Famous Windies Cricket Captains Quiz

Answer: Sir Frank Worrell

Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell also known as "Tae" was born in St. Michael, Barbados, but spent his latter years in Jamaica. Worrell made his cricket debut in 1947-48. His highest Test score is 261 runs. Career statistics in Tests include 51 matches with 3860 runs and a batting average of 49.48.

He bowled 7141 balls and took 69 wickets with a bowling average of 38.72. In 1962, when the captain of a touring India team, Nari Contractor sustained a head injury. Worrell donated blood to save his life.

This act of generosity motivated the Cricket Association of Bengal to initiate a blood donation drive on February 3rd each year (the day of the incident), in honor of Sir Frank Worrell. Later, in Trinidad and Tobago, another agency started the "Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Blood drive".

This new project was inaugurated by Contactor himself. Sadly, Worrell died of leukemia at age 42. Some of Worrell's achievements included knighthood for outstanding cricket services, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1951, Warden of Irvin Hall at the University of The West Indies, and appointment to the Jamacian Senate. Since the 1960s, the winner of matches between West Indies and Australia is awarded the Frank Worrell Trophy.

He captained the Windies in the historic 'Tied Test' in Brisbane in 1961, and was captain 1960-1963 (15 Tests, 9 wins 3 losses, 3 draws, including 1 tie).

Answer: Sir Garfield Sobers

The Hon. Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, aka "Garry" and "king cricket", was born on July 28th, 1936. This left-hander started playing cricket as a child and continued throughout his teens playing in the Barbados Cricket League (BCL) and Barbados Cricket Association (BCA). Sobers made his first-class debut at age 16.

His career statistics in Test matches include 8032 runs in 93 matches, with a batting average of 57.78 and a record high score of 365. He bowled 21,599 balls and took 235 wickets. He took 6 wickets in one innings 6 times (39 Tests, 9 wins 10 losses, 20 draws).

Answer: Rohan Kanhai

Rohan Kanhai was born on December 26, 1935. He was a right-hand Indo-Guyanese of Pourt Mourant Berbice. He was noted for his 'falling hook' shot. His career statistics include a total of 6227 runs in 79 Test matches with a batting average of 47.53 runs. Kanhai captained the team following Sobers from 1972 to 1974 (13 Tests, 3 wins 3 losses, 7 draws).

Answer: Clive Lloyd CBE

Clive Hubert Lloyd, Commander of the British Empire (CBE), is a son of Guyana's soil, born on August 31st, 1944 in British Guiana, now the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. In Lloyd's day, almost every Guyanese boy was the proud owner of a locally made cricket bat and could be seen playing cricket in the less busy streets and vacant lots. Some of them used cardboard boxes for wickets.
Lloyd's debut in Test cricket was in 1966. His career statistics in Test cricket include 110 matches with 7515 runs and a batting average of 46.67. His highest score was 242 runs. He hit a total of 77 sixes in his Test career. Also a right-arm medium-pace bowler, Lloyd bowled 1716 Test balls with a bowling average of 62.20 runs. In 1971, Lloyd was Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
As captain of the side, Lloyd saw his team achieve international dominance. He was the first West Indian captain to obtain more than 100 international caps
(74 Tests, 36 wins, 12 losses, 26 draws,the most tests as captain).
Status post retirement, Lloyd engaged in managing, coaching, and commentating cricket. He was a match referee from 2001 to 2006.

Answer: Sir Vivian Richards

Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNG, OBE (born St John's, Antigua on 7 March 1952) was commonly known as "Viv Richards". He was an excellent fielder and worthy off-spin bowler but it was his batting skills that made him famous. In 2000, he was declared by Wisden as the greatest batsman of all time in ODI and the third greatest batsman of all time in Test cricket. Sir Viv made his Test debut in 1974.

His Test career statistics include 8540 runs in 121 matches, with a batting average of 50.2 runs.

He scored a total of 24 Test centuries which included the fastest Test century, being made off 56 balls only. He hit 84 Test sixes and his highest score was 291. As captain, he won 27 of 50 matches and was the only West Indies captain who never lost a series (50 Tests, 27 wins 8 losses, 15 draws).

Answer: Desmond Haynes

Desmond Haynes was born on February 15, 1956 in Barbados. Haynes's record of 1 win, 1 loss and 2 draws (from 1989 to 1991) is not impressive, but his batting exploits with Gordon Greenidge are legendary. He played 116 Tests, scoring 7487 runs including 18 centuries. He also played 238 One Day Internationals, scoring 8648 runs with 17 centuries (4 Tests, 1 win, 1 loss, 2 draws).

Answer: Courtney Walsh

Courtney Andrew Walsh was born October 30, 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica. His debut in Test cricket was in 1984. With respect to his career Test statistics, in 132 matches Walsh bowled 30,019 balls, took 519 wickets, and had a bowling average of 24.44. He had a total of 22 5-wicket innings and 3 10-wicket macthes. Walsh is one of only four bowlers to have ever bowled over 5000 overs in Test cricket.

He is also one of the only bowlers to have taken 500 or more Test wickets. On the lighter side, Walsh was obviously not famous for his batting (batting average of 7.54).

Whenever the West Indies team required a few runs to win a match, and Walsh was seen approaching the wicket bat in hand, you could hear a pin fall amongst West Indian cricket fans. Walsh set a record for the most "ducks". Each ball he faced without being out was greeted with loud cheers by fans. Being the gentleman he was, he'd just smile. If by chance he struck a 4, the crowd went wild.

However, when Walsh was dismissed for zero, the disappointment amongst fans was short-lived, for soon Walsh would return to open the bowling and shouts of "Umpire" and "How is he" permeated the atmosphere.

He opened the bowling attack with a vengeance. As the Jamaicans would say, "Pace like fiah" (22 Tests, 6 wins 7 losses, 9 draws).

Answer: The Hon Brian Charles Lara

Brian Charles Lara was born on May 2nd 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. His training in batting technique started at the age of 6 yrs old. By age 14, Lara had already scored 745 runs in schoolboys' league with an average of 126.16 per innings.

His career statistics in Test matches include 11,953 runs in a resounding 131 Test matches with an average score of 52.88 (47 Tests, 10 wins, 26 losses, 7 draws).

Answer: Carl Llewellyn Hooper

Carl Llewellyn Hooper was born on December 15, 1966 in Guyana's capital, Georgetown. He was a right-hand batsman and off-spin bowler, also an excellent fielder and catcher. He was the first cricketer in the world to score 5000 runs, take 100 wickets, hold 100 catches and receive 100 caps in ODI and Tests. Hooper's Test debut was in December 1987 against India.

His career Test statistics include 5762 runs in 120 matches with a batting average of 36.46. He scored 13 Test centuries with a top score of 233.

In the span of his Test career, he bowled 13,794 balls and took 114 wickets with a bowling avarage of 47.42 which included four 5-wicket hauls (22 Tests, 4 wins, 11 losses, 7 draws).

Answer: Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, aka "The Tiger," was born on August 16, 1974 in Berbice Guyana. He is a left-hand batsman with a right-arm leg break. Shivnarine captained the team between 2004 and 2006. His Test match statistics include 123 matches with a total of 8669 runs and a batting average of 48.70. He captained from 2004-2006 (14 Tests, 1 win, 10 losses, 3 draws).