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Curtly Ambrose

Curtly ambrose2 crop
Curtly ambrose2 crop Image: Wikimedia Commons. No machine-readable author provided. Stephen Turner assumed (based on copyright claims). / Public domain

Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose, KCN (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies between 1988 and 2000. A right-arm fast bowler, he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of the game, taking 405 Test wickets at a bowling average of 20.99. For much of his career he topped the ICC Player Rankings as the best bowler in the world.

Key facts

Full name Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose
Born 21 September 1963, Swetes, Antigua
Honours KCN (Knight Commander of the Order of the Nation)
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Role Fast bowler
National team West Indies
Test matches 98
Test wickets 405
Test bowling average 20.99
International career 1988–2000
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1992
ICC Hall of Fame Inducted post-retirement

Background

Ambrose was born in the village of Swetes in Antigua. In his youth he preferred basketball to cricket and came to the sport at a relatively late age. Once he took up fast bowling, he quickly made an impression and progressed through regional and national age-group teams before being selected for the West Indies senior side in 1988.

His exceptional height of 6 feet 7 inches allowed him to extract unusual bounce from the pitch. Combined with his pace and notable accuracy, this made him an extremely difficult bowler to face. Off the field, Ambrose was a man of few words during his playing career and was notoriously reluctant to speak to journalists.

International career

Ambrose made his Test debut for the West Indies in 1988 and was almost immediately successful. He remained a fixture in the side until his retirement in 2000, often partnering Courtney Walsh with the new ball. Together, the two pacemen formed one of the most enduring fast-bowling partnerships in Test cricket.

Notable performances

  • Australia, 1993: Ambrose produced one of the greatest bowling spells in Test history, taking seven wickets while conceding only one run, finishing with first-spell figures of 7 for 1.
  • England, 1994: He was largely responsible for bowling England out for 46 runs, taking six wickets for 24 runs.

His bowling was built on accuracy and economy, and several of his most celebrated performances came when he took wickets in quick succession to devastate opposition batting line-ups. He was particularly successful against leading batsmen of his era and was credited with winning numerous matches for the West Indies that had seemed lost.

Later career

From 1995 onwards, Ambrose was increasingly affected by injury, and critics on several occasions suggested that he was past his best. He nevertheless continued to take wickets regularly until his retirement, although he was sometimes less effective in the opening matches of a series. In his final years, the West Indies team was in decline and frequently leaned heavily on Ambrose and Walsh, who often bowled with little support from the other bowlers.

Significance

Ambrose is regarded as one of the greatest match-winning bowlers in the history of cricket. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992. After retirement he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame and was chosen by a panel of experts as part of a West Indies all-time XI. He was knighted with the Order of the Nation by Antigua and Barbuda for his services to cricket.

Post-retirement

Following his retirement from cricket in 2000, Ambrose has pursued a career in music, performing as the bass guitarist in a reggae band.

References