Wet Indies board chief lauds Chanderpaul for rare landmark

Kingston (Jamaica), May 19 (IANS/CMC) West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron says "character and focus" are the main factors that have driven West Indies middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul to reach the milestone of 300 first class matches.

The 38-year-old achieved the rare feat appearing for Derbyshire against Sussex in the English County championship, reports CMC.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of the WICB and the entire West Indies cricket fraternity, I would like to offer my sincerest congratulations to Shiv on this momentous occasion," said Cameron Saturday.

"His character and focus have helped him to earn this landmark and he should never let those qualities fade away."

Only six men in the history of the game have reached the landmark of 300 first class appearances.

They are Denis Compton, Sachin Tendulkar, Garfield Sobers, Ranjitsinhji, Graeme Hick and Barry Richards.

"He continues to impress us all with his durability and appetite for the game, and we urge him to keep up the good work," said Cameron.

"He is a living, breathing example of determination for any young player and we salute him on reaching another milestone in his illustrious career."

The Guyanese batsman has now scored 22,139 first class runs and has a high-score of 303.

--IANS/CMC

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