Cricket: In for the long haul - Chanderpaul closes on Lara total

Chanderpaul began his test career in 1994. Photo / Getty Images

For more than 20 years, Shivnarine Chanderpaul's routine has become as familiar as any in world cricket.

The little lefthander with the black strips under each eye crawls out to the wicket, lifts a bail and bangs it into his crease to take guard, surveys the field setting and hunches over his bat before going about his work.

Increasingly his has become the most distinctive stance in international cricket, now virtually face on to the bowler.

He turned 40 last month but in a West Indies side still trying to find its way back to being consistently competitive, remains essential to the welfare of its batting operation.

He's just struck his 30th test hundred as part of an 84 not out/101 not out double in the second test win over Bangladesh in St Lucia this week. In the series he was not dismissed, racking up 270 runs in three innings. He's back up to third in the test batting rankings.

A few years back, someone with intimate knowledge of West Indian cricket was asked what chance Chanderpaul had of overtaking Brian Lara as the alltime top test runmaker for the conglomerate nation.

"He could - if he plays to 47," came the dismissive reply.

Chanderpaul, the ugly duckling to Lara's dazzling prince, now sits 269 runs shy of the Trinidadian legend.

You wouldn't cross the street to watch the Guyanese lefthander if you wanted to see elegant, stroke-laden batting. But few batsmen have put such a high price on their wicket.

"He has a great ability to block out what goes on around him, whether the score is 20 for four or whatever when he comes in," former test teammate, and now television commentator, Ian Bishop, said of Chanderpaul.

"He has an immense ability to put the blinkers on and just play what he sees, and that can't be said for every batsman."

Chanderpaul marked his debut, on his home Bourda ground in Georgetown, with 62 against England in March 1994.

Jim Bolger was halfway through his time as Prime Minister; Ace of Base, Boys 2 Men, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey were the pop chart toppers that year; South Africa had just held its first free election; and Johan le Roux chomped Sean Fitzpatrick's ear at Athletic Park.

Teams of players have come and gone but the the little man has simply ground his own path to fame.

His 18-year-old son Tagenarine - left-hand bat, legspinner, sound familiar? - has played 11 youth internationals for the West Indies.

There's long been a whisper Dad wants to stick around long enough to play a test with his son. That's some way off, even assuming the boy does eventually make the leap.

But if you're the West Indian selectors do you put a line in the sand and say "time to move on", or roll with the man who began his test career alongside Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Lara, Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson?

Bishop's opinion is unequivocal. "The desire is still there, and he's a fierce competitor."

Cricket's top runmakers

Sachin Tendulkar (India)
200 tests, 15921 runs at 53.78, 51 100s, 68 50s
Ricky Ponting (Australia)
168, 13378, 51.85, 41/62
Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
166, 13289, 55.37, 45/58
Rahul Dravid (India)
164, 13288, 52.31, 36/63
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
128, 11988, 58.76, 37/51
Brian Lara (West Indies)
131, 11953, 52.88, 34/48
Mahela Jayawardene (SL)
149, 11814, 49.84, 34/50
Shiv Chanderpaul (West Indies)
158, 11684, 53.10, 30/65