The West Indies cricket team has a strong tradition in the sport. Made up of fifteen Caribbean territories, the WINDIES as they are known, have dominated the cricket scene for years.
From the late 1970’s until the early 1990’s it was said that the best cricket players from the world hailed from the West Indies. Some of the accolades achieved by the region are: ICC Cricket World Cup twice (1975 and 1979), the ICC T20 World Cup twice (2012 and 2016), the ICC Champions Trophy (2004). The West Indies appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals (1975, 1979 and 1983), and were the first team to win back-to-back World Cups (1975 and 1979).
While not a ranking per-say, here is a list of 20 great West Indies cricket players from the multi-national team. Many on the list are considered some of the best batsman and bowlers of their eras. Here are 20 great West Indies cricket players!
Evin Lewis
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Evin Lewis was a champion all the way back with Trinidad & Tobago’s Under-19 side in 2008. Already a top scorer in the Champions League for his home country in 2013, some of Lewis records include: 4th highest career strike rate at the T20 with 157.58, 5th most sixes in an inning (12) at the T20, and 7th in most runs in an inning at batting position (125).
Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle is a beast from all points of view. The towering Jamaican has 7,215 runs in 103 test matches. Over 10,000 runs in 301 ODI matches, and helped the West Indies claim a World T20 title in 2012. Gayle will go down in history as the best West Indies cricket player of the decade.
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai was the first Indian-origin cricketer to captain the West Indies, and was one of the best batsman in the 1960s. Kanhai scored 6,227 runs in the 79 Test matches. In the ODIs he had 164 runs in an at bat average of 54.66.
Jeffrey Dujon
Jeffrey Dujon was double trouble for the opposition as he could bowl and was a very good batsman. Dujon was a very a Wicket-keeper, and as a batsman, he scored five Test centuries. Known for his pace and energy, Dujon will not be soon forgotten.
Charlie Griffith
Charlie Griffith was a fast bowler, and was also known for going the distance, taking on a lot of wickets. Griffith played 96 matches with 332 wickets in the Caribbean.
Ian Bishop
Ian Bishop was one of the best bowlers of his generation, with his great outswing, and used his tall frame as a way to get more bounce on his deliveries. Unfortunately, a severe back injury halted his career but fans remember him fondly.
Michael Holding
Michael Holding is considered to be the fastest bowler of all-time, with the nickname the “Whispering Death” because no one can see him coming. In 60 test matches he had 249 wickets for an average of 24. At the ODI level he had 142 wickets at 21 bowling average.
Sir Everton Weekes
Sir Everton Weekes was one of the “Big 3” along with Clyde Walcott and Frank Worrell. On his own Weekes was a very good attacking option, scoring over 4,000 runs for an at bat average of 59.
Joel Garner
The man known as “Big Bird”. Joel Garner was a fearsome seam bowler in his era of the 1980s. Garner had a low average of just 20.97, showcasing the difficulty batsman had to score runs on him.
Desmond Haynes
Desmond Haynes was a beast when matches started and was a batter who was in it for the long haul. Known for his timing and his power he was fearsome when batting.
George Headley
George Headley was a jewel from the West Indies after World War Two as many observers labeled him as one of the best of that era. Headley had an influential attacking style which many batsmen use until this day, in 40 innings he scored 10 hundreds and five half centuries.
Sir Curtly Ambrose
Sir Curtly Ambrose was Mr. Accuracy when it came to bowling. In his Test career he played 98 matches and took 405 wickets, in ODI he had 225 wickets from 176 matches.
Sir Frank Worrell
Sir Frank Worrell was the first black captain of the multi-national team, and from 1961 to 1963 he captained the West Indies team. Worrell was known for his graceful stroke and was a part of the three W combination with Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Clyde Walcott.
Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd was known for his ability to read the game, Llyod was the captain of the West Indies teams from 1975 until 1984. Considered a powerful middle-order batsman, using his raw power.
Sir Garfield Sobers
Sir Garry Sobers was one of the best all-around cricket players of all-time. He was a great middle-order batsman, a great bowler, and a graceful infielder. In 93 Test matches Sobers made 8,032 runs.
Malcolm Marshall
Malcolm Marshall was one of the best bowlers of the 1980s, being able to use his pace, and a perfect swing on the ball. Marshall had a Test bowler average of 20.94, 376 wickets in 81 Test matches, and in ODI he has 157 wickets for an average of 26.96.
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh was a part of the one-two punch with Sir Curtly Ambrose that tore opponents apart. Walsh was a strong Test bowler placing 500 wickets in 2000 and recording a record at the ODI format for 227 wickets.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was an all-around great player in the three formats. Chanderpaul is the West Indies player with the second most runs by a batsman at 11,867. At the ODI level he scored 8,778 runs, 59 half- centuries, and 11 centuries.
Brian Lara
Known as the “Prince of Trinidad”, Brian Lara is considered one of the greatest batsman ever. Lara played international cricket for 17 years, known for his quick feet and powerful batting. Lara holds the record for most runs at 11,912 and captained the West Indies three times in his career.
Sir Vivian Richards
Vivian Richards is considered by many the greatest cricket player of all time from the West Indies. Captain of the national team in their glory years from 1984 - 1991. Sir Viv as he is known, was as tough as they came, he never lost a Test series as captain of the West Indies. Richards was a middle-order batsman and scored 8,540 runs including 26 centuries in his career.