Dubai: From a Calypso song dedicated to him in the West Indies to a stand being named after him in his hometown Mumbai, Sunil Gavaskar has seen it all. However, it’s an entire ground in Louisville, Kentucky — the place Muhammad Ali hails from — which was named after the original ‘Little Master’ of cricket last week.
USA Cricket, the governing body of the game in America, named the quaint venue ‘Sunil Gavaskar Field’ in the legendary batsman’s presence. It is only the third such instance where an entire stadium is named after a cricketer — after Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
The Louisville Cricket Club, which takes part in a 42-team MidWest cricket tournament, has teamed up with Mayor Greg Fischer’s office to create a playing facility at Hays Kennedy Park. “It’s a wonderful honour to have a ground named after you, especially in a country where cricket is not the premier sport,” said Gavaskar, the first man to go past the 10,000-run barrier in Test cricket.
Speaking at the launch, Fischer said he expects the city’s $150,000 investment in bringing up the facility will reap great rewards. “We are an increasingly global community, and cricket is already part of our city’s sporting landscape,” he said. “We hope the investment at Hays Kennedy Park will open the sport to more local participation, and the city to even more global opportunities.”
Looking at a long-term goal, Seve Ghose, Metro Parks and Recreation director, said that Louisville should become a destination for national and even international cricket competitions as there are plans to add a pavilion and practice facilities to the open ground.
Interestingly, 10 per cent of the funding to create the new venue was raised by Louisville Cricket Club’s 50 active playing members. “This is about much more than just creating a purpose-built space for Louisville Cricket Club to play,” he added.
“Cricket is an important part of culture and community life in places like England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and throughout the West Indies,” said Jai Bokey, president of the Louisville Cricket Club.
