire’s decision is final, and when players are allowed to challenge the umpire’s authority then, the integrity of the game will ultimately suffer. He regards human errors as inevitable and over the course of a lifetime they all level out.
It was a lively topic that was taken up by many leading cricket personalities in the Question and Answer session that followed the lecture. After all, two West Indian batsmen were given out in the first test of the current series at Sabina Park, but re-instated on referral. Both went on to score centuries, and theWest Indies not only won the match, but also the series on the back of that solitary win.
Nari Contractor was a refreshing voice from the past and at 75 years old he hasn’t lost any enthusiasm for the sport that nearly claimed his life. And perhaps the spirit of cricket was best shown when he joined the much-mellowed Charlie Griffith for a photograph to mark the occasion.
It was a fitting finale to a night of nostalgia.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
