Not many books have been written on the history of West Indies cricket and the few that  did, don’t have the up to date statistical sections and for that reason do not fully satisfy the curiosity of the avid cricket lover who wants to know more about West Indies cricket and its players. In this pioneering “reference book”, Mr. Sambhudat has drawn all the strands together to produce descriptive and statistical sections, which in my opinion has made this book a must for all those interested in WI cricket. It covers WI cricket records from WI first   ever Test match verses England in England from June, 1928 to WI last series verses New Zealand in New Zealand December, 2013. All important records in WI cricket from all departments of the game are covered in batting, bowling, wicket-keeping, fielding, individual, all-round and a host of other topics I am sure you will find to be very interesting. Only records on WI cricket in Test matches are covered and  no other forms of the game.      The facts and figures recorded in this book are truly amazing and I am sure that West Indians and maybe some players, either don’t know or forgot about their existence. An example about myself in this book. My career playing for the West Indies lasted for eighteen years, from 1958 to 1976 and over those years I have done well and to the best of my ability towards WI cricket. Two examples recorded by Mr. Sambhudat, brought back memories for me as a player for WI-(a) I held the record for the most Test wickets worldwide from February,1976 to December,1981.I broke Fred Truman’s(England) record of 307 wickets in 1976 and Denis Lillee (Australia) broke my record(309) in 1981-(b) I held the record for the most Test wickets(309) by a West Indian for 13 years, a record which was eventually broken by Malcolm Marshall who took his 310th wicket verses India at Bridgetown April,1989.

      I met Mr. Sambhudat for the first time in my office at Laparkan in Miami in June 2013. After going through his book, the first thing that strikes me is the lay out of it. Every chapter is laid out in sequence relating to the records as attained by the WI from her very first Test match verses England in June 1928 to her last series verses New Zealand in New Zealand December 2013.

     Furthermore, from the discussions we had about WI and cricket worldwide, I can tell you and I assure you, Mr. Sambhudat knows his cricket. The man seems to have a cricket library in his head.

 I personally, have a large selection of cricket books. On the day of our meeting I brought out one of my book on WI cricket (75 Years of WI Cricket, 1928 to 2003). While I was going through his book on WI cricket I had to close mine and put it back on the shelf for two major reasons-(1)-my book was outdated and (2)-the information Mr. Sambhudat book has on WI cricket statistics, mine is nowhere compare to his and the most important factor is, his book has all up to date information on WI cricket.

Now, let me welcome you to this new “reference book”-WI in Test Matches-Facts And Feats to the cricket scene.

      Cricket is a game of not only winning or losing, it is also a game of characters. Players love it for the challenge it offers and the opportunity to make a career. Spectators love it for the entertainment and for fun. It is a game with a mixture of skill, courage and dedication. It is contested between two teams and in this case playing as a team is essential. And yet at times the individual is out on his own and sometimes it all depends on him.

      This reference book is compiled by a talented but unknown writer, who despite not being exposed as a writer, has great knowledge of the game, which he followed and played from a little boy growing up in Berbice, Guyana-a cricket fanatic. In this book you have so much information right at your fingertips on WI cricket. And what is very important, this is the most up to date book on the market, providing you cricket fans with up to date facts and figures.

      The facts and feats contain in this book is the sort of things cricket lovers discuss over a beer or a drink after a game or at a local bar.

      He is a new comer in a competitive world, just like a young cricketer playing in his first Test. I hope it scores the equivalent of a first-time century and it will appear in the hands of many cricket fans-a book I highly recommend to all cricket lovers and I know you will enjoy for a long time.