West Indies Cricket has given some of the most talented cricketers to the beautiful game. From the flair of Brian Lara and Sir Viv Richards to the most fearsome fast bowlers in Malcolm Marshal and Courtney Walsh, the Caribbean Islands have been home to some of the most well-known faces in the fraternity. However, there have been a few the naked eye might have missed purely because of how good their contemporaries or the decline West Indies Cricket has faced. Let us look at a few of them.
1. Jason Holder
The former West Indies skipper has a test batting average of 29.5 and a test bowling average of 28.8. Both are remarkable for a player playing in one of the average test sides. He took over the captaincy during one of the most challenging periods of West Indies Cricket and did a commendable job. However, he is often overlooked in the current best all-rounder conversations but his record as a player and captain states otherwise. However, his stature in a rather young dressing room can never be mentioned in any record books.
2. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a veteran of over 164 test matches and has scored over 20,000 runs in international cricket. He is among the elite group of cricketers averaging more than 50 in test cricket. He has 41 international hundreds to his name. Often criticized for his low strike rate, Chanderpaul brought stability to an otherwise fragile batting lineup and should get the credit he deserves.
3. Kemar Roach
Ask a left-handed opener his worst nightmare and, Kemar Roach will feature in it often. One of the most experienced fast bowlers still sticking around, Kemar Roach has more than 390 international scalps. After suffering a tragic accident during the peak of his form, Roach has come back even more potent, breathing venom from the new and old ball alike.
4. Shai Hope
Shai Hope is finally getting the attention he deserves, he has recently been named the ODI skipper for the West Indies. The wicket-keeper batsman averages over 50 in one-day internationals and has 14 hundreds to his credit. However, his performances in the other two formats of the game can mislead even the most experienced viewers of the game. Hope is no average batter and most certainly belongs among the higher echelons of the cricketers produced by West Indies.
5. Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai retired from the game in 1974, marginally missing out on the success of the following generation of West Indies cricket. He has more than 6,000 test runs to his name with an average of more than 47, not to mention he played in an era without helmets and genuine fast bowling being the order of the day. However, he is often overlooked purely because of the amount of talent his contemporaries possessed. But Kanhai was the true gentleman of the game, even so, the great Sunil Gavaskar named his son after him.
6. Ramnaresh Sarwan
His finest moment came during his knock of 105 helping his team over the line chasing 418 in the 4th innings of a test against arguably one of the greatest test sides ever in Steve Waugh’s Australia. Sarwan often goes under the radar, mainly because he played under the shadow of world-beating batters like Brian Lara and Chris Gayle. He has a batting average of 40 across formats and over 11,900 runs in international cricket.
7. Marlon Samuels
Often touted as the big game player, he was the player of the match in both the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup Final triumphs. In a career spanning 18 years, Samuels featured in 345 international games. He has the distinction of never being dismissed for a duck in a T20I career of 65 innings. He would often chip in with his off-spin giving his side another bowling option during a period when the West Indian team suffered from a shortage of spinners.
8. Alzarri Joseph
Regularly clocking speeds of 90mph, Alzarri Joseph is any captain’s delight in any format of the game. He burst onto the scene, bagging the best figures for a bowler in IPL, taking 6 for 12 against SRH. But ever since, has gone under the scanner. However, if he can sustain his current numbers in the shortest format of the game, Joseph will arguably go down as one of the finest quick bowlers.
9. Akeal Hosein
Standing at 5’9 with a skinny frame Akeal Hosein represents all but a Caribbean cricketer. He is amongst the rare breed of spin bowlers with an economy rate lower than seven per over across franchise cricket. Often bowling in the powerplay when the batters are looking to take full advantage of the fielding restrictions, he does the dirty work for his team that is generally overlooked. However, IPL teams have so far overlooked his talent, and with run rates in the powerplay soaring, he could prove more than handy.
10. Carl Hooper
A leader of a team in decline, Carl Hooper, provided just the right platform for Brian Lara to take the reins of a team that was merely a shadow of its former self during the early 2000s. Throughout his career, he managed to score over 11,000 international runs and has more than 300 scalps to his name. It is a shame Hooper is not mentioned in the same conversation as his contemporary bests.
