'The definitive telling of the life of a West Indian hero'
Sir Clive Lloyd
The brilliant all-rounder Frank Worrell had to wait until 1960 to become the first permanent Black captain of the West Indies cricket team, denied for a decade by the elitism, insularity and racism of Caribbean cricket's rulers. When his chance finally came, Worrell transformed a talented but unfocused team into the most exciting side in the world and led his men into unforgettable series against Australia and England.
Worrell was universally admired as one of cricket's great captains when he was knighted in 1964, but three years later, he was dead aged just forty-two.
Not merely an extraordinarily talented and record-breaking sportsman, he served the University of the West Indies after his retirement – along with the cricket team and the political federation, one of the three truly unifying elements across a fractious and diverse region.
This biography, by the author of the acclaimed Fire in Babylon and with a foreword by Sir Clive Lloyd, is the definitive telling of Frank Worrell's life and legacy. It reveals how an upbringing in Barbados, cricketing adventures around the world and a determination not to be cowed by the powers that ran island cricket, shaped a great West Indian cricketer into a great West Indian, who changed the game forever.
Simon Lister is the author of Supercat, the authorised biography of Sir Clive Lloyd, and Fire in Babylon, a West Indian cricket history inspired by Stevan Riley's film. Supercat was shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards. It was 'beautifully written', said the Guardian. Fire in Babylon won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year award. It was also shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. ESPNcricinfo described it as 'a superb work of non-fiction with the emotional power of a novel'.
