Mervin Richards: the more talented brother? © Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

As astonishing as it may sound, Viv Richards's mother felt that he wasn't the most talented cricketer she'd seen. She reserved that accolade for Mervin, her other son. Mention it to Mervin and he blushes naughtily: "Nah. I was probably more wristy and stylish but Viv was something else."

Mervin didn't play too much cricket; football was his preferred sport. In fact, he's currently the president of the Antigua Football Association. "We played a lot of football. Viv was in defence, me in midfield. Viv had a great leap. He could clear from dangerous positions. He would often come from behind and score. Football lost a great defender in Viv."

Mervin's taller but the resemblance is striking. The eyes widen when when he begins an exciting anecdote; his hand movements accompany his descriptions. "People always get confused. They used to be listening to the radio as I passed by, when Viv was playing in some other country, and say 'hey Viv, we're hearing about you'." He recalls their early one-man games at the Ovals, where they grew up; says their games always ended in fights. "Viv hated to lose, he got that from our old man, Malcolm. Both were very similar you know, born under the same star sign." Viv inherited several qualities from Malcolm. "They were similarly built, naturally powerful men. People talk about Viv's forearms but forget that he never lifted weights."

But what was the secret behind Viv's audacious strokeplay? How did he master that devastating hoick to midwicket? "We used to play in a park where straight shots were not advised. There used to be a fisherman who used to stand behind the bowler's arm and every time you hit it to him he used to cut the ball in half and throw it back. So we needed to hit it to midwicket. And Viv mastered it."

He vividly recalls how Viv mania often enveloped the nation, even during local island games. "In one of his first games for Antigua, Viv was given out by the umpire but the crowd would have none of it. No Viv no match, they say. Viv was called back. He played three innings in the game." He remembers Kelvin Thomas who had a scoreboard outside his grocery shop at the Ovals, listening to the radio and regularly updating Viv's score. "It ensured good business. Everyone went there to see how Viv was getting on."

But of all the things he saw, Mervin picked out a most memorable moment, a moment when he felt goose bumps, when he felt proud to be Viv Richards's brother. It was a Test match at Lord's and Viv was batting on 145. Desmond Haynes was approaching a hundred and Viv was trying to give him a single to take the strike. That was when Viv got an absolute dolly from Peter Willey, the offspinner. Mervin describes it as "a ball which Viv could have hit for six to any part of the ground". Yet, he tried to flick it for a single, just to give Haynes the strike. Shockingly, the ball took the leading edge and lobbed up for the fielder.

"I remember the emotional feeling, I remember trying to hunt him out and give him a pat on the back. Our father Malcolm always wanted Viv to play for records and averages but he never, ever did that. For him, the team came first, everything else later. It was something that made him great, something that made us proud."

If not for a phone call from Ranjib Biswal, the Indian selector who is doubling up as the team manager, Rahul Dravid might have not addressed the press after the game. In what was a blatant lapse, Dravid left with the rest of the team after the game, forgetting his customary meeting with the members of the media. To his credit, though, he made sure he returned, termed it as a "miscommunication" and was pretty apologetic.

'T&T qualifying for the World Cup was like Lara breaking the world record,' says Dwayne Bravo, who had a rocking time in the ODI series against India © Getty Images

The crowds at the Queen's Park Oval haven't been short on the musical front. One of the catchy tunes has been the one toasting the Soca Warriors, the T&T football team that's gearing up to play in their first World Cup.

Cricinfo asked a couple of the Trinidad cricketers to talk about the excitement.

"T&T qualifying for the World Cup was like Lara breaking the world record,” said Dwayne Bravo. “Dwight Yorke may be old but he isn’t finished yet, he is still got a lot of strength and pace in his legs. Obviously, England and Sweden will make the play but we will be dangerous in counterattacks."

Dave Mohammed recalled that when T&T had qualified, by beating Bahrain in the play off, the cricket side were in Australia. "The Trinidad boys - Lara, Bravo, Ganga and me - celebrated with a small party together. Even though we may be playing cricket, we will follow our side closely on the internet and on TV."

	West Indian fans always find something to cheer about © AFP

32nd over of the West Indies innings. Yuvraj Singh to Lara, back of a length delivery outside off, glided to third man delectably. Harbhajan and Raina give chase. As they near the boundary line, a yellow object is hurled from someone in the bottom tier of the Cyril L Duprey stand. Raina is mortified; Harbhajan has a puzzled look. Play is held up for a couple of minutes, Dravid has a word with the umpire and security personnel try and hunt out the culprit.

It was an unfortunate blackmark in a series that's witnessed some outstanding crowd behaviour. Watching cricket in the West Indies is like being amid a giant party and, despite all their banter and sledging, the crowds have shown a deep understanding of the game. Dhoni may not get the cheers he does in India but there's a wave of anticipation whenever he strides out to the crease. Sehwag's clattering at St Kitts was applauded, as were a number of other efforts.

The spirit has been a far cry from what West Indies experienced when they toured India in 2002. The game at Rajkot had to be stopped because of bottles being thrown into the playing area and other games were affected by unruly behaviour as well.

This series has seen sporting crowds in all three venues so far, and the West Indies side have duly acknowledged it by taking a victory lap after their triumphs. One such stray incident usually destroys all the good work. It was the first such. Hopefully it will be the last.

Work in progress: the Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua © Cricinfo Ltd

With direct flights all taken, I had chosen to go from St Kitts to Port-of-Spain via Antigua. With seven hours to kill, there was enough time to drop in at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium, which is being readied for the World Cup next year.

Located in Northsound, around 10 kilometres from the Antigua Recreation Ground, the stadium lies in isolation with large empty spaces surrounding it. With mountains enveloping the ground, though from a fair distance, the top view is more like a giant crater.

Like the new stadium at Trelawny, located in the north coast of Jamaica, what strikes you first is the Chinese influence. Around 300 workers from the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) drive the building project and are complemented by around 100 locals. But why has the project gone to a Chinese company? Superior efficiency and better man-management skills are two points that are usually cited.

Deon Wilson, Ridley Jacobs's brother, is involved with the construction. He feels that November will be a reasonable time to expect the stadium to be completed; he also talks about a school game that they plan to play in July.

The capacity is expected to be around 20,000. The design, in many ways, resembles Warner Park in St Kitts. Two large stands at either end are flanked by large mound spaces on the sides. Bennett King wouldn't mind it – he recently spoke about how "concrete jungles" keep the spectators and the players afar apart and urged the authorities to think of open designs.

Q: Chanderpaul appeared to bat better once he got the runner. Why was that?

A: Ah. We need to trigger him off sometimes. He's probably something like what Gordon Greenidge did around 20 years back. (Limping on one leg, Greenidge hit an awesome 214 not out to storm West Indies to a victory at Lord's in 1984)

Q: Will winning the series in front of your home crowd be similar to T&T qualifying for the football World Cup?

A: Not really. We'll probably reserve that feeling for winning the cricket World Cup next year.

Q: Your impressions of Warner Park …

A: I played here 17 years ago when I had a wonderful time against a guy called [Narendra] Hirwani. But it didn't look like this. It's a great stadium now.

Q: Your reaction to Sachin Tendulkar missing out on this tour …

A: It's disappointing that he's not coming. We are all entertainers. It's a big loss to the Caribbean people, a big loss to viewing public. The likes of Sarwan and Chris Gayle have great respect for him. We [Sachin and Lara] do have matches to play against each other – in the ICC Champions Trophy, maybe in America. We want to win, but we want to win against the best team.

Asafa Powell: gearing up for the 'greatest race' © Cricinfo Ltd

The 100 metres race at the forthcoming IAAF meet at Gateshead in England, just about three weeks away, is arguably the most-hyped athletics event in recent times but Asafa Powell, the Jamaican sprint king, appears completely unfazed.

In a quiet setting in the National Stadium at Kingston, he seems unflappable, going through his paces undisturbed, preparing to take on Justin Gatlin, his arch-rival. Gatlin recently, for a few days at least, broke Asafa's record but now, after a few scientific adjustments, they stand on an equal 9.77 seconds.

When Cricinfo decided to disturb him, just for the sake of the high of speaking to the fastest man in the world, he obliges readily. He knows it's probably "the greatest race that will ever be run" but somehow manages to maintain a humorous countenance.

Asafa wants to win it for his parents, a couple whose life was enveloped by gloom when two of their sons died recently - Michael was shot, Vaughan suffered a cardiac arrest - and Asafa is keen that he wins to keep them happy. Unlike a few of his other countrymen, he didn't choose to shift to the USA, saying he preferred to be close to family. He admits that Gatlin is the physically stronger man, but feels that his speed will win the day.

And, of course, being a Jamaican, despite not having too much of an interest in the game, he can't not talk about cricket. "I used to be a fast bowler till when I was in school but didn't do much after that. I know Courtney Walsh very well and go to his restaurant pretty often. It's a tough game, you know. But very slow." Speed freak that he is, Asafa quickly gets into his Mercedes and shows his mettle, disappearing through the long driveway in what appears like a few milliseconds.

Collie Smith’s tombstone (Click here for a bigger image) © Cricinfo Ltd

The five epithets inscribed on his gravestone tell the story - keen cricketer, unselfish friend, worthy hero, loyal disciple, happy warrior. They all refer to someone who Sir Garfield Sobers felt was a greater allrounder than himself; someone who was the "people's hero" in Jamaica; and someone whose magical spirit was tragically cut short at the tender age of 26. O'Neill Gordon Smith, or Collie to most, will never be forgotten in these parts, especially in the regions around Boys' Town.

When Sobers devotes an entire chapter in his book, Cricket Crusader, to a fellow cricketer, you realise he must have been special. In the chapter titled 'Collie', Sobers wrote: "He had the heart of a giant, an unquenchable ecstasy of spirit, a joyous nature and unmatchable zest for living - and for cricket." The performances show Collie to be special: at 21, in 1954-55, he scored centuries in consecutive games against Australia on his first-class and Test debut respectively; and at 24 he produced a hundred in his first appearance against England, during the course of which he hit a six off Jim Laker which broke the tiles on the ladies' balcony over long-on.

According to a few who saw Collie the "Mighty Mouse", he was a "more than useful" offspinner, modelling himself on Laker; an "exceptional" fielder; and an "awesome batsman", one who attacked with a dash comparable to Sobers. More importantly, he played a carefree brand of cricket - his first scoring shot in England was a six - and always believed that sportsmen needed to entertain. But Collie's most significant achievement was to inspire a whole generation of young West Indians, and make them believe that dreams can be realised.

The area where Collie grew up - in and around Trenchtown - was, and remains, one of the embattled neighbourhoods in Kingston. It's an area that even the locals prefer to avoid considering the rampant levels of violence and corruption. As one enters the area, the desperation is palpable. Shabbily dressed youngsters demand money, saying they haven't had anything to eat in the last few days. Riffraffs threaten, trying to bully you into submission. Luckily, our guide, Lyndel Wright, Collie's youngest brother who grew up in these parts, manages to divert the danger with his firm talking. Wright terms the Boys' Town region as the "Soweto of Jamaica", but recalls the township’s heyday, when it was actually the pride of the country, when it produced heroes like Bob Marley, who played football for the local club, and Collie.

In the 1940s, Hugh Sherlock, the priest who wrote Jamaica's national anthem, decided to start a school, a cricket club and a football club in Boys’ Town, mainly to engage the disenchanted community in some constructive activity. "Without Hugh, we would have all definitely gone astray," says Gladstone Robertson, a contemporary of Collie's and someone who went on to play cricket for Jamaica. "He helped keep us all occupied, helped us realise that dreams can materialise, inspired us by producing a hero like Collie." Collie was the first, and remains the only, Boys’ Town cricketer who went on to play for West Indies. He embodied the good side of Boys’ Town - humility, vitality, persistence - and brought cheer to an embittered society.

The way to Collie Smith drive © Cricinfo Ltd

Tragically all dreams were shattered on September 9, 1959 as Collie, while driving in a car with Sobers and Tom Dewdney, another Jamaican cricketer, was a victim in an accident. Sobers, who was his room-mate and close friend, talks about how deeply it affected him: "In all my innings, and especially in Jamaica where they so loved Collie, I played with him inside me. Trying perhaps to give him the innings that death had denied him. We had some wonderful innings together. They were beginning to call me a great allrounder. Collie was a greater allrounder than I."

Alas, unbefitting as it may sound, the Collie Smith Drive is one of the most dangerous streets in Kingston today. The Boys' Town cricket team, which was once a feeder club for the Jamaican national side, languishes at the bottom of the pile. Taxi drivers refuse to go to to Boys' Town, adding that though they are ashamed, they have no choice. Wright sums it up best: "Boys' Town needs more Hugh Sherlocks, needs more heroes like Collie." He recalls the day around 30,000 people thronged the streets, mourning the death of their famous son. He also recalls the lift that Collie gave to the community, who could walk with their heads held high, aspiring to the greatness that Collie achieved.

In a quiet corner of Maypen Cemetery, the biggest of its kind in the Caribbean, lies Collie's gravestone, a cricketing shrine even today. The sad part is that you're usually advised, for your own safety, to not venture in the region.

Bob Marley's house in Trench Town ©Cricinfo Ltd

Once you enter Trench Town, it doesn't take too long to realise that you're in Bob Marley territory. The walls have caricatures of Marley and bright screaming headlines concerning the Wailers. In a lane opposite Boys' Town cricket and football club, is arguably one of Jamaica's most famous houses – the one where Marley lived.

There's a flag of Jamaica outside, music blaring from a speaker, and a couple of men, decorated with Rastafarian braids, smoking. We're not allowed inside the house but take a tour of the backyard. There's Marley's van, now in a dilapidated state, on the verge of collapse; there's Marley's statue, a medium-sized structure erected from plaster of Paris, with a guitar in his hand and a football at his feet. On the plinth, are drawings of Haile Selassie I, the Ethopian emperor who was a strong advocate of Rastafarianism, and Marcus Garvey, one of the pioneers of black emancipation in these parts. Hens cackle at Marley's feet; the music in the background gets louder.

Marley played football for Boys' Town and some of his contemporaries remember him as a talented player who could play anywhere. In a run-down region facing rampant poverty he was a beacon of inspiration, urging young men and women to dare to dream. Today, Trench Town is the hotbed of violence and corruption. It's difficult to get to the place without being approached for money, without being bullied. Heroes like Marley and Collie Smith, the talented allrounder who tragically died at the age of 26, remain fresh in memory but the mention of Boys' Town is always accompanied by a regretful sigh. It was once the pride of the country; now it's better to stay far away.

It's raining on the eve of the match and the Indian batsmen are forced into a makeshift indoor arrangement. It's interesting to observe how they practice mastering their catching, with a pseudo hand table-tennis kind of game.

Two tables, one smaller than the other, are placed one next to the other. One player underarms it on the table and the other is supposed to catch it clean - no fumbling, no use of body, no juggling. He also can't catch it with his hands in the table area. Each fumble or drop costs a point. The first to five loses. Sehwag joyfully registers victory after victory, in a winner stays format, before Yuvraj ends his reign.

Yuvraj stays on to eventually beat all but there's one hurdle even he can't clear. Chappell arrives right at the end and upstages him 5-4 in the most thrilling event of the day. Frazer says Chappell can play this game all day and recalls a tour of the USA when Chappell went undefeated. Playing a similar sort of game called twisty-twosty, BJT Bosanquet invented the googly. Watch this space for further developments.

Fans watch the champs league final at Kingston club © Cricinfo Ltd

It's all happening at the Kingston Cricket Club at Sabina Park. Nothing to do with cricket, but a small matter of around 40 fans watching Arsenal take on Barcelona in the Champions League final. Support is divided. Raucous noise threatens to shatter a few glass bottles in the bar. The referee, being an easy target to vent spleen, dies a thousand deaths. Either way he is doomed – the abuses are guaranteed.

Arsenal lose one man. Mayhem. Arsenal score. Mayhem. Soon after half-time, the bar manager realises that people are more interested in the football than in his beer. He promptly switches off the television. Says there's construction work to be completed ahead of the India-West Indies cricket match.

The television outside is working on a tube that's on its last legs. Pictures are hazy, footballers are smudged colours on the screen, and the scoreline is illegible. Barcelona score. The roof quivers. Barcelona score again. The entire stadium reverberates. Barcelona win. Song and dance. Barcelona fans want all the beer in the world. Arsenal fans begin hunting for the manager.

Charlie shows the Lawrence Rowe grip © Cricinfo Ltd

Joseph Charles Morris, or simply Charlie, is integral to Sabina Park. Way back in 1959, he came to the ground as a volunteer ball boy. Soon he was part of the groundstaff, earning a royal sum of five shillings a week. Thirteen years later, he was elevated to the post of curator. Where there's Charlie, there's a story. He has the memory of an elephant and the cheekiness of a squirrel.

In 1972 both Charlie and Lawrence Rowe made their Test debuts, one with a roller and the other with a bat. Charlie did his bit by giving the local hero a belter; Rowe responded by smacking 214 and 100 not out. Charlie remembers the knock, tells you how Rowe's grip was one of a kind, tells you that there was no batsman more beautiful to watch, repeats that there was no batsman more beautiful to watch. "He whistle when he cover-drove maan, we soon whistle with him."

Charlie gained fame for the sheen he managed on first-day pitches, almost producing a mirror finish. He takes me for a walk around Sabina Park. He shows the dressing-room where Bishan Bedi waved his white flag in 1976, declaring to avoid the risk of hostile fast bowling; points out where ML Jaisimha usually fielded ("He got style, great style"); marks out Michael Holding's run-up; takes me to the mound area, imitates the kind of jigs they usually perform, and continues talking.

Charlie is possessive of his pitches, and sometimes gives the impression that the result of the game is all in his hands. "I won Jamaica the Shell Shield [by preparing a pitch suitable for the home side] in the early 1980s. I have a great record for West Indies." When asked if it will rain tomorrow, he laughs and says, "All your fault maan. You brought the rain with ya. I will punish you by telling more stories."

	A smiling slow death © Cricinfo

The setting for the Indians’ opening fixture of the West Indian tour was in stark contrast to what they experienced in Pakistan, on their previous overseas tour, five months ago. In January this year, they kicked off their campaign against Pakistan A at Bagh-e-Jinnah, a pastoral setting in Lahore, in extremely chilly conditions.

Security concerns prompted the authorities to disallow the fans into the arena and eager spectators watched from beyond the pickets. It was more like watching an exhibition match with the mute button turned on.

Jarrett Park was quite the opposite. Around 4000 enthusiasts packed the picturesque football stadium – the last international side to play here was England, back in 1998 - and created a carnival atmosphere. A commentator kept them updated with the goings-on and triggered several moments of mirth with his jocular style.

As the Jamaica XI were staring at a big defeat, he chuckled: "The next batsman is Tamar Lambert. All we can do is wish him luck". More significant was the previous announcement: "We request all of you to use plastic cups while sharing alcohol. We do not encourage glass items inside the ground." One can imagine the kind of uproar such an announcement might have elicited five months back in Pakistan considering, leave alone grounds, alcohol isn’t even allowed inside the country.

Somewhere around the halfway stage of the game, Montego Bay’s most famous son makes an appearance. Steve Bucknor – footballer, cricketer, football referee, cricket umpire, "slow death" et al – is the most recognisable figure in these parts. He waves to the crowd graciously; some respond by raising the index finger. He chats with his friends at Jarrett Park, feels Ricky Ponting will break every record in the book, and raves about the magical qualities of Warne, Murali and Harbhajan. One of the local umpires tells us the secret behind Bucknor: "He always cool maan, he good because he cool." Later in the night, Bucknor duly proves him wrong by losing his temper in a traffic jam while driving back to Kingston.

Baldhead bowls, the new dread bats © Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

No sooner had the Indians recovered from the jet-lag, than they unleashed their latest fashion statement - Baldheads Unlimited. Sreesanth set things rolling even before leaving India, and it didn't take too long for Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina to catch on.

Sreesanth, it is learnt, shaved his head for religious reasons but Pathan and Raina joined the when-in-Windies-do-as-the-locals-do brigade couple of days after landing.

Rockstar MSD (Dhoni to some) had showed early signs of this revolution a few weeks back, when he chopped off his bobbing mane and cited 'tremendous heat and humidity in the Caribbean' to be the main reason. "But I will let it grow now," he revealed, "and by the end of the tour, it should be back to its earlier splendour."

Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson once started a band called 'New Dread and the Baldhead'. This Indian side is reversing the concept a bit: Baldheads - the new dreads.

The Melbourne Cricket Club © Cricinfo Ltd

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Kingston, at the end of Courtney Walsh Drive, is the Melbourne Cricket Club. Founded way back in 1892, the club boasts a glittering array of alumni, serving as a feeder for Jamaica's state team. Arthur Barrett and Sam Morgan led the way; Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh, who is the current president, have ends named after them; Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh jr carry on the tradition.

Like Sabina Park, it has a bar near the pavilion, with photographs of famous teams decorating the walls. The dressing room is quaint – with wooden benches arranged in a classroom-like setting and shelves on one wall that act as kit-bag enclosures. One of the shelves has a rusty label that says C Walsh. He’s all over town this fella – in his bar Cuddyz in New Kingston, in his sports shop in Courtney Walsh boulevard, in Sabina Park ...

The roll of honour for twin centurions at the Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingston © Cricinfo Ltd

Unusually, especially for a club ground, it has sponsors' labels on the boundary walls. Even more unusually, just like in Sabina Park, the roof railings have a list of all batsmen who have scored centuries in both innings of a Test. Lawrence Rowe, a local hero, figures there; as does Sunil Gavaskar, whose legend still lives on here. But it’s a queer statistic for public consumption. List of hundreds and five-wicket hauls is one thing; list of twin-centuries quite another. Imagine the odds of finding the name Wajahatullah Wasti on the roof of a small cricket club called Melbourne based in Kingston!

The scene outside the Norman Manley Airport in Kingston © Cricinfo

Long flight journeys and slow-moving immigration queues can get tedious. I was half asleep while exchanging my currency at Heathrow airport, almost mistaking a five hundred dollar note for a fifty. Despite wanting to enjoy the country side, and despite Dire Straits blaring into my ears, I ended up snoozing on the bus to Gatwick.

But sometime before noon, with my watch still showing Mumbai time and with my thoughts focused firmly on sleep, I entered a quite exotic world. It was something I had only seen on television and read about. I had just checked into the British Airways flight to Kingston.

As I settled to wait in the corner of the departure lounge, there was someone humming Bob Marley’s No Woman, no cry, several young men with the characteristic Rastafarian braided hair, little kids with curled mops, as if intentionally burnt. There was a Jamaican businessman “traveling to see the cricket; to see Lara’s boys whip ye guyz”. There was a buzz around, people conversing in patois, an almost broken English, joking, singing. Suddenly, all sleep disappeared. It was time to get up, stand up.

Next to me on the flight was Glenn, a Jamaican who is now settled in London. Seeing me holding a copy of Another bloody tour, Frances Edmonds’ wonderful book on the 1986 England-West Indies series, Glenn’s eyes lit up. “I saw that series maan. Couldn’t afford tickets but got a job as a guard at Sabina Park. Our Patrick Patterson and our Mikey Holding were too good for them.” Glenn calls himself a Sabina Park faithful and spells out his four main interests in life - rum, coffee, Bob Marley and cricket (and adds that the order regularly varies).

He chats and he chats – on topics that range from offbeat Chinese cinema to Surinamese cuisine (neither of which I have any idea about) and after around nine hours, his tone suddenly rises as he looks out of the window and sees the flight descending. “Here we are – New Kingston is over there, the new highway is there, Gun Boat beach, Kingston Wharf …” Glenn can’t contain his excitement. As can’t the rest, who all let out a joyous applause once the flight touches down on the runway that parts the Caribbean sea, with the glittering waters on either side.

Kingston is beautiful, it’s apparently also dangerous. As we drive from the airport to New Kingston, with the mountain range overlooking the sea on one side and a pastoral countryside on the other, our local escort, who is an Indian working here, briefs us about the city. “Crime is rampant - don’t go out late - but most people are very friendly. Taxis may fleece you but there is not much of an option. It’s a very hospitable country but restrict yourselves to a few areas.”

The streets are pretty deserted after the sun falls. But a group of Jamaicans sitting together indoors comes with a certain joi de vivre. The musical intonations in patois, the cackling laughter, the Appleton rum, the stories, the stories the stories. I called up Glenn to say that all was fine with my hotel and that I was off for an early night. “There are no early nights in Jamaica maan. You wastin’ your time sleepin’"