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``IT came as a shock to us, seeing that we have only one more game here and this is the same squad that will be going to the World Cup,'' said West Indies manager Clive Lloyd.

``It was a great surprise to me,'' declared West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers.

For the past 12 years since he made his international debut, the West Indian public has tried in vain to fathom the mystery that is Carl Llewellyn Hooper.

And yesterday, Sunday April 25, 1999, the enigma of Caribbean cricket caught them out again by announcing his retirement from international cricket.

Overnight, following the WI's four-wicket defeat by Australia in the Sixth Cable and Wireless One-day International, Hooper dropped the bomb on Lloyd.

Not even the most effortless of the many effortless strokes he has played in his career could have left the team more dumbstruck. ``We are very disappointed. To replace someone like Carl Hooper is not easy,'' Lloyd said.

The retirement of Hooper, the 33-year-old veteran of 80 Tests and 182 ODIs, has presented an immediate problem for the West Indies Cricket Board. One week before the team is due to depart for England and the World Cup they must find an eleventh hour replacement.

In an initial press statement on the matter, WICB Chief Executive Officer said that, ``the WICB would have to apply to the International Cricket Council Technical Committee for the World Cup '99 to draft a new player into the squad.''

The release also indicated that Hooper had informed Camacho of his retirement with immediate effect on Saturday night and that confirmation in writing was to be delivered yesterday.

But for the public, news was scant until the WICB statement that was read out over the public address system at lunchtime yesterday. That announcement was met by cheers from many sections of the ground.

It was a strange response, especially from a Kensington Oval crowd that had affectionately dubbed the strokemaker ``King Carl'' and has traditionally been solidly behind him.

But the response reflected the mixed emotion that the enigmatic batsman has always evoked among the cricketing public. It also underlined the decline in his fortunes.

Returning from Australia where he was at the bedside of his ailing son, Carl Llewellyn III, Hooper failed to make any impact in the final two matches of the Test series.

On Saturday, not for the first time this season ``Hoops'' was run out for eight in his last innings for WI. To make matters worse, he made a number of uncharacteristic fumbles in the field. Ironic cheers and jeers hounded him all day.

``He just said he was not enjoying it. And if you're not enjoying your job, then I think yes, he should give it up,'' Lloyd added, ``But I think he's a class allrounder and probably one of the finest batsmen around. I'm sorry he's cut short his career.''

Though surprised by the announcement, former West Indies selector and manager David Holford had sensed that all was not well with ``Hoops.''

``He obviously is not enjoying the game any more. I think you could sense that from watching on. And I suppose yesterday (Saturday) was the last straw was when he was booed.''

``As we all know,'' Holford continued, ``he has not quite performed to expectations. But his performance was pure magic for people who watched him bat.''

But an average of 33.76 in Tests and 35.47 in ODIs testifies to his continuing underachievement.

The statistics notwithstanding, LLoyd would dearly love another chance to solve the enigma of West Indies cricket once more in England.

``It's going to be a bit of a blow. You don't want to lose such a class player at this stage. We were all thinking of this whole squad going to the World Cup. But fellows have realised that they've got to move on.''