Former Guyanese cricketer Basil Butcher dies

Former Guyanese cricketer Basil Butcher died on Monday at his Florida, United States home following a prolonged period of illness. The 86-year-old was also a Test batsman for the West Indies.

His son, Basil Butcher Jr took to social media on Monday evening to announce his father’s death.
“With a heavy heart I announce our Dad, Husband, Brother, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and former Guyana and West Indies batting star Basil Butcher Sr passed earlier this evening in Florida after a long illness,” Butcher Jr wrote.
Butcher was born on September 3, 1933 at Port Mourant, Berbice. His father was a Barbadian, who migrated to British Guiana, and his mother a Guyanese.

Guyana-cricket.com, which published the biography of Butcher, stated that he attended the St Joseph Anglican and Corentyne High School. According to his biography after leaving Corentyne High School, Butcher joined the Port Mourant Sports Club. Early in 1955, Butcher made 0 and 9 on his debut for Guyana against Barbados in Barbados, followed by scores of 34 and 62 against the same opponents. His biography states that in 1956, in the Quadrangular Cricket Tournament at Bourda, Butcher excelled with an unbeaten 154 against Jamaica, but could only muster four runs in the other match against Barbados. British Guiana, however, won the Quadrangular Tournament and the Guiana players could now truly dream of playing for the West Indies. At Trent Bridge in 1966, West Indies were 65 for two, still 25 runs behind England’s first innings total, when Butcher joined his fellow Berbician, Rohan Kanhai. Two and a half hours later, the score had been advanced by 73, England’s rosy prospects of victory had faded and the Sunday sports pages were filled with sarcastic obituaries on the death of calypso cricket. Butcher went on to the highest innings of his career; he shared in three successive century partnerships, reached 209 not out (24 fours) and effectively won a match that seemed lost when he faced his first ball seven and a half hours earlier. (More details in our Wednesday, December 17, 2019 edition)