Your favorite West Indian fast bowler ever!

Don't think many will disagree that W Indian have produced the GREATEST fast bowlers out of any of the 10 test playing "countries".


My fav is probably Micheal Holding AKA whispering death!
Supremely quick, rhythmical and absolutely devastating on his day. Imran Khan rated Holding as the finest fast bowler of the late 70s-80s era.

I think you can find some of the clips of his performance in ENG in 1976- brilliant stuff on very flat pitches.

Unfortunately I'm too young to have seen the 70s and 80s paceman which means I'll basically have to choose between Walsh and Ambrose.

I'll probably go with Curtly.

Sylvester Clarke, scaring the sh!t out of batsmen whilst sporting a beer belly.

vilkrang wrote:Unfortunately I'm too young to have seen the 70s and 80s paceman which means I'll basically have to choose between Walsh and Ambrose.

I'll probably go with Curtly.

Curtly was great but i felt near the end of his career he was merely putting the ball on a good length and relying almost SOLELY on his stature.

PlanetPakistan wrote:

vilkrang wrote:Unfortunately I'm too young to have seen the 70s and 80s paceman which means I'll basically have to choose between Walsh and Ambrose.

I'll probably go with Curtly.

Curtly was great but i felt near the end of his career he was merely putting the ball on a good length and relying almost SOLELY on his stature.

Could have tossed a coin to be honest, Walsh was awesome as well.

Andy Roberts

We had a Windian at Essex when I watched my first season of county cricket in the 80's called Nobby Philip.

Cool dude.

Marshall. Absolutely terrifying pace when he was younger; swung and cut it both ways at good speed when he was older.

Spot on Rob. Malcolm Marshall easily. Not even close IMHO. He made up for his lack of height with every other weapon a fast bowler could wish for.

Curtly was my 2nd favorite, especially when he got angry.

Current favorite is Jerome Taylor who is reminiscent of the greats of old when he's on song (unfortunately that is only 4/5 times in his entire career so far).

Will you mean 1/5 right?

Gladstone Small.

Maco was undoubtedly the best of them (and a champion bloke too). I loved Ambrose as well (even though he regularly destroyed us).

But for me Joel Garner was the bowling icon of the great West Indian era. When he came in to bowl I used to think "how the fark could anyone actually survive batting against this guy". When the likes of Holding and Walsh came on after him it signalled some respite for the batsman!

He's by far the best JAMODI bowler ever as well.

Definitely Ambrose, partly cause he was massive and terrifying and had a beautiful action, but also cause he's in a reggae band called the big bad dred and the baldhead. I do love me a bit of reggae.

Some are answering "favourite", some appear to be stating "best".

On the second, apple - orange - scuttle - teapot

Marshall was the best, but Holding the most pleasing to watch.

Years ago Hall was good value, a lovable man
He had the guts to pont out to Robert Menzies - Australian PM - that the latter's immigration pokicy would debar the much celebrated West Indians the right to settle in Australia

out of the ones i have seen live - amby. loved his run-up, his wrist bands and the way he raised his arm just before delivery

Mine would be Marshall.

Breathtaking and flawless bowling action, delivery stride, everything was so right about his bowling.

Ambrose also was very very good to watch. So accurate and almost flawless.

Favourite Andy (creature of my time); best in my time Curtley.

The best would be Malcolm Marshall but my favourites were Andy Roberts, Curtley Ambrose & the mighty Queenslander Wes Hall.

Special mention also to the first West Indian fast bowler I ever saw. I had gone to Kensington Oval with horace to watch Barbados play against AA Priestly's touring team. We saw the great Clifford Goodman rip the heart out of Priestly's XI. He was an amazing bowler. I remember every time a batsman would trudge off the field, horrie would put down his gin & tonic, walk over to the fence & yell out "No concept". That season we also saw another outstanding paceman, Joseph "Float" Woods from Trinidad. He also made a mess of Priestly's team.

Good times.

Malcolm Marshall.

For his skill, versatility, sportsmanship and his humour, both on and off the field.

The complete sportsman.

Holding for me. No argument that Marshall was the best, but Holding brought ballet to the cricket.

As someone on this forum commented with regard to the famous picture of Holding kicking a Kiwi stump out of the ground in a moment of pique - "he even spat the dummy gracefully".

Also, since I first heard about him, Manny Martindale has always been a bit of a favourite. It would be nice if there was some decent film footage of him around.

Ambrose for me, saw him basically every week. Can barely remember a spell where he got carted. Such pace, accuracy and hostility. Doubt there'll be one like him again.

amby

Didn't Holding turn down a place on the Olmpics 400m hurdles team?