The game of cricket has seen some behemoths come in and play. While talent and hard work are two of the most critical factors, a great height always proves beneficial. For bowlers, it helps them to generate pace and bounce, which proves to be difficult for batters to handle, and for batters, it helps them create the power to hit hard and long shots. One team that has seen plenty of tall players is the West Indies. Over the years, they have been blessed with some of the tallest players, many of them being over 6 feet and 5 inches. Here’s a list of some of the tallest players in West Indies cricket history.
1. Chris Gayle
Arguably the most destructive batsman the game has seen, Gayle’s 6ft 3ins height and muscular frame enabled him to hit long and powerful shots. Probably the most sought-after player in franchise cricket, Gayle has an incredible international record of over 19000 runs. In addition, he was also handy with the ball, taking 250 wickets across formats. He is one of the most loved players of all time and has a reputation for being quite an entertainer on the field.
2. Michael Holding
One of the four fearsome bowlers of the West Indies bowling lineup that terrorized batters during the 70s and 80s, Holding is a tall man standing at almost 6ft 4ins. His towering height allowed him to create significant bounce and speed on the cricket pitch. Despite a relatively short career, he got incredible 391 wickets in international cricket. His over to Geoff Boycott in 1981 has gone down as the most ferocious of all time.
3. Keiron Pollard
A much-celebrated name in franchise cricket, Pollard stands tall at 6ft 5ins. His height and massive frame enable him to stand and deliver sixes while also covering the 22 yards in a few long strides. He has a decent international record of over 4000 runs and 97 wickets. His height has also helped him take some of the most incredible catches on the boundary line.
4. Clive Llyod
One of the most accomplished captains in history and an excellent batter, Lloyd stood tall at 6ft 5ins. With more than 9000 runs to his name in international cricket and over 30000 runs in first-class, Lloyd’s batting is a major highlight to his already famous standing as one of the greatest captains. His tall frame enabled him to become one of the hardest hitters of the ball.
5. Courtney Walsh
The other half of the deadly duo of the 90s, Walsh stood at an impressive 6ft 6ins. Hunting in pairs with Ambrose, he was known for his ability to swing the ball both ways. Best known for his spirit, Walsh took an incredible 519 wickets in 132 Tests and 227 wickets in 205 ODIs. In addition, he also took an unbelievable 1807 wickets in first-class matches. He was a part of one of the best bowling attacks in the history of cricket.
6. Curtly Ambrose
One of the deadliest bowlers to ever grace the game, Ambrose stood at 6ft 7ins, making him seem even more formidable. He has 630 wickets in international cricket and 941 wickets in first-class cricket. He has an impeccable average of 20.99 in Tests and 24.13 in ODIs. Much like Garner his height enabled him to get enough bounce and pace on the ball, making him a nightmare for the batters.
7. Sulieman Benn
A career marked by controversy is not the only thing worth noting about him. His height of 6ft 7ins made him perfectly able to become a fast bowler, but he bowled slow left-arm orthodox. He has a decent record of 87 scalps in tests and 39 scalps in ODIs. At one point, he became one of West Indies’ most dependable spinners. Unfortunately, his international career was marred by his attitude problems, which often saw him getting dropped from the team.
8. Jason Holder
Coming on to the international stage in 2011, Holder is an all-rounder standing at 6ft 7ins, with over 150 wickets each in Tests and ODIs plus 57 wickets in T20 cricket. In addition, he also has over two thousand runs in both Tests and ODIs, making him an integral part of the team. Moreover, he also has over 3500 runs and 238 wickets in first-class cricket.
9. Joel Garner
Garner’s height made it seem like the ball was ‘delivered from the clouds.’ At 6ft 8ins, Garner took an impressive 259 wickets in 58 tests, averaging just 20.97, and 146 wickets in 98 ODIs at an average of 18.84. He got a lot of pace and bounce thanks to his height, which
made him one of the deadliest bowlers ever. The ‘Big Bird’, as he was nicknamed, also delivered toe-crushing Yorkers. He was one of the fatal foursomes of the then West Indies bowling attack.
10. Cameron Cuffy
A towering giant, Cuffy stood at a height of 6ft 8ins, making him the tallest player to have ever played for West Indies. He took 43 wickets in 15 tests and 41 wickets in as many ODIs. A major highlight would be that he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar thrice in his career. His First
Class career consisted of 86 games with 252 scalps.
