West Indies is a multinational cricket team. By global I mean that it is a conglomeration of several English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region. Cricket has been an integral part of the people of West Indies mainly because of its Colonial Past. It was also a time-pass for the blacks after the abolishment of slavery. Here let’s take a look at the ten great West Indian cricketers to have played the game who were from different countries:
1. Michael Holding : “The quickest of ‘em all” (Jamaica)
With his gigantic height of 6ft 4in, he was regarded as the “Whispering Death” by the umpires. He and Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, and Malcolm Marshall, terrorized the opponent’s batting line-up for a decade or so. A native from Kingston, Jamaica, to have played for the mighty Windies. He earned his test cap in the year of 1975 against the Aussies. On his very debut, he captured the eyes of the critic due to his fiery delivery of 97mph, even faster than Jeff Thomson. Along with the unbroken record for the best bowling figures in the test, he has a fantastic history. It is that of most sixes in the test career for any player with fewer than 1000 runs. He scored a quarter of his test runs from sixes!!
2. Curtly Ambrose : “Curtly talks to no man” (Antigua)
Debuted in the year 1988, Ambrose was one of the fiercest pacers to have played the game. He took the place of the Great Joel Garner on the team. His taking up cricket as a career is indeed a story. Initially, he was more inclined toward Basketball; it was his mother who insisted him in taking up cricket as a career. An Antiguan cricketer who crossed the mark of 400 wickets for the West Indies. Often regarded as ‘Two Cs’ along with Courtney Walsh, this duo took precisely 421 wickets in just 49 tests. He wasn’t a great bowler of swing but was impeccably accurate. With a towering height of 6”7’ he specialized in bowling in perfect line and length and often loved to make the batsmen smell the ball. He was a genius of his time with unusual statistics of bowling two maidens overs in every 7 overs he bowled!!
3. Chris Gayle : “The Universe Boss” (Jamaica)
Undoubtedly the greatest T20 player to have played the game. He was also a member of the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, 2012 and 2016 T20 WC Squad , which went on to win the respective tournaments. He credits Lucas Cricket Club for his success as a cricketer, he even famously said, “If it was not for Lucas, I don’t know where I would be today. Maybe on the streets”. Though he debuted in the year of 1999 but had a slow start to his international career until 2002, in which he 2013 international runs along with four centuries and fourteen half-centuries. He has some weird records under his belt, namely; he is the only player till now who hit the first ball of a test for six. He is even the player who scored the fastest century in professional cricket. He achieved this feat in just 30 balls in an IPL match against Pune Warriors!!
4. Clive Lloyd : “The Gentle Captain” (British Guiana, now Guyana)
Whenever the name of the great Clive Lloyd is taken, the image of a 6-foot 4-inch giant with thick glasses and a large mustache comes to my mind. Lloyd is one of the most destructive batters of his time, and his strong physical condition helped him tear the enemy bowler very easily. His leadership and ingenious tactics converted West Indies into an invincible side. There was a time when the name of the Windies was enough to terrorize the opponent. Under his captaincy, the Windies were unbeaten for 27 matches out which they won 11!!
5. Daren Sammy : “The Winning Captain” (Saint Lucia)
Daren Sammy, is one of the modern prodigies of the West Indies cricket team. He is a perfect all-rounder for the team who is equally skilled in batting and bowling. Sammy is a colorful personality and entertainer both inside and outside the field. He has an impeccable captaincy record by making the Windies win several of ICC tournaments. He had an exciting start to his international career, and his debut series was called off without a ball being bowled. However, he had a remarkable test Debut against England, where he had an impressive second innings bowling figure of 7/66. This ever-smiling cricketer happens to be the first and the youngest international cricketer from St. Lucia!!
6. Garfield Sobers : “The Versatile All-Rounder” (Barbados)
Sir Garfield Sobers is arguably one of the best all-rounders ever played the game. His game exhibits sheer elegance, class, and charisma. He specializes in everything. Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was a run machine, a bowler with flawless accuracy, a pace ready to destroy any opposition, and a fielder who barely leaked runs. One of the things he had never done on a cricket pitch was the job of a wicketkeeper. He was a cricket genius who practiced outstandingly in all areas. During a test against the Aussies, he reported the ground sleepless due to a night out he had last night. He slept in the dressing room and then went out to bat at No. 6, scored a mammoth 132, got out, returned to the dressing room and slept again!!
7. Shivnarine Chanderpaul : “The unorthodox Batter” (Guyana)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, The Guyanese wonder, is more famous for his unorthodox batting style than for techniques and shots. Many wrote him down when he first used this batting stance in his cricket career, but the rest is the history of West Indies cricket players becoming the most consistent player for over 20 years. The veteran cricket player performed 164 tests, scoring 11867 runs of 30 tons and 66 50, averaging 51.37. Similarly, he played brilliantly in the 50-over format, averaging about 41 in 268 ODIs, scoring 8778 runs in the 11th and 59th centuries. Just a fun fact, the 200th Test for Sachin Tendulkar coincidentally was the 150th test for this man, who is the first Indo-Caribbean to play 100 tests for his team.
8. Viv Richards : “The man born with a bat in hand and Chewing Gum in the mouth” (Antigua)
Simply nothing can do justice to Sir Viv Richards' genius. His overwhelming presence every time he goes to the center with a bat in his hand was always a delight to watch. His presence meant the distinctive beard, slightly relaxed attitude, and evergreen chewing gum, and the opposite bowler knew he was in danger. If there was a cricket king, it was Viv Richards. Fearless and aggressive, Richards has established himself as perhaps the best lieutenant in the West Indies-dominated era of Clive Lloyd. In short, Richards was truly the face of international cricket from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.
9. Courtney Walsh : “True Gentleman in the Gentleman’s Game” (Jamaica)
Courtney Walsh is likely to be one of the most less decorated cricketers of all time. A legend like him required much attention from the critics. And like his career, he was probably one of the unsung heroes behind the lethal pace attack of West Indies from the late 1970s and 2000s. His stingy bowling technique, a simple yet effective bowling action, has gifted him with many wickets in his long career. Hence he has easily surpassed his West Indian companions in the long run. His wicket-taking tally in test cricket was a record number until Muralitharan broke it. Walsh's match made him immortal in the cricket fraternity, and to this day, he remains one of the most respected and fast bowlers in the world of cricket. He always stood for the spirit of the game, which gets proved when he withdrew his appeal in the semi-final match of the 1987 world cup against Pakistan!!
10. Brian Lara : “The Prince of Port of Spain” (Trinidad and Tobago)
By far the most incredible batter to have ever played the game after Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, referred to as the era of cricket in West India, which has not yet been emulated. No matter where you grew up in the world, Lara was the name present on the lips of every cricket fan. Apart from the enormous personal records that Lara holds, his elegant bat lift and graceful batting style game will remain in the hearts of those who have seen him in the crafts he has played for many years. Fun fact, Lara is the only player with two triple centuries and two quadruple centuries to his name!!
