This is a list of Wisden Trophy Test cricket series played between England and West Indies which dates back to 1963. It was usually played alternately in England and West Indies, although early series were predominantly played in England. "The Wisden Trophy" series varied between three and six Tests.
In the series' 57-year history, the trophy changed hands on seven occasions (1968, 1973, 2000, 2009 (twice), 2019 and 2020). The West Indies won the first Wisden Trophy in 1963 and held the cup until 1968. England then held the trophy for a brief period between 1968 and 1973. After the 1973 series the West Indies retained the trophy for 27 years. [1] This included a 16-year period (1974–1990) where the West Indies did not lose a Test. The new millennium proved to be the turning point in the series as England won the 2000 Wisden Trophy 3–1 to regain the trophy after West Indies went 1–0 up. They have been largely successful against the West Indies at test-level since then, with the latter only being successful in two series since; in 2009 and 2019. To put the recent dominance by England into perspective, since the Millennium, West Indies have won only 7 Tests, to England's 23, and that was after the West Indies won the very first Test of the new Millennium at Edgbaston in 2000.
The last Wisden Trophy series took place in England in 2020 and consisted of three Test matches. [2] The Wisden Trophy will be replaced by the Richards–Botham Trophy, named in honour of Viv Richards and Ian Botham, for future series. [3] Overall, a total of 28 Wisden Trophy series were played, of which the West Indies won fourteen times, England won ten and there were four drawn series.
Played | Won by England | Won by West Indies | Drawn | |
---|---|---|---|---|
All Tests | 120 | 36 (30.0%) | 48 (40.0%) | 36 (30.0%) |
Tests in England | 71 | 26 (36.6%) | 28 (39.4%) | 17 (24.0%) |
Tests in West Indies | 49 | 10 (20.4%) | 20 (40.8%) | 19 (38.8%) |
All series | 28 | 10 (35.7%) | 14 (50.0%) | 4 (14.3%) |
Series in England | 17 | 8 (47.0%) | 7 (41.2%) | 2 (11.8%) |
Series in West Indies | 11 | 2 (18.2%) | 7 (63.6%) | 2 (18.2%) |
The table below is a list of cricket captains for each team in the Wisden Trophy. The list is in chronological order of appearance.
Higher innings totals were scored outside The Wisden Trophy era. In the 1930 timeless Test England scored 849 on their first innings at Sabina Park. [34] Other high scores include West Indies 681/8 declaration in 1954 at the Queen's Park Oval. [35]
Rank | Runs | Team | Year [36] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 751/5 (dec) (202 overs) | West Indies | 2004 |
2 | 749/9 (dec) (194.4 overs) | West Indies | 2009 |
3 | 692/8 (dec) (163 overs) | West Indies | 1995 |
4 | 687/8 (dec) (182.5 overs) | West Indies | 1976 |
5 | 652/8 (dec) (168.4 overs) | West Indies | 1973 |
6 | 606 (143 overs) | West Indies | 1984 |
Rank | Runs | Team | Year [37] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 46 (19.1 overs) | England | 1994 |
2 | 47 (25.3 overs) | West Indies | 2004 |
3 | 51 (33.2 overs) | England | 2009 |
4 | 54 (26.4 overs) | West Indies | 2000 |
5 | 61 (26.2 overs) | West Indies | 2000 |
6 | 71 (32.5 overs) | England | 1976 |
Brian Lara is the record holder in the Wisden Trophy for most runs with 2983 runs. Garry Sobers did make 3214 runs against England however his first 1069 runs occurred before the Wisden Trophy was established meaning he has only scored 2145 runs in the Wisden Trophy. [38] Andy Sandham scored 325 runs against the West Indies in 1930 (which at the time was a world record) but this was before the inception of the Wisden Trophy and is therefore not a Wisden Record. [39]
Rank | Runs | Player | Period [40] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2983 (51 inns.) | Brian Lara | 1994–04 |
2 | 2969 (50 inns.) | Viv Richards | 1976–91 |
3 | 2392 (59 inns.) | Desmond Haynes | 1980–94 |
4 | 2318 (48 inns.) | Gordon Greenidge | 1976–90 |
5 | 2205 (53 inns.) | Geoffrey Boycott | 1966–81 |
Rank | High score | Player | Year [41] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 400* (582) | Brian Lara | 2004 |
2 | 375 (538) | Brian Lara | 1994 |
3 | 302 (430) | Lawrence Rowe | 1974 |
4 | 291 (386) | Viv Richards | 1976 |
5 | 291 (452) | Ramnaresh Sarwan | 2009 |
Other batting feats include:
Sobers took 102 wickets against England, however 18 of these wickets occurred before the Wisden Trophy was instituted and therefore meant that he only took 84 wickets in Wisden Trophy matches. [44] Alf Valentine claimed 33 wickets (from 422.3 overs) for the West Indies in the 1950 tour against England before the Wisden Trophy was established.
Rank | Wickets | Player | Period [45] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 164 (8284 balls) | Curtly Ambrose | 1988–00 |
2 | 145 (8818 balls) | Courtney Walsh | 1986–00 |
3 | 127 (5790 balls) | Malcolm Marshall | 1980–91 |
4 | 100 (8841 balls) | Lance Gibbs | 1963–74 |
5 | 96 (4486 balls) | Michael Holding | 1976–86 |
Rank | Wickets | Player | Year [46] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 35 (203.1 overs) | Malcolm Marshall | 1988 |
2 | 34 (220.2 overs) | Courtney Walsh | 2000 |
3 | 34 (236.4 overs) | Fred Trueman | 1963 |
4 | 32 (223.5 overs) | Charlie Griffith | 1963 |
5 | 30 (205.5 overs) | Curtly Ambrose | 1997–98 |
Other bowling feats include:
John Goddard won five Test matches as captain for West Indies but this occurred between 1948 and 1957 before the Wisden Trophy was established.
Rank | Most Test matches | Player | Period [50] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Clive Lloyd | 1976–84 |
2 | 18 | Viv Richards | 1985–91 |
3 | 17 | Michael Atherton | 1993–98 |
4 | 14 | Brian Lara | 1997–04 |
5 | 13 | Garry Sobers | 1966–69 |
Rank | Most wins | Player | Period [50] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 (from 18 matches) | Viv Richards | 1985–91 |
2 | 11 (from 19 matches) | Clive Lloyd | 1976–84 |
3 | 10 (from 11 matches) | Michael Vaughan | 2003–07 |
4 | 5 (from 10 matches) | Richie Richardson | 1993–95 |
5 | 4 (from 17 matches) | Michael Atherton | 1993–98 |
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game, Botham represented England in both Test and One-Day International cricket. He was a part of the English squads which finished as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup and as runners-up at the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
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.
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.
Wasim Akram is a Pakistani cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He is often revered as The Sultan of Swing. In October 2013, Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As captain, he led Pakistan to the finals of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is a retired Antiguan cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Usually batting at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Richards was part of the squads which won the 1975 Cricket World Cup and 1979 Cricket World Cup and finished as runners up in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
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Allan Joseph Lamb is a South African-born former English cricketer, who played for the first-class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire. Making his Test debut in 1982, he was a fixture in the Test and One-Day International team for the next decade. He represented England at three World Cups. He served as captain of Northamptonshire, and also captained England in three Test matches. He was a part of the English squads which finished as runners-up at the 1987 Cricket World Cup and as runners-up at the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Robert George Dylan Willis was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984. A right-handed fast bowler, Willis is regarded by many as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup.
The Wisden Trophy was awarded to the winner of the Test cricket series played between England and the West Indies. It was first awarded in 1963 to commemorate the hundredth edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Series were played in accordance with the future tours programme, with varying lengths of time between tours. If a series was drawn then the country holding the Wisden Trophy retained it. In 2020, it was announced that the trophy would be replaced by the Richards–Botham Trophy named after Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Ian Botham.
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