Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he took 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99 and topped the ICC Player Rankings for much of his career to be rated the best bowler in the world. His great height—he is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall—allowed him to make the ball bounce unusually high after he delivered it; allied to his pace and accuracy, it made him a very difficult bowler for batsmen to face. A man of few words during his career, he was notoriously reluctant to speak to journalists. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992; after he retired he was entered into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame and selected as one of West Indies all-time XI by a panel of experts.
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming of "Six Great Bowlers of the Year", and continued with the naming of "Nine Great Batsmen of the Year" in 1890 and "Five Great Wicket-Keepers" in 1891.
ESPNcricinfo is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches, and StatsGuru, a database of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present. As of March 2018, Sambit Bal was the editor.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, or simply Wisden, colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a review for the London Mercury. In October 2013, an all-time Test World XI was announced to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India. Named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar, the competition was originally contested by teams representing geographical zones of India. Since 2016–17 it has been played by teams chosen by BCCI selectors. India Red are the current champions.
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 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.
Gideon Clifford Jeffrey Davidson Haigh is an English-born Australian journalist and non-fiction author who writes about sport, business and crime in Australia. He was born in London, was raised in Geelong, and lives in Melbourne.
James Charles Hildreth is an English professional cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. He attended Millfield School, Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Hildreth represented England at all youth levels including the 2003–04 Under-19 World cup held in Bangladesh. He made his first-class debut in 2003 and has been a regular member of the side since the start of the 2004 season.
The Sharjah Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament that took place at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah, UAE on multiple occasions between 1984 and 2003.
The 1990 English cricket season was the 91st in which the County Championship had been an official competition. The size of the seam on the cricket ball had been reduced markedly from 1989, and along with dry conditions and the extension of four-day cricket this enabled batsmen to make large scores and Graham Gooch became one of a handful of players to average over 100 in a first-class season. The County Championship was won by Middlesex. England defeated both New Zealand and India 1-0 in respective Test series.
The 1995 English cricket season was the 96th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. There was a continued dominance of the domestic scene by Warwickshire after they won the Britannic Assurance County Championship and the NatWest Trophy. The West Indies toured England to compete in a test series which was drawn 2-2.
The 2004 English cricket season was the 105th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. England recorded a 4–0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies and a comfortable 3-0 win over New Zealand. Their one-day form was sporadic, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. In the Natwest Challenge, they beat India 2-1. In domestic cricket, Warwickshire won the County Championship.
The 1996 English cricket season was the 97th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. England hosted tours by India and Pakistan, who each played three Tests and three ODIs. Against India, England were unbeaten, winning the Test series 1–0 and the ODI series 2–0. However, against the Pakistanis England lost 2–0 in the Tests, and had to console themselves with a 2–1 ODI series victory.
The 2003 English cricket season was the 104th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It was notable for the first official County Championship of the oldest county club, Sussex, and the first Twenty20 championship, the Twenty20 Cup.
The 2002 English cricket season was the 103rd in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Surrey were crowned champions but 2001 county champions Yorkshire were relegated. Yorkshire did, however, win the C&G Trophy. India and Sri Lanka toured England to compete in a Test series with England. England drew with India 1-1 and beat Sri Lanka 2-0.
The 1986 English cricket season was the 87th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Essex won the title for the third time in four seasons. England were defeated in both their Test series against New Zealand and India.
The 1983 English cricket season was the 84th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. The third Prudential World Cup was won by India. New Zealand won a Test series in England for the first time. Essex won the Schweppes County Championship and Yorkshire won the Sunday League. The MCCA Knockout Trophy was inaugurated.
The 1982 English cricket season was the 83rd in which the County Championship had been an official competition. India and Pakistan toured but both were defeated by England in their Test series. Middlesex won the County Championship.
Michael Burns is an English first-class list cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset in a first-class career which spanned from 1992 until 2005. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland and Cornwall. An adaptable cricketer, he appeared for Cumberland and Warwickshire as a wicket-keeper, but when he moved to Somerset he developed into an aggressive batsman who bowled at medium-pace when needed.
