West Indian cricket team

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World dominance (1970s and 1980s)

West Indies' woes overflowed into the seventies. At home in 1970–71, they lost to India for the first time. In the next year, a five Test series against New Zealand cricket team ended with no team coming remotely close to winning one. The problem continued to be the bowling. The bowlers who accompanied Sobers in the Test that was lost to India were Vanburn Holder, Grayson Shillingford, Jack Noreiga and Arthur Barrett, which is not the sort of attack that is likely to win Test matches. A major find in the New Zealand series was Lawrence Rowe, who started off with a double century and century on his debut. He was immensely talented but his temperament did not let him go far.

Related Topics:
1970 - 71 - India - New Zealand cricket team - Vanburn Holder - Grayson Shillingford - Jack Noreiga - Arthur Barrett - Lawrence Rowe

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Sobers continued to be the greatest cricketer in the world. Even in the series against India, he had scored three hundreds and a 93. In 1970 he captained a Rest of the World – arguably the greatest team ever assembled – in a five 'Test' series against England. In the first match of the series, he hit 183 and took 6/21 and 2/43. Neville Cardus was impressed enough to write that given a wicketkeeper and, say, Mike Procter, Sobers could defeat the English team on his own. A year later, he captained another similar side to Australia . RoW fell behind early and Sobers faced criticism for spending more time on the golf course than with his players. Sobers responded with an innings of 254 at Melbourne, putting the Australian wonder boy Dennis Lillee in his place while doing so and eventually winning the series. He then landed up in a controversy when he partnered South African captain Ali Bacher in a double wicket tournament in Rhodesia. Some cricket boards, Guyana in particular, demanded his censure. Fed up, he stepped down as the captain and rested himself from the home series against Australia in 1972–73.

Related Topics:
Sobers - 1970 - Neville Cardus - Mike Procter - Melbourne - Dennis Lillee - Ali Bacher - Rhodesia - 1972 - 73

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Under Rohan Kanhai, West Indies showed the first signs of revival. Australia won the closely fought series by two Tests. With Sobers back – but Kanhai still the captain – West Indies defeated England 2–0 in 1973. One spectacular performance was by the new boy Keith Boyce, who hit 72 and took 11 wickets at the Oval. At Lord's, West Indies won by an innings and 226 runs, their biggest win against England. The return series in West Indies ended 1–1, though the home team was clearly the better side. Rowe continued his dream run scoring three centuries including a 302 at Kingston. The final Test of this series marked the ended of an era in West Indies cricket – it was the last Test of both Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai – and the beginning of the most glorious period in their history.

Related Topics:
Rohan Kanhai - England - 1973 - Keith Boyce

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The new captain Clive Lloyd had made his first appearance in Test cricket in 1966 and had since become a fixture in the side. His avuncular appearance and a stoop near the shoulders masked the fact that was a very fine fielder, especially in the covers, and a devastating stroke player. Lloyd's first assignment was the tour of India in 1974–75.

Related Topics:
Clive Lloyd - 1974 - 75

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In the ten years from 1963, hardly one new bowler of note had joined the West Indian team. Finally, the MCC tour of the previous season saw the first appearance of Andy Roberts. He was joined by Michael Holding in 1975–76. Colin Croft and Joel Garner made their debut in the next year, and Malcolm Marshall two years after. In the span of about four years, West Indies brought together a bowling line-up of a quality that had rarely been seen before. The Indian tour saw the debut of Vivian Richards, arguably the finest West Indian batsman ever, and Gordon Greenidge, who never got the credit he deserved because he was an exact contemporary of Richards. The team already had the batsmen Alvin Kallicharran and opener Roy Fredericks in addition to Rowe and Lloyd.

Related Topics:
1963 - MCC - Andy Roberts - Michael Holding - 1975 - 76 - Colin Croft - Joel Garner - Malcolm Marshall - Vivian Richards - Gordon Greenidge - Alvin Kallicharran - Roy Fredericks

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West Indies won the first two Tests against India comfortably. Greenidge started his career with 107 and 93 on his debut. Richards failed in his first Test, but scored 192* in his second. India fought back to win the next two, but Lloyd hit 242* in the final Test to win the series.

Related Topics:
Greenidge - Richards

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West Indies won the inaugural World Cup in England in 1975, defeating Australia in the final. At the end of the year they toured Australia, only to lose 1–5 in the six-Test series. It was mostly impetous and irresponsible batting that lost the series. The Australians bowled bouncers liberally; the batsmen could not restrain themselves but could not clear the long boundaries. The only Test that West Indies won was at Perth. When West Indies started their innings 90 minutes before lunch on the second day; Fredericks hooked the second ball from Lillee for six. In the fourteen overs before lunch, West Indies made 130 for 1, Fredericks 81*. He reached 50 off 33 balls, 100 in 71 and went on score 169.

Related Topics:
1975 - Australia - Australia - Perth - Fredericks - Lillee

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India toured West Indies in early 1976. West Indies won the first Test and nearly lost the second in Port of Spain. The third Test was to be played at Georgetown, but because of heavy rains, it was shifted to Port of Spain. West Indies went in with three spinners, dominated the early part of the match and set India 403 to win in the second innings. The failure of the spinners to stop the Indians from winning led Lloyd to rely completely on his fast bowlers from then on. The immediate result was some nasty bits of bowling in the Kingston Test that followed. The West Indian bowlers, especially Michael Holding, bowled bouncers and, not infrequently, beamers from around the wicket targeting the batsmen. Three batsmen were put in the hospital. India closed their second innings with only five wickets down; West Indies won by ten wickets.

Related Topics:
India - Port of Spain - Georgetown - Kingston - Michael Holding

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England were the next in line. In a TV interview before the series, English captain Tony Greig commented that the West Indies tend to do badly under pressure and that 'we'll make them grovel'. This comment, especially as it came from a South African-born player, touched a raw nerve of the West Indians. Throughout the series, the English batsmen were subjected to some very hostile bowling. After the first two Tests ended in draws, West Indies won the next three. Of the many heroes for West Indies, Richards stood out with 829 runs in four Tests. He hit 232 at Trent Bridge and 291 at the Oval. Greenidge scored three hundreds, two of which were on the difficult wicket at Old Trafford. Roberts and Holding shared 55 wickets between them, Holding's 8 for 92 and 6 for 57 on the dead wicket at the Oval being a superlative effort.

Related Topics:
England - Tony Greig

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West Indies won a home series against a tough Pakistan side in 1976–77. A few months later, the World Series Cricket (WSC) controversy broke out. Most of the West Indian players signed up with Kerry Packer. The Australian team that toured West Indies the next year included no Packer players, but West Indies Cricket Board fielded a full-strength team under the argument that none of the West Indies players had refused to play. But disputes arose in the matter of payment and about the selection of certain players. Before the third Test, Lloyd resigned his captaincy. Within two days all the other WSC-contracted players also withdrew. Alvin Kallicharran captained the team for the remaining Tests.

Related Topics:
1976 - 77 - World Series Cricket - Kerry Packer - Alvin Kallicharran

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WICB allowed the WSC players to appear in the 1979 World Cup. West Indies retained the title with little difficulty. By the end of 1979, the WSC disputes were resolved. Kallicharran was deposed and Lloyd returned as captain.

Related Topics:
1979 World Cup - 1979

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West Indies toured New Zealand in the same season in a series that saw many controversies. New Zealand won the first Test at Dunedin by one wicket, but West Indies were never happy with the umpiring. West Indies discontent boiled over the next Test at Christchurch. While running into bowl, Colin Croft deliberately shouldered the umpire Fred Goodall. When Goodall went to talk to Lloyd about Croft's behaviour, he had to walk all the way too meet the West Indian captain, as the latter did not move an inch from his position at the slips. After tea on the third day, West Indies refused to take the field unless Goodall was removed. They were persuaded to continue, and it took intense negotiations between the two boards to keep the tour on track.

Related Topics:
New Zealand - New Zealand - Dunedin - Christchurch - Colin Croft - Fred Goodall

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The seventies had started and ended with defeats, but it was 15 years before West Indies again lost another Test series. In 27 Test matches between 1982 and 1985, they remained unbeaten; they won 11 Tests in a row during that sequence. The team came to be regarded as one of the all-time great teams, on par with Don Bradman's Invincibles and, later, the Australian team of early 2000s.

Related Topics:
Don Bradman - Invincibles

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In early 1983, a West Indian rebel team toured South Africa. It was led by Lawrence Rowe and included prominent players like Alvin Kallicharran, Colin Croft, Collis King and Sylvester Clarke. WICB banned the players for life (which was later revoked), and some were refused entry back home. However, the rebels managed another tour the next year, which included most of the players of the original team.

Related Topics:
Lawrence Rowe - Alvin Kallicharran - Colin Croft - Collis King - Sylvester Clarke

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A major setback around this time was the loss to India in the final of the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Before the year was out, West Indies had revenge, defeating India 3–0 in a Test series and 5–0 in the one-day series that went with it.

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After the series in India, West Indies hosted Australia, which was weakened by the retirement of some of their prominent players. Australia managed to draw the first two Tests with some difficulty but were blown away in the next three. This was followed by the 1984 tour of England which West Indies won 5–0. It was the first time in sixty years that England was beaten in every match of a series, and it went down in history as the blackwash series. At Leeds, Malcolm Marshall, who had fractured his left hand, came out and batted with one hand to secure a vital first innings lead. He followed this by taking 7 for 53, bowling with his left hand in a bandage. Gordon Greenidge scored two double hundreds in the series, and at times even West Indian tailenders had fun at the expense of English bowlers. In a Texaco Trophy one-day match, which was part of the series, Richards set a new world record by scoring 189 not out.

Related Topics:
Australia - 1984 - Leeds - Malcolm Marshall - Gordon Greenidge - Richards - Not out

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Having won eight matches in a row, West Indies travelled to Australia and extended it to eleven. By the end of the second Test, Australia had lost their captain Kim Hughes, who resigned. West Indies nearly won the fourth Test, which ended with Australia eight wickets down, but unexpectedly lost the final Test by an innings. West Indies bowlers gave away the advantage by bowling short on a slowish wicket and, when West Indies batted Australian spinners, bowled them out twice. Lloyd retired from Test cricket at the end of the series. He captained West Indies in a record 74 Test matches, winning 36 of them.

Related Topics:
Kim Hughes - Lloyd

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Vivian Richards was the natural successor to Lloyd. The England team that toured West Indies in 1985–86 was supposed to be much stronger than the one that lost in 1984. Their South African rebels had since returned and England had regained the Ashes a few months previously. But the series turned out to be even more of a rout, West Indies winning 5–0 again. In his home ground in Antigua, Richards scored a hundred in 56 balls, the fastest ever in Tests. England fared little better when West Indies toured in 1988 , losing 4–0. Marshall took 35 wickets, a record in the matches between the two teams. It was only Pakistan which fought West Indies on something like level terms. Three successive series between the two teams ended in 1–1 draws.

Related Topics:
Vivian Richards - 1985 - 86 - 1984 - Antigua - 1988

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Meanwhile, a change of old guard was also happening. Joel Garner and Michael Holding had retired by 1987. A major find was Curtly Ambrose, who was as tall as Garner and an even better bowler. Courtney Walsh, who made his first appearance in 1984, bowled with an action that resembled Holding. Ian Bishop also had a similar action, and was as good a bowler till injuries interrupted his career. Patrick Patterson was faster than all the rest, but had a short career. Marshall still was the finest fast bowler in the world. It was batting that was beginning to show signs of weakness.

Related Topics:
Joel Garner - Michael Holding - Curtly Ambrose - Courtney Walsh - Ian Bishop - Patrick Patterson

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When West Indies failed in the 1986–87 World Series Cup, it was only the second time (after the 1983 World Cup) that they had to failed a one-day tournament or series that they took part in. They also failed to qualify for the semifinal of the 1987 World Cup.

Related Topics:
1986 - 87 - World Series Cup - 1987 World Cup

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By the end of the eighties West Indies had come a long way down. While still the best team in the world, they had lost the aura of invincibility that they had till the middle of the decade. Finding good replacements for senior players was again becoming a problem. This reached disastrous proportions in the years to follow.

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