West Indies cricket team

West Indies
Flag of the West Indies Cricket Board
Test status granted	1928
First Test match	v England at Lord's, London, 23–26 June 1928
Captain	Chris Gayle
Coach	Ottis Gibson
Official ICC Test and ODI ranking	8th (Test), 8th (ODI) [1]
Test matches - This year	462 0
Last Test match	v Australia at the WACA Ground, Perth, Australia, 16 December - 20 December 2009
Wins/losses - This year	152/152 0/0
As of 20 January 2010

Learie Constantine was one of the first great West Indian players. He played Test cricket in the 1920s and 1930s. He later became active in politics, was the first High Commissioner from Trinidad and Tobago to the UK, and entered the House of Lords as Baron Constantine of Maraval and Nelson.

The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies that form the British West Indies and non-British dependencies.

From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s the West Indies team was one of the strongest in the world in both Test and One Day International cricket. A number of cricketers considered among the best in the world have hailed from the West Indies; Sir Garfield Sobers, Lance Gibbs, Gordon Greenidge, George Headley, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and Everton Weekes have all been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame,^[1] while world-record holders Brian Lara and Sir Viv Richards were both West Indies Test players.^[2][3] As of 19 June 2009, the West Indian team has played 457 Test matches, winning 33.26%, losing 32.38% and drawing 34.13% of its games.^[4]

The West Indies have won the ICC Cricket World Cup twice in 1975 and 1979, the ICC Champions Trophy once in 2004 and have been runners up in the Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2004 and have been semi finalist in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009.

History

The history of the West Indies cricket team began in the 1890s, when the first representative sides were selected to play visiting English sides. The WICB joined the sport's international ruling body, the Imperial Cricket Conference, in 1926,^[5] and played their first official international match, granted Test status, in 1928^[6] thus becoming the fourth Test nation. Although blessed with some great players in their early days as a Test nation, their successes remained sporadic until the 1960s, by which time the side had changed from a white-dominated to a black-dominated side. By the 1970s, the West Indies had a side recognised as unofficial world champions, a reputation they retained throughout the 1980s.^[7] During these glory years, the Windies were noted for their four-man fast bowling attack, backed up by some of the best batsmen in the world. The 1980s saw them set a then-record streak of 11 consecutive Test victories in 1984 and inflict two 5–0 "blackwashes" against the old enemy of England. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, however, West Indian cricket declined, largely due to the failure of the West Indian Cricket Board to move the game from an amateur pastime to a professional sport coupled with the general economic decline in West Indian countries, and the team today is struggling to regain its past glory. The West Indies are currently ranked 8th out of the 10 Test playing nations, and 7th in the one-day international rankings, which likewise only cover the 10 Test playing nations.^[8]

In their early days in the 1930s, the side represented the British colonies of the West Indies Federation plus British Guiana. The current side represents:

Independent nations

•  Antigua and Barbuda
•  Barbados
•  Dominica
•  Grenada
•  Guyana
•  Jamaica
•  Saint Kitts and Nevis
•  Saint Lucia
•  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
•  Trinidad and Tobago

British dependencies

•  Anguilla
•  Montserrat
•  British Virgin Islands

Other overseas dependencies

•  U.S. Virgin Islands
• Saint Martin (Combined island of Sint Maarten & Saint Martin) ^[9]

National teams also exist for the various different islands, which, as they are all separate countries, very much keep their local identities and support their local favourites. These national teams take part in the West Indian first-class competition, the Carib Beer Cup (earlier known as the Busta Cup, Shell Shield and various other names).^[10] It is also common for other international teams to play the island teams for warm-up games before they take on the combined West Indies team.

Flag

Most cricketing nations use their own national flags for cricketing purposes. However, as the West Indies represent a number of independent and dependent states, there is no natural choice of flag. The WICB has therefore developed an insignia showing a palm tree and cricket stumps on a small sunny island. This insignia, on a maroon background, makes up the West Indian flag. The background sometimes has a white stripe above a green stripe, which is separated by a maroon stripe, passing horizontally through the middle of the background.^[11]

Venues

George Headley's batting average of 60.83 over 22 Tests played in the 1930s to 1950s, is the third highest average of players who played at least 20 Test innings and have completed their careers. Sir Donald Bradman's 99.94 and Graeme Pollock's 60.97 are higher

The following eleven stadia have been used for at least one Test match.^[12] The number of Tests played at each venue followed by the number of one-day internationals and twenty20 internationals played at that venue is in brackets:

Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados (45/28/1)

Recognised as the 'Mecca' of West Indies cricket, Kensington Oval hosted the region's first Test match in 1930. It also played host to the first-ever Test triple century, Andy Sandham's 325. Its capacity has been increased from 15,000 to its current 28,000 for the 2007 World Cup. It hosted the World Cup final.

Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad (56/56/2)

The Queen's Park Oval first hosted a Test match in 1930. It has a capacity of 25,000.

Bourda in Georgetown, Guyana (30/11)

Bourda first hosted a Test match in 1930. It is the only Test ground in South America, and the only one below sea level. It has a capacity of around 22,000.

Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica (44/29)

Sabina Park first hosted a Test match in 1930. The Blue Mountains, which are famed for their coffee, form the backdrop. Sabina Park played host to Garry Sobers' then world-record 365 not out. In 1998 the Test against England was abandoned here on the opening day because the pitch was too dangerous. It has a capacity of 15,000.

Antigua Recreation Ground in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda (22/11)

Antigua Recreation Ground first hosted a Test in 1981. Three Test triple centuries have been scored on this ground: Chris Gayle's 317 in 2005, and Brian Lara's world record scores of 375 in 1994 and 400 not out in 2004. The historic stadium was removed from the roster of grounds hosting international matches in June 2006, in order to make way for the island's new cricket stadium, being constructed 3 miles outside the capital city expected to be completed in time for its hosting of matches for Cricket World Cup 2007. However, after the abandoned test match between England and the West Indies in February 2009 at the new North Sound ground, test cricket returned to the ARG.

Arnos Vale Ground in Arnos Vale, Kingstown, St Vincent (2/20)

The Arnos Vale Ground first hosted a Test in 1997.

National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada (2/16)

The National Cricket Stadium first hosted a Test in 2002.

Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia (3/17)

The Beausejour Stadium first hosted a Test in 2003. It has a capacity of 12,000. This was the first stadium in the Caribbean to host a day-night cricket match. The match was between the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis (1/10/1)

The Warner Park Sporting Complex hosted its first one day international on 23 May 2006 and its first test match on 22 June 2006. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 8,000, with provisions for temporary stands to enable the hosting figure to past 10,000.

Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana (1/10)

The Providence Stadium hosted its first one day international on 28 March 2007 for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and its first test match on 22 March 2008. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 15,000, and is to host test cricket instead of Bourda.

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda (2/6)

The Sir Viv Richards Stadium hosted its first one day international on 27 March 2007 for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and its first test match on 30 May 2008. The stadium has a permanent capacity of 10,000, and is to host test cricket instead of the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Four further stadia have been used for one-day internationals,^[13] but not Test matches. The number of one-day internationals played at each venue is in brackets:

• Albion Sports Complex in Albion, Berbice, Guyana (5)
• Mindoo Philip Park in Castries, St Lucia (2)
• The old ground of Queen's Park in St George's, Grenada (1)

Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau, Dominica (2)

Windsor Park is another major cricket ground in the West Indies and home venue for the West Indian team. Construction first started on it in 2005, and it finally opened in October 2007, too late to serve as a venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It hosts first-class cricket but is yet to host its first test, however it held its first one day international on 26 July 2009. It has a seating capacity of 12,000.

Colours

Viv Richards, who has a Test batting average of 50.23 from 121 matches, captained the West Indies from 1983-84 to 1991, a period throughout which the Windies were the best Test match side in the world

When playing one-day cricket, the Windies wear a maroon shirt, with grey around the sides. The shirt also sports the logo of the West Indian Cricket Board and the name of their sponsors, at present, Digicel. The one-day cap is maroon with the WICB logo on the left of the front, with two yellow stripes separated by a green stripe running vertically on the right of the front.

When playing first-class cricket, in addition to their cricket whites, West Indian fielders sometimes wear a sunhat, which is maroon and has a wide brim. The WICB logo is on the middle of the front of the hat. Helmets are coloured similarly.

During World Series Cricket, colour uniforms were adopted. The initial West Indies uniform was pink. Later, the uniform was changed to maroon to match their test match caps. Grey was also added as a secondary colour. In some of their uniforms grey has been dominant over the traditional maroon.

West Indian women's cricket team

The West Indian women's cricket team has a much lower profile than the men's team. They played 11 Test matches between 1975-76 and 1979, winning once, losing three times, and drawing the other games. Since then, they have only played one further Test match, a draw game against Pakistan in 2003-04.^[14] They also have an infrequent record in one-day internationals. A team from Trinidad and Tobago and a team from Jamaica played in the first women's World Cup in 1973, with both sides faring poorly, finishing fifth and sixth respectively out of a field of seven.^[15] The Windies united as a team to play their first ODI in 1979, but thereafter did not play until the 1993 World Cup. The side has never been one of the leading sides in the world, however, with their main success being achieving second place in the International Women's Cricket Council Trophy, a competition for the second tier of women's national cricket teams, in 2003. They finished in fifth place in the most recent World Cup, which was held in 2004-05. Their overall record in one-dayers is to have played 45, won 17, lost 27 with one no result.^[16]

Because of the women's side's relatively low profile, there are few well-known names in the game. The most notable is probably Nadine George, a wicket-keeper/batsman, who became the first, and to date only, West Indian woman to score a Test century, in Karachi, Pakistan in 2003-04. George is a prominent supporter of sport in the West Indies, and in particular in her native St Lucia, and in 2005 was made an MBE by HRH The Prince of Wales for services to sport.^[17]

Statistics and records

Test matches

Innings totals above 700

For: 790 for 3 declared against Pakistan in Kingston in 1957-58; 751 for 5 declared against England in St John's in 2003-04; 747 all out against South Africa in St John's in 2004-05; 749 for 9 declared against England in Bridgetown in 2008-2009
Against: 849 by England in Kingston in 1929-30; 758 for 8 declared by Australia in Kingston in 1954-55

Innings totals below 60

For: 47 against England in Kingston in 2003-04; 51 against Australia in Port of Spain in 1998-99; 53 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986-87; 54 against England at Lord's in 2000
Against: 46 by England in Port of Spain in 1993-94; 51 by England in Kingston in 2008-09

Triple centuries scored for the Windies

400 not out by Brian Lara against England at St John's in 2003-04; 375 by Brian Lara against England at St John's in 1993-94; 365 not out by Garry Sobers against Pakistan at Kingston in 1957-58; 317 by Chris Gayle against South Africa at St John's in 2004-05; 302 by Lawrence Rowe against England at Bridgetown in 1973-74

Twelve or more wickets taken for the Windies in a Test match

14 for the cost of 149 runs by Michael Holding against England at the Oval in 1976; 13 for 55 by Courtney Walsh against New Zealand in Wellington in 1994-95; 12 for 121 by Andy Roberts against India in Madras in 1974-75

Hat-Tricks

Wes Hall against Pakistan in 1959; Lance Gibbs against Australia in 1961; Courtney Walsh against Australia in 1988; and Jermaine Lawson against Australia in 2003

One day matches

Hat-trick

The first and only ever ODI hat-trick performance was made by Jerome Taylor on 19 October 2006 at Mumbai in an ICC Champions Trophy league match against Australia.^[18]

Twenty20 matches

The West Indies have played eleven twenty20 internationals, the first against New Zealand being the first tie to ever take place. The West Indies however lost on a bowl-out.

The second match was played against England at the Oval, and was the West Indies first victory in this format, by 15 runs. They lost the return match, also at the Brit Oval, by five wickets.

Their fourth and fifth matches came in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa; both were lost as they were beaten by hosts South Africa and Bangladesh.

The West Indies split their sixth and seventh games with South Africa, winning the first by five wickets in December 2007 and falling away on 18 January 2008.

The eighth match was with Australia and had to be reduced to 11 overs per side on 20 June 2008. West Indies won the match by 7 wickets. This match was also the first ever Twenty20 international held in the West Indies.

The West Indies drew a 2 match series against New Zealand, the first match was a tie in Auckland with WI winning the subsequent elimination overs (meant to replace the bowl-out) and then the second match was lost by 36 runs in Hamilton.^[19]

The eleventh match was played against England on 15 March 2009 in the second Twenty20 international held in the WI. West Indies won the match by 6 wickets.

World T20 2009

After losing to Bangladesh and hosts South Africa in the inaugural World T20 in 2007 which made them bow out in the first round, the team was led by Chris Gayle for second edition of World T20 held from 5 June 2009 to 21 June 2009 in England.

Placed in Group C with Australia and Sri Lanka, the unseeded Windies advanced to a semi-final slot before losing to Sri Lanka.

Warm-up Matches

The team played their warm-up matches against Scotland, Ireland (twice) and England between 28 May and 3 June 2009. They won the matches against Scotland and Ireland and lost to England.

Personnel

This lists all the players who have played for the West Indies in the past year, and the forms in which they have played. During the tour of the West Indies by Bangladesh the West Indies Players Association staged a strike, leading to the WICB fielding an alternative side, captained by Floyd Reifer. This was largely made up of players who were either making their international debut, or had not played for the West Indies for a number of years. The WICB then continued with the squad of reserve players for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

Key

• S/N Shirt number
• ¹ Called up during player strike, had not played in the format for the West Indies in the year prior to the tour.
• ² Called up during the player strike, had also played in the format for the West Indies in the year prior to the tour.

Coach

• Ottis Gibson

He was appointed the coach of the team in February 2010 and then called for the team to be unified and loyal to their country.^[20]

Captains of the Test side

and

The following men have captained the West Indian cricket team in at least one Test match:

Courtney Walsh, who captained the Windies between 1993-94 and 1997-98.

Note: ¹ Jackie and Rolph Grant were brothers

Tournament history and honours

World Cup

(this is the leading international one-day tournament, held approximately every four years since 1975)

• 1975: Champions
• 1979: Champions
• 1983: Runners up
• 1987: First round
• 1992: First round (6th place)
• 1996: Semi Final
• 1999: First round
• 2003: First round
• 2007: Super Eight stage (6th place)

ICC World Twenty20

• 2007: First Round
• 2009: Semi-Final

ICC Champions Trophy

(this is the only other one-day tournament featuring all the top international cricket teams, held every two years since 1998; known as the "ICC Knockout" in 1998 and 2000)

• 1998: Runners up
• 2000: First round
• 2002: First round
• 2004: Champions
• 2006: Runners up
• 2009: First Round

World Championship of Cricket

• 1985: Third place

See also

• West Indies Cricket Board
• West Indies women's cricket team
• West Indies A cricket team
• Cricket in the West Indies

Notes and references

External links

• West Indies Cricket Forum - News and Discussion
• WindiesFans.com Portal site for West Indies cricket fans
• West Indies Players Association
• West Indies Cricket Board
• West Indies vs Zimbabwe Cricket Series 2007
• CaribbeanCricket.com Independent news/discussion site on West Indies cricket
• Westindies Cricketers
• Windies Online - All For West Indies Cricket