Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s Game Face: The story behind the dark patches!
With 354 International appearances, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a cricketing great from West Indies. He was a selfless servant of Windies cricket and his numbers speak for themselves. He made his International debut in 1994 at the age of 19 and served his country spanning just over two decades.
He recorded 11867 Test runs, 8778 ODI runs and 343 T20I runs with impressive averages to his name. He smacked 41 centuries and 125 half-centuries in International Cricket.
Chanderpaul might not have been the charismatic of cricketers around his period but his contributions to Windies cricket are unforgettable. He adjusted his batting stance over his cricketing career and is iconic for his ‘crab-like’ batting stance. He is also remembered for his style of taking guard by marking crease with bail.
There was always a curiosity around how he organized himself on the field – especially his commando style-look with dark patches under his eyes. Ever wondered the reason why he used to sport that look?
The dark patches below his eyes were anti-glare patches and the reason why he used them was to reduce light entering the peripheral area of the eyes so that he could bat and field without being affected by the glare of the sun. The anti-glare patches also aid in protecting eyes from the heat.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul used the ‘Mueller’ brand anti-glare patches over a period of his career as he didn’t prefer wearing anti-glare sunglasses. In the 2011 edition of ICC Cricket World Cup, branded anti-glare patches were not allowed to use as per the ICC guidelines for endorsements and commercials. Chanderpaul was seen sporting the patches without the ‘Mueller’ brand that tournament – which was also his last ICC Cricket World Cup tournament!
Players in the Caribbean often use this technique considering the direct sunlight in the course of 12 months with the high level of temperature and humidity.
