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The Jamican Phase Express...

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Michael Holding

West Indies Full name Michael Anthony Holding

Born February 16, 1954, Half Way Tree, Kingston, Jamaica

Current age 55 years 207 days

Major teams West Indies, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Jamaica, Lancashire, Tasmania

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast

Other Commentator
Batting | Bowling | Career statistics | Profile | Notes | Latest Articles | Latest Photos
Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 6s Ct St
Tests 60 76 10 910 73 13.78 0 6 36 22 0
ODIs 102 42 11 282 64 9.09 377 74.80 0 2 30 0
First-class 222 283 43 3600 80 15.00 0 14 125 0
List A 249 153 25 1575 69 12.30 0 7 81 0
Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 60 113 12680 5898 249 8/92 14/149 23.68 2.79 50.9 11 13 2
ODIs 102 102 5473 3034 142 5/26 5/26 21.36 3.32 38.5 5 1 0
First-class 222 38877 18233 778 8/92 23.43 2.81 49.9 39 5
List A 249 12662 7074 343 8/21 8/21 20.62 3.35 36.9 9 3 0
Career statistics Test debut Australia v West Indies at Brisbane, Nov 28-Dec 2, 1975 scorecard
Last Test New Zealand v West Indies at Wellington, Feb 20-24, 1987 scorecard
ODI debut England v West Indies at Scarborough, Aug 26, 1976 scorecard
Last ODI England v West Indies at Melbourne, Jan 30, 1987 scorecard
First-class span 1972/73 - 1989
List A span 1975/76 - 1989
Profile
Wisden overview
It began intimidatingly far away. He turned, and began the most elegant long-striding run of them all, feet kissing the turf silently, his head turning gently and ever so slightly from side to side, rhythmically, like that of a cobra hypnotising its prey. Good batsmen tended not to watch him all the way lest they became mesmerised. To the umpires he was malevolent stealth personified so they christened him Whispering Death. No-one in the game has bowled faster. His over to Geoff Boycott in the cauldron of Kensington Oval early in 1981 has gone down in history as the finest, fastest, most ferocious gambit of all time. Five years earlier, towards the end of the drought-ridden summer of 1976, The Oval had become a wasteland, parched beyond recognition, with slow flat heart-breaking pitches, and it was on this, in the final Test of the season, through the simple device of bowling ramrod-straight at high pace and to a full length, that he conjured 14 wickets for 149, the finest match figures ever by a West Indian. Now in the commentary box, he is gentle but fearless, a rational critic who beguiles with his deep fruity measured Jamaican twang. Mike Selvey

Notes
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1977

Tasmania First-Class Career Span: 1982-83


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A Man Whose Got Two Consicutive World Cups...

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Clive Lloyd

West Indies Full name Clive Hubert Lloyd

Born August 31, 1944, Queenstown, Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana

Current age 64 years 332 days

Major teams West Indies, British Guiana, Guyana, Lancashire

Nickname Big C, Hubert

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm medium

Other Referee

Height 6 ft 4 in

Education Chatham High School, Georgetown

Relation Cousin - LR Gibbs
Batting | Bowling | Career statistics | Profile | Notes | Latest Articles | Latest Photos
Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 6s Ct St
Tests 110 175 14 7515 242* 46.67 19 39 70 90 0
ODIs 87 69 19 1977 102 39.54 2434 81.22 1 11 39 0
First-class 490 730 96 31232 242* 49.26 79 172 377 0
List A 375 343 72 10915 134* 40.27 12 69 146 0
Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 110 45 1716 622 10 2/13 2/22 62.20 2.17 171.6 0 0 0
ODIs 87 10 358 210 8 2/4 2/4 26.25 3.51 44.7 0 0 0
First-class 490 9551 4104 114 4/48 36.00 2.57 83.7 0 0
List A 375 2938 1958 71 4/33 4/33 27.57 3.99 41.3 1 0 0
Career statistics Test debut India v West Indies at Mumbai (BS), Dec 13-18, 1966 scorecard
Last Test Australia v West Indies at Sydney, Dec 30, 1984 - Jan 2, 1985 scorecard
Test statistics - Statsguru Test analysis - Player analysis menu/filter Test match list --------------------------------- Batting career summary Batting innings list High scores Batting series averages --------------------------------- Bowling career summary Bowling innings list Bowling match list Best innings bowling Best match bowling Bowling series averages --------------------------------- Fielding career summary Fielding innings list Most catches in an innings Fielding series statistics
ODI debut England v West Indies at Leeds, Sep 5, 1973 scorecard
Last ODI Pakistan v West Indies at Melbourne, Mar 6, 1985 scorecard
ODI statistics - Statsguru ODI analysis - Player analysis menu/filter ODI match list --------------------------------- Batting career summary Batting innings list High scores Batting series averages --------------------------------- Bowling career summary Bowling innings list Best innings bowling Bowling series averages --------------------------------- Fielding career summary Fielding innings list Most catches in an innings Fielding series statistics
First-class span 1963/64 - 1986
List A span 1969 - 1986
ICC match referee statistics Test debut South Africa v India at Durban, Nov 13-17, 1992 scorecard
Last Test Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Bogra, Mar 8-11, 2006 scorecard
Test matches 53
Test statistics - Statsguru Test analysis - Officials analysis menu/filter Career summary --------------------------------- Referee match list Referee series list
ODI debut South Africa v India at Cape Town, Dec 7, 1992 scorecard
Last ODI Bangladesh v Canada at St John's, Feb 28, 2007 scorecard
ODI matches 133
ODI statistics - Statsguru ODI analysis - Officials analysis menu/filter Career summary --------------------------------- Referee match list Referee series list
T20I debut New Zealand v Australia at Auckland, Feb 17, 2005 scorecard
Last T20I England v Sri Lanka at Southampton, Jun 15, 2006 scorecard
T20I matches 2
T20I statistics - Statsguru T20I analysis - Officials analysis menu/filter Career summary --------------------------------- Referee match list Referee series list
Profile
6'5" with stooped shoulders, a large moustache and thick glasses (his eyes were damaged when he was 12 as he attempted to break up a fight at school), Clive Lloyd was the crucial ingredient in the rise of West Indian cricket. A cousin of Lance Gibbs, he was a hard-hitting batsmen and one of the most successful captains in history. An almost ponderous, lazy gait belied the speed and power at his command and the astute tactical brain that led the West Indies to the top of world cricket for two decades.

Clive Lloyd made his first-class debut as a left-hand middle-order batsman in the then British Guiana in 1963-64 and played for Haslingden in the Lancashire League in 1967. He was offered terms by Warwickshire before signing for Lancashire, making his debut for them in 1968, and winning his cap the following season.

Lloyd had already made his Test debut, against India at Mumbai (then Bombay) in December 1966, hitting 82 and 78 not out as he put on 102 runs with Sobers to win the match on a pitch helping the spinners. His first home Test also brought his first Test century, 118 against England in Trinidad that helped stave off defeat. Another century followed in the fourth Test of that series to confirm he was at home at the highest level. Touring Australia in 1968-69 he hit another Test century, at Brisbane, in his first Test against them.

Lloyd was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1971 for his performances in the previous 12 months, when he'd scored 1600 runs for Lancashire at 47. Often raising his game for the big occasion, he struck 126 against Warwickshire at Lord's to help Lancashire to the Gillette Cup (1972), and hit a wonderful century in the first ever World Cup Final at Lord's in 1975 to take the West Indies to victory.

At his best Lloyd was a flamboyant destroyer of bowling. His heavy bat, powerful shoulders and full swing of the arms could turn the course of any game, once scoring 201* in just 120 minutes against Glamorgan - equalling the record for the fastest ever first-class double hundred (1976).

Far from inhibiting his batting, Lloyd's first tour as captain (1974-75) marked a dramatic improvement after a run of low scores. 163 in the First Test at Bangalore (his century came in just 85 balls) was followed by a Test-best 242* in the Fifth Test in Mumbai to set up a series-deciding win for the West Indies. Often he was obliged to curb his natural, attacking instincts in order to work his team out of trouble, as on the tour of Australia of 1975-76 where he scored 469 runs at an average of 46.9 as his team were swept aside 5-1 by Thomson and Lillee.

The unsuccessful tour of Australia proved to be a major turning point in West Indian cricket however, as Lloyd decided to adopt the intimidatory tactics of the Australians and stack his team with fast bowlers. Some may say his job as captain was fairly straightforward: with a battery of fast bowlers including Roberts, Marshall, Garner, Holding and Croft at his command, and batsmen of the calibre of Greenidge, Haynes and Richards, he certainly had some handy players to call upon. But he instilled his talented side with the professionalism and determination to win consistently and when the conditions suited the opposition. He united the disparate threads of the separate nations that make up the West Indies, and was the force that gelled them as a team rather than a bunch of talented individuals. There was controversy too, though. Slow over rates and intimidation of batsmen with short-pitched bowling were both characteristics of his reign as captain. His side changed the way Test cricket was played too, as other nations copied the formula of fast bowling and intimidation he had come to admire in Australia.

During the Packer crisis Lloyd resigned as captain after disagreeing with the selectors on the eve of a Test against Australia (1977-78), but he returned to lead his team to the 1979 World Cup. On the subsequent tour of Australia he underwent surgery on his knee that improved his mobility and effectiveness. Centuries at Adelaide and Old Trafford followed, and back in the West Indies he found the most consistent form of his career as in nine successive innings his lowest score was 49 (run out). He averaged 76 in the series against England and a phenomenal 172.50 in domestic cricket.

Although age slightly decreased Lloyd's belligerence at the crease, he remained a key player in the middle order; able to dig the team out of trouble or add impetus when applicable. In Australia in 1981 he played the crucial innings to secure the West Indies a win at Adelaide to draw a series that had seemed destined to be won by Australia, encouraging his fast bowlers to rush on to the pitch and carry him off on their shoulders. Normal service was resumed with home and away victories against India and Australia. On his final tours he averaged 67 in England (1984) as the West Indies completed a famous 5-0 "blackwash", and 50.85 against Australia (1984-85) as he helped secure a 3-1 triumph.

Lloyd's final record as captain was remarkable, including a run of 26 Tests without defeat, and 11 successive wins. He also became the first West Indian to win 100 Test caps. Having been a schoolboy athletics champion, he became a brilliant cover fielder before knee problems forced a move to the slips, where he pouched many of his 90 Test catches.

Lloyd was a useful right-arm medium-pacer too, taking 114 first-class wickets in all (including a best of 4-48, Lancashire v Leicestershire at Old Trafford, 1970) with 10 in Tests. He was awarded a testimonial by Lancashire in 1977 (that raised £27,199) made captain of the club in 1981 and brought his children up in the county.

Although Lloyd has worked as a civil servant for Guyana Ministry of Health, he has remained involved in cricket. He has coached and commentated on the game, as well as managing the Guyana team. A promising career as ICC Match Official (he officiated in both semi-final and final of the 1996 World Cup) was put on hold to take on the management of the West Indies team after their disappointments in the World Cup. It was a frustrating period for Lloyd, whose hands were tied by the decision not to appoint him as a full selector (although he was a selector while on tour), and whose responsibilities became increasingly administrative. He resigned at the end of the 1999 tour of New Zealand after a three-year period that coincided with a decline in the fortunes of West Indies cricket.

With that experience behind him, he resumed his duties as an ICC Match Referee - a position he occupied with great presence and no little humour to earn the respect and confidence of the players. They knew he understands the game as well as anyone and that he holds the good of the game in the highest regard at all times.

In 2008 Lloyd was appointed the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee after Sunil Gavaskar stepped down to pursue his role as a media columnist and commentator.

Notes
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1971


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Mister West Indies Cricket.

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Tony CozierTony Cozier
West Indies

Full name Anthony Cozier

Born July 10, 1940, Barbados

Current age 68 years 343 days

Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman

Batting style Right-hand bat

Fielding position Wicketkeeper

Other Commentator, Journalist, Author
Anthony Cozier

Profile | Latest Photos
Profile

Tony Cozier is the son of Jimmy Cozier, a well-known cricket writer in the Caribbean, who began writing on cricket as a teenager in 1958. He studied journalism at Carleton University, Ottawa as well as playing hockey for Barbados and club cricket for Wanderers and then Carlton. His first commentary was made during the West Indies-Australia series in 1965, and he has been an ever-present since. He has also worked extensively for overseas television and radio stations. As a writer, he has been prolific in both newspapers, magazines and books.
Martin Williamson


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Worlds Best Commentrator...

Posted by: Venk / Category:


Tony GreigTony Greig

England

Player profile

Full name Anthony William Greig
Born October 6, 1946, Queenstown, Cape Province, South Africa
Current age 62 years 237 days
Major teams England, Border, Eastern Province, Sussex
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium, Right-arm offbreak
Other Commentator
Height 6 ft 6 in
Relations Brother - IA Greig, Nephew - WG Hodson

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 58 93 4 3599 148 40.43 8 20 437 19 87 0
ODIs 22 19 3 269 48 16.81 378 71.16 0 0 19 3 7 0
First-class 350 579 45 16660 226 31.19 26 96 345 0
List A 190 177 19 3899 129 24.67 3 21 88 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 58 93 9802 4541 141 8/86 13/156 32.20 2.77 69.5 6 6 2
ODIs 22 19 916 619 19 4/45 4/45 32.57 4.05 48.2 1 0 0
First-class 350 52513 24702 856 8/25 28.85 2.82 61.3 33 8
List A 190 8435 5650 244 6/28 6/28 23.15 4.01 34.5 12 3 0

Career statistics Test debut England v Australia at Manchester, Jun 8-13, 1972 scorecard
Last Test England v Australia at The Oval, Aug 25-30, 1977 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut England v Australia at Manchester, Aug 24, 1972 scorecard
Last ODI England v Australia at The Oval, Jun 6, 1977 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span 1965/66 - 1978
List A span 1967 - 1978

Profile

At 6 feet 7 inches, Tony Greig stood head-and-shoulders above team-mates on the field, and had the confidence and charisma to go with it, making up for shortcomings of technique with the bat and pace with the ball by sheer personality and an irrepressible love of the contest. The controversial conclusion of his career, as one of the first and firmest disciples of Kerry Packer, have tended to obscure his all-round accomplishments: in the mid-1970s, there was no more complete cricketer, and he bequeathed to his successor as England's captain, Mike Brearley, a thoroughly professional and close-knit side.

Born in Queenstown, South Africa, son of a harsh and demanding Scottish father, he trialled for Sussex in 1965 as a teenager and prospered, then set himself the goal of representing England ­ following the route already described, in different circumstances, by the Cape Coloured Basil D'Oliveira. Considered good enough to represent Rest of the World when that ensemble toured Australia in 1971-2, he met his deadline by earning a Test cap for the subsequent home Ashes series, making half-centuries in each innings of his debut and taking five wickets.

In fact, for a mercurial character, he showed notable consistency and versatility: he made Test matches hundreds in fields as far flung as Bombay, Bridgetown and Brisbane, and against the likes of Lillee and Thomson, Roberts and Holding, Bedi and Chandra. He had a homespun style, bat aloft long before it became fashionable, based on long reach and booming drives, while his bowling depended on bounce, aggression and smarts: with a sideline in off-spin, he winkled out 13 wickets at Port-of-Spain to help England draw a series in the Caribbean.

Greig's zenith as captain was in India, where his skill, swagger and extroversion appealed to locals even as their team was well-beaten. More grudgingly admired in Australia, he nonetheless won great kudos from England' s bold chase in the Centenary Test. In its aftermath, however, he made the acquaintance of Packer, another son of a harsh and demanding father, seeking to make his mark. Greig became not just a signatory but a secret recruiting agent for the entrepreneur's inchoate professional cricket circuit. When the enterprise was made public, his stocks plummeted: he lost not just England's captaincy, but what would have been a record-breaking benefit. He was diminished, too, by his indifferent on-field performances in World Series Cricket, where he seemed to cast himself as pantomime villain. Nonetheless, subsequent generations of professional cricketers owe him a debt of gratitude.

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1975


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Chargers Defuse Challengers..

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The Deccan Chargers Who Finished In The Bottom Of The Table In Last Years IPL Have,
Won The Second Season Of The DLF Indian Premier League... An Amazing Show Between These
Two Teams In The Final. The Deccan Chargers Beat The Delhi Dare Devils In The, Semi-Final And The Royal Challengers Banglore Beat Last Years Runners Up The Chennai- Super Kings To Reach The Final. The Deccan Chargers Who Bat First Got An Early Blow.
The Skipper Adam Gilchrist Out For A Duck.. Then Somehow Gibbs And Symonds Manage To Put Up Fair Total Of 144 An Half Century From Gibbs And Quick Fire 33 From Symo...
The Royal Challengers Were Happy To Restrict The Deccan Chargers To A Reasonable Total
But All Become Waste, They Loose Quick Wickets In Regular Intervals. First To Go Was Jaques Kallis, He Was Followed By The Latest Indian Sensation The Only Indian To Hit An
IPL Century In Both The Season Manish Pandey Also Got Out... Then Dravid Bowled By Harmeet Singh By Playing A Loose Shot... Then Ross Taylor And Virat Kohli Tryed To Save The Match But Failed, Both Fell To Symonds In Two Balls... Even Boucher Failed Too.. Utthapa Was Trying Hard To Keep The Match Alive But No Use 15 runs Needed In The Last Over R.P Singh Bowled An Excellent Over Jus Gave 9 Runs So The Deccan
Won The Final And Become The Champions Of The DLF Indian Premier League Champions
Of The Year 2009. Chennia Super Kings Mathew Hayden Won The Orange Cap For The
Leading Runs Scorer And R.P Singh Of Deccan Chargers Won The Purple Cap For The
Leading Wicket Taker Of The Season.


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The England Pace Express In 70's...

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Bob WillisBob Willis

England

Player profile

Full name Robert George Dylan Willis
Born May 30, 1949, Sunderland, Co Durham
Current age 59 years 355 days
Major teams England, Northern Transvaal, Surrey, Warwickshire
Also known as birth registered as Robert George Willis
Nickname Goose, Dylan, Harold, Swordfish
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Other Commentator
Height 6 ft 6 in
Education Royal Grammar School, Guildford

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 90 128 55 840 28* 11.50 2564 32.76 0 0 79 1 39 0
ODIs 64 22 14 83 24 10.37 157 52.86 0 0 6 0 22 0
First-class 308 333 145 2690 72 14.30 0 2 134 0
List A 293 113 48 615 52* 9.46 0 1 84 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 90 165 17357 8190 325 8/43 9/92 25.20 2.83 53.4 12 16 0
ODIs 64 64 3595 1968 80 4/11 4/11 24.60 3.28 44.9 4 0 0
First-class 308 47986 22468 899 8/32 24.99 2.80 53.3 34 2
List A 293 14983 8497 421 7/32 7/32 20.18 3.40 35.5 14 4 0

Career statistics Test debut Australia v England at Sydney, Jan 9-14, 1971 scorecard
Last Test England v West Indies at Leeds, Jul 12-16, 1984 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut England v West Indies at Leeds, Sep 5, 1973 scorecard
Last ODI England v West Indies at Lord's, Jun 4, 1984 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span 1969 - 1984
List A span 1969 - 1984

Profile

A case could be made that Bob Willis was the most courageous fast bowler who ever played for England. After operations on both knees in 1975, when he was 26, he seldom bowled without pain, and at one stage had to run five miles a day to build the strength to play at all. Yet through sheer willpower he sustained his career for nine more years, and emerged with 325 wickets from his 90 Tests. Fitting as it was the last game of any consequence he played should have been for England, it was cruel that the 1984 West Indian assault that proved his time had come took place at Headingley, scene of the his greatest triumph, the famous 8 for 43 that beat Australia in the Botham Test three years before.

Willis, a bony 6ft 6ins with sharp knees and elbows and a cascade of curly brownish-auburn hair, was a rarity among international sportsmen: no athlete in the accepted sense, his only aptitude was bowling, and that mainly through aggression and determination. But Frank Tyson was England's only postwar bowler who was clearly faster; and none, not even Fred Trueman, was a more intimidating sight than Willis as he charged dead straight down his 30-yard approach.

On retirement he moved into the media, and for many years formed a strong partnership with Ian Botham for Sky Sports, and although his laconic style did not suit all, a sharp and humourous individual hid just under the surface. He found himself sidelined from front-line commentary duties in 2006, but he remained part of the team.

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1978


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