Perry
Former West Indies and Jamaica all-rounder, Richard 'Danny Germs' Austin, has been temporarily taken off the streets and is training with Jamaica Masters Panthers, one of two invitational teams that will be participating in the inaugural Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Red Stripe Twenty20 Championship.
Austin, who represented the West Indies in 1977 and 1978, but since 1983 has been battling with mental health and substance abuse problems, is among several past national players who are down to represent the Masters team.
According to Nehemiah Perry, who is in charge of organising the team, while Austin may not be fully fit, he has been turning out to training.
"He has been training and while not 100 per cent, he has been showing glimpses of his old self," said Perry, who along with former West Indies and Jamaica players Courtney Walsh, Jimmy Adams, Jeffrey Dujon, Robert Samuels, Cleveland Davidson and Mario Ventura, will turn out for the invitational outfit.
"He is a little bit weak, but strokes the ball well and has been bowling in the nets. He has brought back memories and everybody is glad to have him around. He has been vocal and energetic," added Perry.
A stylish right-handed batsman who also bowls medium pace or off spin, Austin fell from grace after returning from South Africa in 1982-83, when he participated in a rebel cricket league and was subsequently banned from representing the West Indies.
A crowd favourite almost everywhere he went, Austin, who is now 55, also represented Jamaica in football, played two Test matches and one-day internationals for the West Indies and averaged 11 and 8, respectively, in his brief international career.
He also represented Jamaica in 38 first-class matches, scoring at an average of 33.82, including four centuries and 14 half-centuries. He was also a peripheral player during the controversial Kerry Packer World Series cricket league, which took place in Australia.
However, since his return from South Africa, his life took a turn for the worse. He became a drug addict and began to roam the streets of Kingston. In 1999 he was charged and convicted for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He received a two-year suspended sentence.
Since then, a number of past players, family and well-wishers have been trying to help him to recover with a number of cleaning-up initiatives. However, on each occasion he went back to his bad practices.
"One of the aims in having him around is to see if he can find himself. Even if he doesn't play, we hope to have him around in the dressing room as we try to clean him up. We would all like for him to find himself," said Perry, who is also hopeful that his team will make a serious dent in the competition.
Bringing back memories
"People believe that we will just be turning out. But we will be coming to excite the crowd and bring back memories. We will be very hard to beat as more and more players have been turning up and we are training hard," he said.
The Red Stripe Twenty20 Championship will feature Jamaica's leading cricket clubs, including last year's top six Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Super League teams - St Catherine Saints, Melbourne Kangaroos, Kingston Tigers, St Elizabeth Warriors, Manchester Lions and Trelawny Buccaneers.
The monthlong competition, which will be played on a knockout basis and will offer over $3 million in cash and prizes, will bowl off with a double-header on Saturday and Sunday at Up Park Camp in Kingston and the St Ann Bauxite Sports Club.