The Evolution of West Indian Fast Bowling: A Legacy of Speed and Skill

This will test your knowledge on the fast bowlers from the West Indies. Port of Spain, 1976. Clive Lloyd had set India a target of 403. To get the job done, he had backed his spinners, Albert Padmore, Imtiaz Ali, and Raphick Jumadeen. They failed to defend that mammoth target. The series was levelled 1-1. Under Lloyd, the West Indies had been thrashed 1-5 in Australia. He could not afford to lose another series. So for the decider at a hard, shiny Kingston pitch, he switched to a line-up that consisted of four fast bowlers. The Indians were not merely thrashed: there were so many injuries that they had to close the second innings despite being only four wickets down. Having beaten India, Lloyd’s West Indies now marched on in England. Later that decade, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding were joined by Joel Garner and Colin Croft. Malcolm Marshall, probably the greatest of them all, emerged as the spearhead in the 1980s. By the time Marshall left, Curtly Ambrose had joined Courtney Walsh. The legacy that had begun with Learie Constantine and Manny Martindale have continued with Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, and later, with Alzarri and Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales. In between, legendary T20 all-rounders like Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo honed their skills across leagues around the world. Take our quiz to test your knowledge on the West Indies fast bowlers. Please refresh this page if the quiz does not load properly. .