Some of my favorite Cricket memories were watching the great West Indies teams do battle with Australia in the 80's and 90's. I Thought I'd take a look at four of the great West Indies players that came from Jamaica.
Michael Holding.
Up there with the best fast bowlers of all time, his stint in the West Indies team ran from 1975 - 1987. During this time he played 60 tests and took 249 wickets at an average of 23.68. Known as "Whispering Death" early on in his career he was clocked at up to 97 mph - faster at the time than renowned Aussie quicks Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillee.
This video shows just one of many fiery spells from the great from Kingston, Jamaica.
Jeff Dujon.
Also from Kingston, Jeff Dujon was the West Indies mainstay keeper throughout the 80's. Ever reliable, and a useful batsman also. He played 81 test matches and took 267 catches and scored 3,322 runs at an average of 31.94. I always remember his style as being tough, and resilient. This video shows him being hit on the head by a bouncer (before helmets were commonplace, and responding with a flurry of fours.
Courtney Walsh.
With a career running from 1984 - 2001, Courtney Walsh is second only to Chanderpaul in the most tests played for the West Indies. He was also the first bowler ever to reach 500 test wickets. During a career spanning 132 test matches, he captained the team on 22 occasions. The following video was is from the 2000 series against England, during which he took 35 wickets for the series.
His partnership with Curtley Ambrose was highly effective, and contributed to one of the most successful era's for West Indies cricket.
Chris Gayle
Undoubtedly the biggest star of West Indies cricket, and one of the worlds most well known players since 2000. He could also be considered one of the most controversial players in the modern era. Despite having played 103 tests, he is most renowned as a 1 day and T20 player, with numerous legendary innings to his credit. Here is a video of Gayle scoring a 50 in the Big Bash League in just 12 balls.
These have just been a few of the great West Indies players from Jamaica. Who's your favorite from these four stars? Did I miss anyone that should have been in the top 4? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
All stats have been sourced from wikipedia - List of international cricketers from Jamaica