Bruce Pairaudeau will turn 83 in April

Hamilton: Bruce Pairaudeau will turn 83 in April but still remembers very clearly that January morning at Trinidad’s Queens Park Oval in 1953.

The Vijay Hazare-led Indian team had put up a good show, scoring 417 in the first innings of the first Test, thanks mainly to Polly Umrigar’s 130.

When a nervous 22-year-old Bruce, making his Test debut, came in to bat, the hosts were 190/4 with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott already back into the pavilion.
Former West Indies cricketer Bruce Pairaudeau

The young bespectacled Bruce had Everton Weekes for company in the middle. The next wicket that fell for the hosts was at 409.

Weekes made 209 and a new star was born in debutant centurion Bruce Pairaudeau.

“A 100 in my first Test was very special. It was a tough situation for me to come and bat at that moment. Weeksy (Weekes) had already got a 100 when I arrived at crease. We had a 200-odd-run partnership, he got another 100 (double ton) and I also got to the three-figure mark. Mind you, the Indian team was very, very strong."

“Besides (Vijay) Hazare, they had (Vinoo) Mankad, (Madhav) Apte, (Gulabrai) Ramchand, (Polly) Umrigar and (Dattu) Phadkar. But, believe me, the most brilliant player in that team was (Subash) Gupte. He was an exceptional leg spinner. I think he finished with over 150 wickets and went back to live in the West Indies. But, he bowled superb leg spinners, googlies and skidders. None of us could pick him for start but gradually learnt to handle him. Along with Mankad, they formed a deadly pair,” said Bruce in an exclusive chat with MAIL TODAY in Hamilton.

Bruce has been in New Zealand since November 1958, living in Hamilton right through. He toured here with the West Indies team in 1956 and fell in love with the country.

It was a cricket career short-lived though.

After the memorable 115 against India, Bruce went on to play just 12 more Tests for the West Indies.

His batting average of just over 21 meant that he would’ve never fitted in the team having the famous trio of 3Ws. “In my 13- Test career, I batted with Clyde Walcott, had a 200-odd run partnership with Weekes and 99 with Worrell. Sobers batted with me as well. Four of our teammates were knighted — the three Ws and Sir Garfield Sobers. I had most enjoyable time touring around with West Indies. Unfortunately, I could never go to India as I was dropped from the team by then.”