YOU don't bat as long and face as many deliveries as Shivnarine Chanderpaul did in the West Indies' cause in 2007 without some physical effects.
The legacy of the 2,904 balls the immovable left-hander had to deal with in 16 innings in Tests, 13 in ODIs and two in 20/20 Internationals in the past year-not counting the thousands of others against an assortment of net bowlers and bowling machines and in the middle for Guyana, Durham and in the Indian Premier League-has finally caught up with him.
Even though he values batting as much as life itself, he had to miss the first rain-ruined ODI of the five against New Zealand here on New Year's Eve as he was being treated for the increasing discomfort of a tender left hand, between the thumb and forefinger.
It threatens to sideline him as well for the second match in Christchurch tomorrow night (tonight east Caribbean time).
"It's just the constant jarring of the bottom hand against the handle," Chanderpaul explained yesterday. "It was becoming more and more painful every time I bat so I thought it needed a rest before it got even worse."
