Despite being bound by a common history, involving centuries of European colonisation, slavery and then indentureship, unity has proved to be an elusive goal at several levels for the peoples of the former British West Indies.

It therefore seems an almost natural association for two of the most enduring symbols of regional unification – cricket and The University of the West Indies – to be so inextricably intertwined, binding a diverse patchwork of societies scattered across the Caribbean Sea and beyond.

The four-year attempt at a Federation was followed by CARIFTA, CARICOM and now the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, all worthy efforts by visionary political leaders over nearly half-a-century of striving to pull the territories together in a meaningful relationship in a world increasingly defined by alliances and accommodations, all for the sake of achieving strength in greater numbers in an increasingly competitive environment.

Yet while these measures have gone a considerable distance toward building bridges of understanding and cooperation, it is the self-styled “gentleman’s game” and the pursuit of academic excellence that are immediately identified as the most successful attempts at true Caribbean integration.

On the face of it, cricket and academia seem to be meant for each other. Few sports are so cerebral, relying as it does on the mental strength of the competitor, probably even more than physical attributes or technical skills. Even in the modern era of lightning-fast information superhighways and an ever-increasing diet of shorter and shorter versions of the game, the appreciation and love for cricket, especially Test cricket, as the thinking man’s game remains undiminished throughout the West Indies despite the decade-long struggle of the team that remains the focus of such intense passions and emotion, so much so that it is bordering on sacreligious in these parts to dismiss the entire thing as “only a game.”

It is in this context that cricket and UWI appear to take different paths toward the same goal. The sport introduced by the British here as elsewhere in their empire as an affective tool of colonialism has long been embraced by the people of the West Indies and re-branded with its own distinctive identity. It is an identity full of style and flair, excitement and drama, yet still intensely competitive, simmering with fire and brimstone and, at its most dominant, a haughty magnificence.

Compare those qualities with the meticulous quest for excellence in tertiary level education, where emotion, passion and belief are hapless tail-enders in a batting order dominated by reason, logic and enough theories to have even the most accomplished batsman in a spin.

But both serve their primary purpose while at the same time putting a lie to the cynical belief that real integration is impossible in neighbouring territories that are so fiercely protective of their sovereign status and variations in a broadly common culture and historical experience. If nothing else, the experience of cricket and UWI is confirmation that when it comes to their most popular sport and the quest for academic excellence, West Indians are generally prepared to overlook often fractious relationships for the sake of victory or a degree.

As the region prepares to host the 2007 Cricket World Cup, it is fitting that the relationship between UWI and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has never been stronger, with both drawing on the other’s specific areas of expertise to ensure that no effort is spared in making this global event an overwhelming success. The fact that the cricket facilities at two of the campuses – St. Augustine and Cave Hill – will be used for warm-up matches and training centres in the lead-in to this eagerly anticipated cricketing extravaganza formalises that bond in a manner that would have warmed the heart of the man who, more than anyone else, saw the value of building a strong connection between the sport he loved and a fledgling academic institution as a means of furthering the cause of nurturing a unified West Indian identity.

It should be no surprise that the name of Sir Frank Worrell is synonymous with cricket at UWI, apart of course from being one of the revered icons of the game at a defining period in the history of West Indies cricket. No self-respecting Caribbean cricket fan will be ignorant of Sir Frank’s contribution to the game as a player, leader, administrator and, before becoming a victim of leukaemia in 1967, the prime mover in the establishment and development of the sport at the three UWI campuses at Mona, Cave Hill and St. Augustine.

His playing pedigree speaks for itself: Elegant right-handed batsman and more-than-useful left-arm seamer; one of the legendary “Three W’s” (the others were Sir Everton Weekes and the late Sir Clyde Walcott), all from the island of Barbados and all dominant players of the same era; the first black man to be appointed full-time captain of the West Indies, who, by the time he bowed out of the international scene in 1963, had succeeded in his mission to transform a collection or brilliant, temperamental individuals into a real team bent on conquering the world.

Coming out of that highly successful experience, it was therefore almost an extension of the effort that Sir Frank should have seen cricket as a vehicle for achieving the same unifying objectives at the regional university. By the time of his death at the age of 42, his influence was such that the cricket facilities at all three main campuses bear his name.

Much has changed in West Indies cricket and at UWI since those heady, idealistic days of the 1960’s. A regional team that was for so long the embodiment of efficiency, professionalism and near-invincibility is still struggling to re-establish a solid foothold on the long, arduous climb back to the top more than 11 years after being toppled from the summit. To its credit, the University, with Professor Hilary Beckles as the modern driving force, is playing a very active part in not only seeking to recapture those glory days, but also in establishing a much more solid base for the game to ensure that the slide from the peak to the foothills never happens again.

The Cave Hill Campus, where Professor Beckles is based, is home for the impressive 3W’s Oval (where World Cup warm-up matches are scheduled), the C.L.R. James Centre for Cricket Research and, most recently, the Walk of Fame, honouring the great deeds of past and present West Indies cricketers.

Not to be outdone, the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Field at the St. Augustine Campus, part of the UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC), has been further upgraded since hosting regional first-class matches in early 2006 and has also been approved for preparatory World Cup fixtures in early March.

While these developments have been fairly recent, it is the annual UWI Vice-Chancellor’s Match against the visiting team along with the attendant Cricket Week that has really strengthened the bond between the regional academic institution and the game that, for all of the increased competition for attention from other sports, especially football, still holds pride of place in the hearts of most West Indians.

First included as part of the touring team’s itinerary on New Zealand’s inaugural visit to the Caribbean in 1972, it was revived and firmly established on the annual cricket calendar when the Kiwis, who now prefer the nickname of the Black Caps, returned to these shores in 1996. That match at Sabina Park saw the reappearance of the “Master Blaster,” Sir Vivian Richards, as the honoree, and tributes have been paid to other West Indian icons in subsequent matches.

In keeping with any lengthy relationship, there have been times when the occasional difference of opinion between UWI and the WICB surfaced, most notably in 1998 when the then Dr. Beckles, with more than a hint of disdain, referred to the Board’s decision to have Chris Dehring as their representative for the match honouring Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes at Kensington Oval as “sending backbenchers to a coronation.”

Ironically, Dehring, then the WICB’s marketing manager, is now very much front and centre as Chief Executive Officer of the 2007 Cricket World Cup Organising Committee. No doubt those uncomfortable moments of more than eight years ago have been left very much in the past, even if the memory of it may raise an embarrassed smile on both sides.

At a time when West Indies cricket seeks to recapture a grand legacy on the field as World Cup hosts, UWI has been playing its part as the keeper of the flame, developing a storehouse of knowledge and information on the history of the game and its place in the bigger picture of the overall Caribbean experience.

Most appropriately, and with an exquisite sense of timing usually associated with the sweetest of Brian Lara’s cover-drives, two significant moments in West Indian cricket history will coincide on March 13, 2007. On that day, the host team, with the hopes of millions around the region and around the world resting on their shoulders, will take on Pakistan in Kingston in the opening match of the World Cup.

On that same morning, across the shimmering sea to Barbados, the 40th anniversary of the passing of Sir Frank Worrell will be acknowledged at his graveside overlooking the 3W’s Oval.

It is as if the connection of Sir Frank, UWI and West Indies cricket was meant to be celebrated at this historic moment.