Curtly Ambrose

Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN, born on 21 September 1963 in Antigua, played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. He is considered one of the finest fast bowlers ever, taking 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99 and spending much of his career ranked as the world’s best bowler by the ICC. Standing 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall, he used his height to generate unusually high bounce, which, combined with his speed and precision, made him extremely difficult for batsmen. Known for saying very little, he rarely spoke to the press. In 1992, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and after retiring, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame and chosen for a West Indies all-time XI by a panel of experts.

Ambrose came to cricket late, having preferred basketball as a youth. Born in Swetes, he was the fourth of seven children; his father was a carpenter, and his mother, a cricket fan, encouraged him. He played cricket as a batsman in his youth, did well in school—especially in maths and French—and became an apprentice carpenter at 17, briefly considering moving to the United States. He grew several inches in his late teens, reaching his full height. After success as a fast bowler in a softball cricket match, he started club cricket at age 20. He quickly impressed, taking seven for 67 for Antigua against St Kitts, and made his first-class debut for the Leeward Islands in 1985–86, taking four wickets but losing his place the next year.

A Viv Richards scholarship funded a season in England with Chester Boughton Hall in 1986, where he took 84 wickets at an average of 9.80. The following year, he played for Heywood in the Central Lancashire League, taking 115 wickets. These stints improved his technique. Returning to Antigua, he regained his place in the Leeward Islands team and became the main attacking bowler when international bowlers were away. In his first match back, he was no-balled for throwing, but Wisden later attributed this to his wrist-flicking action, and no further doubts arose. He took 35 wickets in five matches, including 12 in a game against Guyana, with nine bowled. Wisden called his performance “dominant” and noted his yorker as his most effective delivery, adding that he never lost pace, accuracy, or his desire for wickets.

Ambrose made his ODI debut for the West Indies in March 1988 against Pakistan, taking four for 39 in his first match and four for 35 in the second. He did not play in the final two ODIs. In the subsequent Test series, he was less effective, taking two for 121 in the first Test as West Indies lost at home for the first time in a decade. Wisden described his debut as “un” (the source text cuts off here).