Kordell Clarke has lived a traumatic life. As a unique 18th birthday gift courtesy of Digicel, Clarke joined West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, and India's, Mahendra Singh at the toss to officially commence the second Digicel ODI at Sabina Park.

Clarke, who has defeated great odds in her brief lifetime, had faced the distinct possibility of being crippled for life. Wracked by painful scoliosis which caused her body to be bent and her spine to form a painful S shape, Clarke with the help of of Prime Minister Golding, her mother Pauline Livingston, corporate Jamaica and her friends, was able to successfully complete corrective surgery.

"It was really great to meet Gayle and Dhoni and I'm really happy," Kordell said afterwards as she soaked up the atmosphere of her first-ever cricket match despite passing the world famous Sabina Park on a daily basis on her way to school.

She and her brother, Ramon Clarke, and a friend were also special guests in the Digicel Corporate Box for the duration of the game.

impressed

The captains, having heard of her many challenges in life - all of which she overcame with great determination and grace - told her how pleased they were to meet her and thanked her for coming to meet them.

Clarke, who celebrated her birthday on June 20, is a lower sixth-form student at the Alpha Academy in Kingston. She secured 12 CXC subjects with seven distinctions and five grade twos and now hopes to read for a degree in actuarial science at the University of West Indies.