George Headley

George Headley (born May 30, 1909 in Panama; died November 30, 1983 in Kingston, Jamaica) was a West Indian cricketer. He was taken to Jamaica at the age of ten and went on to become the finest West Indian batsman of the 1930s and 1940s. He has a career batting average in Test cricket of an exceptional 60.83, the third highest of any player and behind only Sir Donald Bradman and Graeme Pollock.

Related Topics:
May 30 - 1909 - Panama - November 30 - 1983 - Kingston - Jamaica - West Indian - Cricket - Batting average - Test cricket - Donald Bradman - Graeme Pollock

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Headley played mainly off of the back foot, yet he was an attacking batsman; a fine cutter and a powerful driver. He played in the first ever test match on West Indian soil in 1929/30 and went on to score an exceptional aggregate of 703 runs in the series at an average of 87.87, including four centuries. In 1948 he became the first black man to captain the West Indies, and in his final appearance in January 1954 he set a record as the oldest West Indian test cricketer (44 years and 236 days) which is unlikely to be beaten.

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Headley was an excellent fielder and occasional leg-break bowler. His son Ron Headley appeared in two test matches for the West Indies in 1973 and his grandson Dean Headley played fifteen test matches and thirteen one day internationals for England in the late 1990s.

Related Topics:
Ron Headley - Dean Headley

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