Walsh, Courtney

▪ 2001

      On March 27, 2000, appropriately enough at Sabina Park cricket ground in his hometown of Kingston, Jam., Courtney Walsh became the highest wicket-taker in Test history. The victim, Henry Olonga of Zimbabwe, was the 435th of Walsh's distinguished career, and when he had achieved the feat, the tall Jamaican with the ready smile and extraordinary stamina stooped down to kiss the ground, sending the whole island into carnival.

      Courtney Andrew Walsh was born in Kingston on Oct. 30, 1962, and made his first-class debut for Jamaica in 1982. His Test career began in Perth, Australia, in 1984, but it was not until four years later that he became a regular member of the West Indies pace attack, forming, with Curtley Ambrose, a formidable fast-bowling partnership that reaped a total of 752 wickets in 94 Tests and sustained the side through triumph and, more recently, rapid decline. While Ambrose was metronomically accurate, Walsh was instinctively aggressive, always probing the mental and physical weaknesses of batsmen and never allowing them to settle into a rhythm. His stock delivery, the one he relied on for his wickets, was a wicked leg-cutter, bowled with an awkward flailing action that defied the coaching books. As he grew older, however, his ability to bowl fast all the time diminished. In response, he developed a devastating slower ball and a deceptive inswinger. By 2000 he had become the complete fast bowler and only the third man to reach 400 Test wickets. Yet the most formidable quality Walsh displayed was his stamina. He very rarely missed a Test match through injury, often bowled long spells during the day, and was always willing to go back for more.

      A quiet, intelligent, and dedicated man, Walsh first captained his country on a tour of India in 1994. As the permanent captain in 1996, he led the West Indies to victories over India and New Zealand, but after a 3–0 series defeat by Pakistan, he lost the captaincy contentiously to Brian Lara. The handover could have caused a riot in Lara's first Test as captain, which was to be played against England in Kingston. Though his pride was deeply hurt, Walsh defused any anger among his supporters by accompanying Lara onto the field with his arm around the new captain. In August 2000, to mark his last Test in England, the home team formed a guard of honour for Walsh and Ambrose, who had announced his plans to retire. Indeed, Walsh was a particular favourite of English crowds in general and most particularly in Gloucestershire, the unfashionable county for which he had played so devotedly since 1984. There was speculation that Walsh, who turned 38 at the end of October, would join his partner in retirement, but he agreed to tour Australia one final time in search of the elusive wickets that would make him the first bowler in history to reach 500 Test wickets.

Andrew Longmore

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▪ Jamaican athlete

in full  Courtney Andrew Walsh  

born October 30, 1962, Kingston, Jamaica

      Jamaican cricketer who in 2001 became the first bowler to attain more than 500 Test wickets.

      Walsh made his first-class debut for Jamaica in 1982. His Test career began in Perth, Australia, in 1984, but it was not until four years later that he became a regular member of the West Indies pace attack, forming, with Curtley Ambrose, a formidable fast-bowling partnership that reaped a total of 752 wickets in 94 Tests. While Ambrose was reliably accurate, Walsh was aggressive and never allowed batsmen to settle into a rhythm. His stock delivery was a wicked leg-cutter, bowled with an awkward flailing action. As he grew older and his ability to consistently bowl fast diminished, he developed a devastating slower ball and a deceptive inswinger. Perhaps Walsh's most formidable quality was his durability, as he rarely missed a Test match because of injury. By March 1999 he had become the complete fast bowler and only the third man to reach 400 Test wickets. He was a particular favourite of English crowds, especially in Gloucestershire, the county for which he played from 1984.

      Walsh first captained the West Indies on a tour of India in 1994. As the permanent captain in 1996, he led the team to victories over India and New Zealand, but after a 3–0 series defeat by Pakistan, he lost the captaincy contentiously to Brian Lara. Walsh took his 435th Test wicket on March 27, 2000, in Kingston, breaking the record set by Kapil Dev of India in 1994. On March 19, 2001, he became the first bowler in history to reach 500 Test wickets, and the next month he retired with a career total of 519 Test wickets (at an average of 24.44). Walsh's record stood until March 2004, when it was broken by Shane Warne of Australia and, four days later, by Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.

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