Neil Williams (cricketer) facts for kids

Neil Fitzgerald Williams (born July 2, 1962 – died March 27, 2006) was a talented English cricketer. He played first-class cricket for many years. He was known for playing with both the Middlesex and Essex teams. During his career, he took 675 wickets and scored 4,457 runs. He was a right-arm fast-medium bowler and a right-handed batter.

Life and Career in Cricket

Williams was born in St Vincent, an island in the Caribbean. He moved to Britain when he was 13 years old. He started his cricket journey as a Young Professional with the MCC.

He joined the Middlesex team in 1982. When he first arrived at Lord's, a famous cricket ground, he was very religious. Because of his beliefs, he initially chose not to play on Sundays.

Neil was a fast bowler. He was very accurate and could make the ball swing away from the batter. He was a very important player for Middlesex. He helped them win the County Championship four times. These wins were in 1982, 1985, 1990, and 1993. He also won the 1983 Benson & Hedges Cup and the 1992 Sunday League.

In 1995, Neil moved to play for the Essex team. He played there until 1998. He also played three seasons for the Windward Islands team. He spent one season with the Tasmania team in Australia in 1983–84.

Playing for England

Neil Williams was called to play for the England Test team in 1990. This happened for the last Test match of the year against India. Another player, Chris Lewis, had to pull out.

In this match, Williams took 2 wickets for 148 runs. His wickets included famous players like Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin. On the second evening of the game, he was sent in as a nightwatchman. This is when a bowler or lower-order batter goes out to bat late in the day. Their job is to protect the main batters from getting out. Neil did a great job and scored 38 runs.

England had to bat again after India's big score. The English batters played carefully to make sure the match ended in a draw. Because of this, Williams did not get another chance to bat or bowl. He was never called up to play for England again. This meant he ended his Test career with a better batting average than Michael Atherton, who played many more Tests for England. He also had a better bowling average and the same number of Test wickets.

What people said about Neil

Mike Brearley, his first captain at Middlesex, said Neil was a "modest, unassuming person." He added that Neil "always did his absolute best for the team." Christopher Martin-Jenkins, a cricket writer, called him a "courteous, friendly man." He said Neil believed in "fair play."

Angus Fraser, who played with Williams, said he was a "very talented bowler." He believed Neil might have played for England more times if he hadn't had so many injuries.

Later Life and Legacy

After he stopped playing cricket, Neil Williams became a coach. He coached at St Vincent's Academy for Kids. He sadly passed away at the age of 43. He died of pneumonia in St Vincent, three weeks after having a stroke.

See also

• One Test Wonder