Old-horse Shivnarine Chanderpaul makes Surrey Toil

West Indian left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul has still got it in his arsenal after his excellent display with the bat for the Lancashire. A flick off the front pad in Mark Footitt’s over was enough to ensure that the West Indian raced to his 74th first-class hundred. It was an amazing display of batsmanship from the West Indian, although it was mundane for the batsman. It was just another day at the office for the left-handed batsman, who raised his bat to acknowledge the warm applause that he got at The Oval.

For the left-hander it nothing more than an ordinary feat as the West Indian never actually paid heed to the records. Chanderpaul’s unusual stance pointing towards the midwicket is not a rare sight for the Cricket fans, as he has done it time and time in his career. At the age of 42, Chanderpaul is believed to the oldest playing cricketer in England’s domestic competition and in no way does the West Indian looks 42-year-old especially with the form in which he is playing.

Chanderpaul’s trademark shots were on display in the 8-hour long marathon-like innings at the Oval. It was only after reaching the landmark 100 runs, did the left-hander began to show the other side of his game- The aggressive batsman that we have witnessed during his 69-ball century against Australia.

He put Lancashire in an impregnable position with his 182 runs from 328 balls, having his work done a long time ago.

“I’ve loved playing cricket and the passion for it is still there,” Chanderpaul said. “Always when you come into a new environment you want to show the guys that you’re here to contribute. They look up to you, as the senior player, to go out there and put your head down and hold things together.”

It remains astonishing to see the left-hander still perform at the top level with such impeccable innings on such a deck was just on a different level altogether. Chanderpaul is ageless, just like they say in the domestic arena of English cricket.