Courtney Walsh facts for kids
Courtney Walsh in 2018
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| Full name |
Courtney Andrew Walsh
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| Born | 30 October 1962 Kingston, Jamaica |
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| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 183) | 9 November 1984 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 19 April 2001 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 45) | 10 January 1985 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 11 January 2000 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 12, 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981/82–2000/01 | Jamaica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1998 | Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 21 August 2008
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Courtney Andrew Walsh OJ (born 30 October 1962) is a former cricket player from Jamaica. He played for the West Indies from 1984 to 2001. He even led the team as captain in 22 Test matches.
Walsh was a fast bowler and is known as one of the best ever. He formed a famous bowling team with Curtly Ambrose for many years. Walsh played 132 Test matches and 205 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the West Indies. He took 519 wickets in Tests and 227 in ODIs. He was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket history. His autobiography is called "Heart of the Lion". In 1987, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He was also added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.
Contents
Early Cricket Days
Courtney Andrew Walsh was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 30, 1962. He started playing cricket at the Melbourne club, the same place where Michael Holding played. In 1979, he became famous in school cricket by taking 10 wickets in one innings.
Three years later, he played his first professional cricket match, known as first-class cricket. He played 427 first-class matches between 1981 and 2001. During this time, he took 1,807 wickets. He also achieved 104 five-wicket hauls and 20 ten-wicket hauls. Walsh played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (Gloucestershire CCC) from 1985 to 1998.
International Cricket Career
Walsh made his first Test match appearance against Australia in Perth in 1984. He took 2 wickets in that game. He played six Test matches during the 1984–85 season. He also made his One Day International (ODI) debut against Sri Lanka in 1985.
In 1987, Walsh was recognized as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. This was for his great performance the year before.
Key Matches and Partnerships
In the 1987–88 season, Walsh played four Test matches against India. He took 26 wickets in these games. In one match, he took six wickets for 67 runs. He also took five wickets for 54 runs in another innings.
During the 1987 Cricket World Cup, Walsh showed great sportsmanship. He chose not to run out Saleem Jaffar of Pakistan, even though it meant the West Indies lost the match. This act of fairness was widely praised.
In 1988, Walsh took a special hat-trick against Australia. He dismissed one player with the last ball of the first innings. Then, he got two more players out with his first two balls in the second innings. This was at the Brisbane Cricket Ground.
In the 1990s, his partnership with Curtly Ambrose was one of the best in world cricket. They were a very strong bowling team.
Walsh's Bowling Style
Early in his career, Walsh was a "stock" bowler. This meant he bowled a lot of overs to help other famous bowlers like Marshall and Garner. After they retired, Walsh became the main opening bowler.
He was known for being very accurate and strong. He used his height (about 198 cm or six-foot-six) to make the ball bounce high. Even as he got older, he kept taking many wickets. Teams often tried to defend against him and Ambrose, and attack the other bowlers.
Walsh played his last ODI match against New Zealand in 2000. His final Test match was against South Africa in his home country, Jamaica, in 2001.
Walsh is one of only seven bowlers to have bowled over 5000 overs in Test cricket. He is also one of only seven bowlers to have taken 500 or more Test wickets. In ODIs, he had a memorable performance, taking 5 wickets for just 1 run against Sri Lanka in 1986.
Batting and Sportsmanship
Walsh was not known for his batting skills. His highest score was 30 in both Test and ODI matches. Crowds would often cheer loudly when he came out to bat. This was either to encourage him or to tease the other team.
One of his most important moments with the bat happened in 1999. He stayed with Brian Lara during a crucial last-wicket stand. This helped the West Indies win the match against Australia.
Walsh is also famous for his sportsmanship. In the 1987 World Cup, he chose not to run out Saleem Jaffar of Pakistan. This decision cost the West Indies the match and a spot in the semi-finals. But it showed his fair play.
After retiring, Walsh became a regular player for the Lashings World XI. In 2004, he was named one of Jamaica's five greatest cricketers ever.
Records and Achievements
In December 1986, Walsh took 5 wickets in an ODI match against Sri Lanka while giving away only one run. This was his only five-wicket haul in ODIs.
In February 1998, he played his 100th Test match against England. In 2000, Walsh became the bowler with the most wickets in Test cricket. He broke the record of 434 wickets held by Kapil Dev. Walsh achieved this in his 114th match.
He was also the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket history. He did this against South Africa in 2001. Throughout his Test career, Walsh and Curtly Ambrose formed one of the greatest bowling partnerships. They shared 421 wickets in 49 matches.
Walsh's record of 519 wickets in Test cricket was later broken by Muttiah Muralitharan in 2004.
While he was a great bowler, Walsh holds the record for the most "ducks" (getting out without scoring any runs) in Test cricket, with 43. He also held the record for the most "not outs" (61 times) until 2017.
Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODI matches. He took 519 wickets in Tests and 227 in ODIs. He had 22 five-wicket hauls in Tests and one in ODIs. He also holds the record for the best bowling figures by a captain in a Test match, taking 13 wickets for 55 runs.
Retirement from Playing
Courtney Walsh's Test career lasted over seventeen years. He bowled more than 5000 overs and took 519 wickets. Cricket experts say he was "one of the most admired cricketers of recent times."
He played his last Test match against South Africa in April 2001. The West Indies won that match. In ODIs, he took 227 wickets. His last ODI was in January 2000 against New Zealand.
Former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd said that young fast bowlers should try to be like Walsh. Former all-rounder Garry Sobers praised Walsh's dedication and effort.
After Playing Cricket
After retiring as a player, Walsh worked as a selector for the West Indies national cricket team. In August 2016, he became the bowling coach for Bangladesh. His contract ended after the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Courtney Walsh owns a restaurant in Jamaica called Cuddyz. In November 2019, he was appointed as the assistant coach for the West Indies women's cricket team.
Coaching Career
Walsh was the bowling coach for the Bangladesh national cricket team from September 2016. In February 2018, he became the interim head coach for Bangladesh. His first tournament as head coach was the 2018 Nidahas Trophy.
In October 2020, he was named the head coach of the West Indies women's national cricket team. His contract was not renewed after the 2023 T20 World Cup.
Awards and Honors
Walsh was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1987. The cricket book Wisden noted his different bowling speeds and his accurate style. He was also chosen as one of the West Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year in 1988. In 2004, he was named one of Jamaica's greatest cricketers ever.
In October 2010, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He joined other famous West Indian players like Joel Garner.
See also
- List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Courtney Walsh
