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Our passion fills the world like a raging fire as the sun shies you know we can take it higher let every voice be raised /Everybody give praise, Rally, rally 'round the West Indies, now and forever, Rally rally 'round the West Indies, now and forever. It could not have happened at a better time.

It was appropriate that the West Indies Cricket Anthem was launched on Monday night (March 1) just before the Selectors named the team to do battle against Australia in the First 1999 Cable and Wireless Test.

Almost every cricket fan would agree that the West Indies team has suffered their worst defeat in South Africa and with Australia on our doorstep the team would be looking forward to greatly improved performances. While the anthem can't do the job, it can certainly inspire everyone to rise to the challenges ahead.

While the controversies rage as they always do, about who was picked and who was not, by now the anthem should have been played at a match for the first time at the Queen's Park Oval during the First Cable and Wireless Test. And it is to be hoped that the West Indies team, administrators, media and fans are united behind its message of perseverance in pursuit of achievement for ``this Caribbean nation''.

In fact, the bard is bold as he speaks of ``This Caribbean nation''. But for the five days of this Test , we certainly are one, hopefully in our own eyes and if not, surely in the eyes of the world.

Rudder's poetry paints vivid pictures in just a few words. For example, ``Our passion fills the world like a raging fire'' brings clearly to mind the impact that the West Indian passion for cricket has had on the sport throughout the world. We need to ensure that this passion burns bright in every player who wears our colours over the next two months of the Aussie tour and beyond.

Rudder also gives reassurance that we can reach for higher goals with the lyrics ``As the sun shines we can take it higher'' showing confidence that we can reach higher levels of achievement. Clearly such confidence is needed now as we take on the best team in the world.

This icon of the best traditions of Caribbean music also invokes the glorious past with his reference to ``Through our flannelled knights, flashing their willow and leather, these keepers of the flame, must feel our undying love''. In this regard, the WICB would certainly like the young players to emulate the greats of the past who took ``Our Game'' to such great heights, even against the Australians of generations past.

Consequently, on Monday night the WICB launched a music video of the West Indies Cricket Anthem which paid glowing tribute to our great players and achievements of years gone by.

The unparalelled success of these cricketers has meant more than winning a game. It has been a source of national pride that inspired success of West Indians in other fields of endeavour. It is probably this historical reality that has placed cricket in a class of its own in our West Indian psyche.

The launch of the West Indies Cricket Anthem is the culmination of a process begun almost two years ago and it will be played at the start of official WICB events and persons attending will be asked to stand as they would for a national anthem. While this anthem fills the void left by the absence of a Caribbean national anthem, it also provides a powerful rallying call for cricket.

David Rudder's adaptation of ``Rally 'Round the West Indies'' was an almost natural choice because it has been an unofficial anthem for West Indies cricket fans for many years. Indeed, some fans have asked why the original song was changed. This was necessary to make the lyrics timeless and the tempo had to be changed to make it into an anthem that could be played alongside national anthems.

The music video produced by the WICB will be distributed to regional TV stations and CD's will be sent to radio stations. David Rudder has produced several versions of the anthem that can be used in varying situations and the WICB thanks him for his generous donation of his time and talent to West Indies cricket.

It is to be hoped that our team will be inspired by this anthem as we take on Australia. Maybe the media, and the fans too will now wish to put the negatives of the past behind and help our team forge ahead to a brighter future.

Questions and comments to Across The Board can be sent to the:

West Indies Cricket Board,
St. John's Wood, Antigua

E-Mail: WICB@candw.ag
Fax: (268) 460-5452 or

Saunders-Franklyn Associates Inc.,
Suite No. 4, Wildey Shopping Plaza,
St. Michael

E-Mail: saunders@caribsurf.com
Fax: (246) 437-5593.