This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1946 to 1970.
First-class cricket in the West Indies had begun in February 1865 and the federation began playing Test cricket in 1928, but it was not until the 1965–66 West Indian cricket season that a formal domestic competition was founded, this being the Shell Shield which has subsequently evolved into the Carib Beer Cup.
West Indies cricket received a tremendous boost when its team defeated England in the 1950 Test series. The preceding few years had seen the emergence of truly great players like Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, and Gary Sobers followed during the 1950s.
In 1965, Shell Oil sponsored its Shell Shield and the West Indies at last had a true domestic championship. At first the new competition involved Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Combined Islands team which was an amalgam of Leeward Islands cricket team and Windward Islands cricket team.
In March and April 1956 E. W. Swanton's XI of English Test and county players played two first-class matches against Barbados, one against Trinidad, and one against a West Indies XI, as well as three non-first-class matches. [1]
In February and March 1957 the Duke of Norfolk's XI of English Test and county players visited Jamaica, playing three first-class matches against Jamaica, winning two and drawing the other, as well as seven non-first-class matches. [2]
In March and April 1961 E. W. Swanton's XI of English Test and county players, plus a few internationals, played first-class matches against Windward Islands, Berbice, British Guiana and Trinidad, as well as five non-first-class matches. [3]
As part of Barbados's independence celebrations, a strong team of Test players from six countries visited Barbados in March 1967 and played a first-class match and a one-day 40-over match against Barbados. The World team won both matches. [4]
In February and March 1970 the Duke of Norfolk's XI of English Test and county players played first-class matches against Windward Islands, Trinidad and Barbados, as well as six non-first-class matches. [5]
The Right Excellent Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, NH, AO, OCC, also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former Barbadian cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, he is widely considered to be cricket's greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Sir Wesley Winfield Hall is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969. Hall's opening bowling partnership with fellow Barbadian Charlie Griffith was a feature of the strong West Indies teams throughout the 1960s. Hall was one of the most popular cricketers of his day and was especially popular in Australia, where he played two seasons in the Sheffield Shield with Queensland.
The Queen's Park Oval is a sports stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, used mostly for cricket matches. It opened in 1896. Privately owned by the Queen's Park Cricket Club, it is currently the second largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies with seating for about 20,000 spectators.
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE was a cricketer from Barbados. A right-handed batsman, he was known as one of the hardest hitters in world cricket. Weekes holds the record for the most consecutive Test hundreds, with five. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of the West Indies cricket team. Weekes played in 48 Test matches for the West Indies cricket team from 1948 to 1958. Weekes occasionally donned the wicketkeeping gloves as well. He continued to play first-class cricket until 1964, surpassing 12,000 first-class runs in his final innings. As a coach he was in charge of the Canadian team at the 1979 Cricket World Cup, and he was also a commentator and international match referee.
Lancelot Richard Gibbs is a former West Indies cricketer, one of the most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket history. He took 309 Test wickets, only the second player to pass 300, the first spinner to pass that milestone, and had an exceptional economy rate of under two runs per over. He was a member of the squad which won the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
Steven Barry Smith is a former Australian and New South Wales cricketer. He played in three Test matches and 28 One Day Internationals between 1983 and 1985, taking part in tours of Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and India.
Claude Vibart Wight was a West Indian cricketer who played two Tests in the 1920s and 1930s.
This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1971 to 1980.
Lord Brackley's XI was the fifth team of English cricketers to tour the West Indies, playing in the 1904–05 season. The team was captained by John Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere and played a total of 20 matches between January and April 1905, of which ten are regarded as first-class.
This article describes the history of cricket in the West Indies from 1919 to 1945.
This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1981 to 1990.
This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1991 to 2000.
This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 2000–01. West Indian cricket has struggled in the early 21st century.
Hugh Cortez Jordan was a Test cricket umpire from the West Indies between 1953 and 1974. In total, he oversaw 22 Test matches, all in the Caribbean and involving the West Indies team.
The India national cricket team toured the West Indies from April to June 2002 to play 5 Test matches and 5 Limited Overs Internationals.
The Barbados Cricket Buckle is a repoussé engraving on a belt buckle of a slave playing cricket in Barbados circa 1780–1810. It is believed to be the only known image of a slave playing cricket and is thought to be the oldest surviving artifact depicting cricket outside the British Isles.
The Australian cricket team toured the Caribbean from February to April 1999 to play four Tests and seven One Day Internationals (ODIs) against the West Indies. Australia additionally played three first-class matches, winning two and drawing one. The Test series was drawn 2–2 resulting in the Frank Worrell Trophy remaining in Australia. The ODI series was also drawn with three wins each and one tie. This was the first four-match series in the history of Test cricket to finish as a two-all draw. The only other four-match Test series, as of January 2022, to finish with the same result was England at home to Pakistan in 2016.
An English cricket team raised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) toured the West Indies from January to March 1926 and played twelve first-class matches, including three against the West Indies cricket team which had not then achieved Test status. MCC, who were captained by Freddie Calthorpe, played their matches at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown; Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain; Bourda, Georgetown; Sabina Park, Kingston; and Melbourne Park, also in Kingston. In the matches between the West Indies and MCC, the first in Bridgetown was drawn; MCC won by 5 wickets in Port of Spain; and the final match in Georgetown was drawn.
The India national cricket team toured the West Indies during the 1975–76 cricket season. They played four Test matches against the West Indian cricket team, with the West Indies winning the series 2–1.