New Yorkers Inducted Into Cricket Hall Of Fame

By John L. Aaron
The Cricket Hall of Fame located in Hartford, Connecticut and established in 1981, recently added six new members to its roster, during a beautiful dinner held at the Downtown Hartford Marriott hotel. (Gallery)

Joining a veritable list of who’s who of cricket of the past eighty years and inducted by the Hall of Fame, were New Yorkers Kuldeap Prasad an energetic cricket organizer and former member of the Board of Directors of the United States of America Cricket Association, and chairman of the popular Ed Ahmad New York Caribbean Cricket Cup. Inducted for his untiring efforts at organizing and promoting the game of cricket in the United States, Prasad was accompanied by his immediate family and several friends and supporters.

Krish Prasad also received commemorative acknowledgement plaques from the Nassau County Executive, as well as other local politicians fromm the New York area where he resides.

Also inducted, was Hammy Reid one of the longest serving Umpires in the New York metropolitan area, and an ICC sanctioned umpire. The very likable umpire was accompanied by his family, friends and a contingent of some fourteen New York umpires, all decked out in white dinner blazers. Reid, a former wicketkeeper in the United Kingdom and New York, has been instrumental in conducting Umpire training seminars on the east coast of the United States. Hammy Reid also received acknowledgment plaques and commemorative memorabilia from the United States Cricket Umpires Association, as well as his family.

The two international cricketers inducted were Mushtaq Mohammad and Chetan Chauhan, two of the world’s finest cricketers who played for Pakistan and India respectively.

Chetan Chauhan, is a former Indian opening Test batsman who often partnered with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The pair is revered as the most successful Indian Test opening pair, ever. Mushtaq Mohammad, with a Test career spanning some thirty years, comes from a family of cricketers and is credited with scoring more first-class centuries than his Test-playing siblings. The former Pakistani Test player was the youngest ever Test player to score a century.

Mushtaq Mohammad, in his acceptance remarks quipped that when he first heard that he was being considered for the Hall of Fame, he queried who in Connecticut knew of him. He has since had a chance to experience the love and admiration with which he is still considered by many in the tri-state area of Connecticut. Along with his Indian counterpart Chetan Chauhan, the former Test scoring phenom commenting on the evolution of the Twenty20 format of the game, remarked that it was based on commercialism, but paves the way for a wider acceptance and support for the game of cricket. Mohammad said that although he is not a fan of the now very popular Twenty20 format, he understands the dynamics that created such an appetite for the shorter format.

Chetan Chauhan, said “Cricketers have become commodities and it’s changing the face of the game.” The former Indian Test opener, said that today’s society was demanding so many things fast, that we should not have been surprised by the advent of the Twenty20 format. He remarked, “…we have fast cars, fast planes, fast food, and now the demand is for fast cricket matches.”

Both of the former Test players expressed their appreciation of the Cricket Hall of Fame and their induction, although they lamented the fact that they both missed the exciting World Twenty20 final between their two countries in South Africa.

In addition, the Cricket Hall of Fame acknowledged the contributions of Dr. Basil K. Bryan, Jamaica’s Consul General to the United Nations for the past nine years. The Jamaican diplomat applauded the Cricket Hall of Fame for its recent humanitarian effort in donating thousands of surgical gloves to Jamaica, for use in the treatment of patients with HIV/Aids. The outgoing Consul General said, “Work hard for the success of the city in which you live, so that you can be successful to help the land from which you came.” The very affable diplomat concluded with the lyrics from the popular song – If I only had time.

Isaac Pennycooke, with an outstanding first-class cricketing career in his native Jamaica, as well as England and Canada, was inducted for his outstanding contribution to the sport in Canada. Pennycooke was a well respected pace bowler, representing Rolls Royce Cricket Club in Canada, for thirty-five years. Now retired from first-class cricket, Pennycooke is a qualified umpire in the Quebec Cricket Federation in Canada, continuing to serve the game he loves so much.

During an evening of endless felicitations and acknowledgements for those being inducted, as well as others who have been supportive of the Hall of Fame, in one way or another, some 300 plus attendees applauded the efforts of the organizers of the Cricket Hall of Fame. With live performances by a male and female singer, accompanied by a live DJ and some fine food served, the evening wrapped up with dancing by those who were patient enough to stay the course, following the awards ceremony.

All of the inductees received Hall of Fame plaques commemorating their induction, as well as signature rings inscribed with the insignia of the organization and the year of induction. The Governor of Connecticut and the Mayor of Hartford had proclamations presented to each recipient, marking the day as Hall of Fame Day in the State of Connecticut and City of Hartford, respectively.
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