"West Indies must win one for Pipeman!"
This was the call from Raymond Asher, a devout West Indies cricket fan, as fans, officials and former players paid last respects to fallen supporter Keith Van Anderson at his funeral in London on Tuesday.
Van Anderson succumbed to cancer at age 68 last month and was buried at the Manor Park Cemetery at Serbet Road, London, after his service.
Anderson never missed Test matches and one-day internationals in England. He was a staunch supporter of West Indies cricket and forged many relationships with the players. At his service on Tuesday, former West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd and Joel Garner were there to pay respects.
The West Indies players could not have made the early morning trip up from Southampton, however, as they are preparing to go into battle against England in the ICC World Cup on Friday.
Asher, who is also a great West Indies supporter, said: "Pipeman was a great man yeah. He used to follow his cricket with a passion. He loved his team dearly and the West Indies must win this World Cup in his backyard for him. We will all miss him at the cricket because he was a fixture at the cricket here in England."
He added, "We would like to see the West Indies team honour him with a win, what a great man. We will continue in his footsteps in terms of supporting our team and trying our best to make the boys comfortable. We will travel the length and breadth of England so that when our players go into battle, they can see the familiar faces and hear the familiar battle cry coming from the stands."
The Guyana-born Van Anderson is survived by his wife Dolores, daughters Shireen and Karel and sons Wyn and Kris.