Joel Garner

Last updated

Joel Garner
JOEL GARNER.jpg
Personal information
Born (1952-12-16) 16 December 1952 (age 71)
Christ Church, Barbados
NicknameBig Bird
Height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight arm fast
International information
National side
Test debut(cap  160)18 February 1977 v  Pakistan
Last Test15 March 1987 v  New Zealand
ODI debut(cap  21)16 March 1977 v  Pakistan
Last ODI28 March 1987 v  New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
Men's Cricket
Representing WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner 1979 England
Runner-up 1983 England and Wales
Source: Cricinfo, 13 September 2009

Joel Garner (born 16 December 1952) is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early 1980s West Indies cricket teams. Garner is the highest ranked One Day International bowler according to the ICC best-ever bowling ratings, [1] and is 37th in Tests. [2] Garner was a member of the West Indies teams that won their second world title in the 1979 Cricket World Cup as well as finishing as runners-up at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

Contents

In conjunction with fellow fast bowlers Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft, and later Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh, the West Indies reached unprecedented heights in the Test and one-day cricket arenas, not losing a Test series in 15 years.

In 2010, Garner was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. [3]

Early life

Joel Garner was born in Enterprise, Christ Church, Barbados. Enterprise was a "scattering of houses among fields of sugar cane". Garner was the older of two boys. When he and his brother were very young, his parents migrated to Canada and the United States and they were left in the care of their grandparents. Cricket was popular and Garner played it as a child. He first attended St Christopher's boys primary school which was held in the local Anglican Church. He attended secondary school at Foundation Boys and played cricket for the school where he played as an all rounder. When selected for a school team coached by Seymour Nurse, He was told by Seymour Nurse "What's a big fellow like you doing batting or trying to bat? You're much too big to be a batsman...with your height, son, you should be bowling, fast". Seymour Nurse spent time coaching Garner on how to take full advantage of his height when bowling. He then attended coaching sessions organized by Charlie Griffith and Gary Sobers. Griffith taught Garner to bowl a yorker that swung in the air and how to use a bouncer effectively. [4]

Career

Garner first came to the attention of Somerset whilst playing for Littleborough in the Central Lancashire League. He replaced Sir Garry Sobers as the club's paid man for the 1976 season, continuing in the role for the 1977 and 1978 seasons. During his three-year stay at Littleborough he amassed over 1500 runs with the bat and took 334 wickets at 9.34 runs apiece.

Joel Garner signed for Somerset for the start of the 1977 season. Brian Rose, who captained Garner at Somerset thought that when Garner bowled, his bounce was "always too steep to drive, often to even play forward". [5] He took 338 First Class wickets at an average of 18.10 during his time at Somerset and was considered the best fast bowler to play for the county. [6] Garner said of Somerset “The people are relaxed and I found people friendlier here. They never hassled you, you could go about your business and I just fit in”. [6]

He was at Somerset in the most successful time in the county's history in winning five trophies. [6] In the 1979 Gillette Cup final at Lords, Garner took six wickets for 29 runs to help defeat Northamptonshire [7] and in the 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup final at Lords, Garner took five wickets for 14 runs to help defeat Surrey. [8]

Garner appeared in 58 test matches for the West Indies between 1977 and 1987 and took 259 wickets at an average of barely above 20, making him statistically one of the most effective bowlers of all time. He made his test debut against Pakistan in 1977 and took 25 wickets in his debut series. [9]

Garner took seven five wicket bags in test cricket but never took ten wickets in a test match. As he shared the bowling duties with Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft, and later Malcolm Marshall, competition to take wickets was plentiful. [10]

At 6 feet 8 inches (an inch taller than Jason Holder, who stands at 6 feet 7 inches), he was, at the time, the tallest fast bowler to play test cricket and one of two of the tallest West Indian cricketers to be selected for the West Indies along with the same Jason Holder.

Garner was dropped for the final test of the Indian tour of the West Indies in 1983 and again for the West Indies tour of India later that year. Battling injuries, he spent the time building his fitness and returned for the 1983-84 one day series in Australia. Garner missed six one day games due to a knee injury but was able to return for the final few games where his form and fitness had returned. In the following Australian tour of the West Indies, Garner took 31 wickets in the test matches. [11] He described himself as "probably the most happiest man on the team. Dropped from the side the previous season, called washed-up even by friends I hoped hadn't meant it, plagued by recurring injuries to knees and shoulder, I still bowled 208 overs in the tests". [12]

However, it was in limited overs cricket that Garner put his height to use with devastating effect: in 98 matches he took 146 wickets. He had the ability to unleash a devastating yorker, as well as generate more bounce. As of January 2020, he is one of only two players with more than 100 ODI wickets at an average of under 20 runs per wicket, [13] while his economy rate of 3.09 runs per over is the best ever for any bowler who bowled at least 1000 balls. [14] He is the all-time highest ranked ODI bowler. [1]

His 5 for 39 in the 1979 Cricket World Cup final against England remains the best ever performance by a bowler in a final; it included a spell of 5 wickets for 4 runs, and he was on a hat-trick twice. [15] [16]

He was also the part of the West Indian team which was runner-up in 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup. In the first league match with India, he, along with Sir Andy Roberts, set the highest ever 10th wicket partnership in World Cup history (71), but chasing 262, West Indies were reduced to 157-9 but Garner and Roberts added 71 runs to make 228 and West Indies lost by 34 runs. [17] [18]

Garner played for Barbados in the West Indies, for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and alongside Viv Richards and Ian Botham for Somerset in the English County Championship.

In Barbados, his club team was YMPC. [19] During his time playing for Barbados, he was captain in 1986. He revealed his tactics to Derek Pringle as “It’s quite simple. Me and Macko [ Malcolm Marshall] open the bowling and nip out the top order. We have a rest and the other bowlers come on and keep it tight. Then me and Macko come on and blast out the tail. We have a bat, get a hundred lead and bowl them out again.” [10]

Until the appearance of the 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) tall Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan in 2010, Garner, former Australian pace bowler Bruce Reid and Irish fast bowler Boyd Rankin were the equal-tallest players ever to play international cricket.

Geoff Boycott said of Joel Garner "They should cut Joel Garner off at the knees to make him bowl at a normal height". [20]

After retirement

In October 2010 Garner was named interim manager of the West Indies for the tour of Sri Lanka. He was one of the new faces in the team including captain Daren Sammy. [21]

In the 2013 election he was the BCA candidate for vice-president of the West Indies Cricket Board, losing to Dave Cameron's running mate, Emmanuel Nanthan of Dominica, 8–4. [22] As of 2016 he continues as Barbados Cricket Association president, spearheads West Indies' drive in Masters Cricket, has served as a West Indies selector, and fulfils various other duties. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Walsh</span> Jamaican cricketer

Courtney Andrew Walsh OJ is a Jamaican former cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches. He is a fast bowler and considered one of the all-time greats, best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership along with fellow West Indian Curtly Ambrose for several years. Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs for the West Indies and took 519 and 227 wickets respectively. He shared 421 Test wickets with Ambrose in 49 matches. He held the record of most Test wickets from 2000, after he broke the record of Kapil Dev. This record was later broken in 2004 by Shane Warne. He was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket. His autobiography is entitled "Heart of the Lion". Walsh was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1987. In October 2010, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He was appointed as the Specialist Bowling Coach of Bangladesh Cricket Team in August 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anil Kumble</span> Indian cricketer (born 1970)

Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best leg spin bowlers in the history of the game, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and was the third highest wicket-taker of all time at the time of his retirement in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Donald</span> South African cricketer

Allan Anthony Donald is a South African former cricketer who is also the former bowling coach of Bangladesh national cricket team. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his quick bowling, he is considered one of the South Africa national cricket team's most successful pace bowlers. He was an integral member of the South African team in its resurgence into international cricket since readmission and played an influential role as a frontline genuine seam bowler to boost South Africa to new heights. During his playing career, he was known for his bowling speed and aggression on the field. He is also remembered for his infamous runout during South Africa's loss in the 1999 World Cup semi-final match against Australia. Donald is the first South African to take 300 Test wickets.

Malcolm Denzil Marshall was a Barbadian cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, Marshall is widely regarded as one of the greatest and one of the most accomplished fast bowlers of the modern era in Test cricket. He is often acknowledged as the greatest West Indian fast bowler of all time, and certainly one of the most complete fast bowlers the cricketing world ever saw. His Test bowling average of 20.94 is the best of anyone who has taken 200 or more wickets. He achieved his bowling success despite being, by the standards of other fast bowlers of his time, a short man – he stood at 180 cm, while most of the great quicks have been well above 183 cm and many great West Indian fast bowlers, such as Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh, were 197 cm or above. He generated fearsome pace from his bowling action, with a dangerous bouncer. He also statistically went on to become the most successful Test match bowler of the 1980s with 235 wickets with an average of 18.47 within a time period of just five years. Marshall was a part of the West Indies team that won the 1979 Cricket World Cup as well as the team which reached the 1983 Cricket World Cup Final, but lost to India by 43 runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Tait</span> Australian cricketer

Shaun Tait is a former Australian professional cricketer who was appointed as the bowling coach of the Pakistan national cricket team in February 2022. He played as a right arm fast bowler and represented Australia in all three forms of cricket, but had most success in One Day Internationals, in which he was a member of Australia's undefeated team at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, and Twenty20 cricket. Tait won four different awards throughout his career including the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2004. He is considered one of the fastest bowlers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Shami</span> Indian cricketer

Mohammed Shami is an Indian international cricketer who serves as a right-arm fast or fast medium bowler, representing India in all formats. He has played for Bengal in domestic cricket and for four teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the most consistent wicket takers in contemporary world cricket, Shami bowls the ball off the seam and uses swing, including reverse swing, to move the ball both directions. He has been reputed to have an edge in the death (slog) overs of a limited-overs innings and, in all formats, has been described as being at times "unplayable". Shami finished as India's leading wicket taker in the ICC World Cup 2023, besides being the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in the 48 years history of Cricket World Cup spanning 13 editions. He is recipient of 2023 Arjuna Award for Cricket. Having taken 7 wickets for 57 runs against New Zealand in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi final, he holds the record for the best figures for an Indian Bowler in ODIs

Sir Anderson Montgomery Everton Roberts, KCN is a former Antiguan first-class cricketer who is considered the father of modern West Indian fast bowling. Roberts played Test cricket for the West Indies, twice taking seven wickets in a Test innings, and was a member of the team that won both the 1975 Cricket World Cup and the 1979 Cricket World Cup respectively, as well as finishing as runners-up at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Arriving in England in 1972, he played first-class cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club and then later for Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Taylor</span> Jamaican cricketer

Jerome Everton Taylor is a Jamaican cricketer who has played as a fast bowler for the West Indies. Taylor eventually picked up 100 wickets for the Windies in both tests and odis. During 2017 he reversed an initial decision to retire from international cricket. Taylor has also featured for Jamaica, English sides Somerset, Leicestershire and Sussex, CPL teams St Lucia Zouks and Jamaica Tallawahs and IPL sides Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians in his cricketing career. Taylor was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2016 T20 World Cup. He is the only bowler to have ever taken a hat-trick in a Champions Trophy match, which he did in the 2006 tournament against Australia, and that was the first hat-trick taken by a West Indian bowler in the ODI format.

The 2005–06 West Indian cricket season includes all domestic cricket matches played by senior teams with first-class status in the West Indies between October 2005 and March 2006, and also the international feats of the West Indies team, who is not scheduled to play any home games during this period but are to play home matches during April, May and June 2006. The season began on 2005-10-03 with the first matches of the one-day KFC Cup and is scheduled to last until 2006-03-19 when England A depart after their tour which will include one-day and first-class matches against the West Indies A team. The West Indies will not play any home Tests during their home season, but they have toured Australia, and toured New Zealand in February and March, immediately after the conclusion of the 2005-06 Carib Beer Cup, the first-class competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchell Johnson</span> Australian cricketer

Mitchell Guy Johnson is a former Australian cricketer, who played all forms of the game for his national side. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He represented Australia in international cricket from 2005 to 2015. Johnson is considered to be one of the greatest fast bowlers of his era and is referred as the most lethal bowler of all time. With his time representing Australia, Johnson won multiple ICC titles with the team: the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

Sonny Ramadhin, CM was a West Indian cricketer, and was a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first of many West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951. He is most famous for his performance in the West Indies' 1950 tour of England, which was immortalised in the song "Victory Calypso". He was also well known for his ability to turn the ball both ways and he was also largely known for using three short-legs along with close in fielders on the off-side during his playing days in order to exert more pressure on the batsmen. He was referred to as "a small neat man whose shirt-sleeves were always buttoned at the wrist". He was the last surviving member of the 1950 West Indies team that secured the West Indies' first-ever Test series win in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Francis (cricketer)</span> West Indian cricketer

George Nathaniel Francis was a West Indian cricketer who played in West Indies' first Test in their inaugural Test tour of England. He was a fast bowler of renowned pace and was notably successful on West Indies' non-Test playing tour of England in 1923, but he was probably past his peak by the time the West Indies were elevated to Test status. He was born in Trents, St. James, Barbados and died at Black Rock, Saint Michael, also in Barbados.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Southee</span> New Zealand cricketer

Timothy Grant Southee, is a New Zealand international cricketer who has captained New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. The third New Zealand bowler to take 300 Test wickets, he was one of the country's youngest cricketers, debuting at the age of 19 in February 2008. On his Test debut against England he took 5 wickets and made 77 off 40 balls in the second innings. He plays for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash as well as Northland in the Hawke Cup. He was named as New Zealand's captain for the first T20I against West Indies in place of Kane Williamson, who was rested for that game. The Blackcaps won that match by 47 runs. Southee was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Southee currently has the highest (international) test batting strike rate among the batsmen with a minimum of 2000 test runs. His (batting) career strike rate is 83.12. He was also a part of the New Zealand squads to finish as runners-up in two Cricket World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019.

Sulieman Jamaal Benn is a West Indian former cricketer who played international cricket for the West Indies and first-class cricket for Barbados. Benn was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2016 T20 World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umesh Yadav</span> Indian cricketer

Umeshkumar Tilak Yadav is an Indian cricketer who represented the Indian cricket team. He currently plays for Vidarbha in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. He played 57 test matches for India and his fast-bowling contributed of India winning test matches particularly at home. Yadav was a member of the team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He was the highest wicket-taker for India in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchell Starc</span> Australian international cricketer (born 1990)

Mitchell Aaron Starc is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in domestic cricket. A left-arm fast bowler and a lower order left-handed batsman, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in white-ball cricket as well as one of the best fast bowlers to play the ICC Cricket World Cup. Starc represents Australia in all three main formats of international cricket: Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODI), and Twenty20 Internationals. In 2015, he was the highest-rated bowler in ODI cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraigg Brathwaite</span> Barbadian cricketer

Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite is a Barbadian cricketer who captains the West Indies in Test cricket. He is a right-handed batsman and occasionally bowls off breaks. On 6 November 2011, he became only the second West Indian to score two Test fifties before his 19th birthday when he made 63 (212) against India in Delhi. He has also effectively stood as stand-in-captain in place of Jason Holder in seven test matches before becoming the permanent captain of the test team taking over from Holder. He idolises Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his batting style.

Jason Omar Holder is a Barbadian cricketer and the former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is a right arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder who features in all three cricketing formats. In January 2019, he was ranked as the number one all rounder in the world according to the official ICC Test rankings. In August 2019, Cricket West Indies named him as the Test Player of the Year and on 14 April 2021, Holder was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Holder is the first West Indian male cricketer to take a hat-trick in a T20I, and the fifth, to achieve both 2000 runs and 100 wickets in one day internationals. He is also the second West Indian, after Sir Garfield Sobers, to attain both 2500 runs and 150 wickets in test match cricket. Holder was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2016 T20 World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuldeep Yadav</span> Indian cricketer (born 1994)

Kuldeep Yadav is an Indian international cricketer. A left-arm unorthodox spinner, he plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He was an integral member of the Indian team that won the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.

References

  1. 1 2 ICC Highest-Ever ODI Ratings, Reliance ICC rankings, accessed 21-Jan-2020
  2. ↑ ICC Highest-Ever Test Ratings, Reliance ICC rankings, accessed 21-Jan-2020
  3. ↑ Staff (6 October 2010). "Walsh, Garner inducted into Hall of Fame". Guardian Media. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Garner, Joel (1988). Big Bird. Flying High. The autobiography of Joel Garner. Great Britain: Arthur Barker. pp. 20–35.
  5. ↑ "Joel GARNER - Test Profile 1977 - 1987 - West Indies". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Joel Garner interview: "Somerset is still one of the better places in the world to live"". Somerset County Gazette. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Full Scorecard of Somerset vs Northants Final 1979 - Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Full Scorecard of Surrey vs Somerset Final 1981 - Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Has there ever been a more underrated bowler than Joel Garner?". The Roar. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Joel Garner: 16 facts you should know about the Big Bird". Cricket Country. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Joel Garner | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Garner, Joel (1988). Big Bird Flying High. Arthur Barker. pp. 128–139.
  13. ↑ RECORDS / ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS / BOWLING RECORDS / BEST CAREER BOWLING AVERAGE, ESPNcricinfo, 20 January 2020. The other is Rashid Khan.
  14. ↑ RECORDS / ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS / BOWLING RECORDS / BEST CAREER ECONOMY RATE, ESPNcricinfo, 20 January 2020
  15. ↑ "Final: England v West Indies at Lord's, Jun 23, 1979 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  16. ↑ "ENGLAND v WEST INDIES". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  17. ↑ "Cricket Records | Records | World Cup | Highest partnerships by wicket | ESPN Cricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "4th Match: India v West Indies at Manchester, Jun 9-10, 1983 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  19. ↑ "MPC rewards Barbados under-15 cricketers". Caribbean Sports Network. 26 March 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  20. ↑ Svoboda, Martin. "They should cut Joel Garner off at the knees to make him…". Quotepark.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "West Indies v Sri Lanka: Joel Garner named interim West Indies manager | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Whycliffe Cameron elected new WICB president". ESPNcricinfo. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "Current BCA Board Members". Barbados Cricket Association. 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.