Famous Cricketers No 61 - Wes Hall

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Tests 8 9 2 54 25 7.71 - - 3 Other matches 8 6 2 63 27 15.75 - - 5 Tour 16 15 4 117 27 10.63 - - 8 Career 35 36 9 309 27 11.44 - - 14 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5wi 10wm Tests 322.3 83 817 46 6/50 17.76 3 1 Other matches 196.5 84 495 41 7/54 12.07 2 1 Tour 519.2 167 1312 87 7/54 15.08 5 2 Career 948 233 2696 126 7/54 21.39 5 2 1959/60 Hall was by far the fastest and most dangerous bowler on either side when England toured the West Indies this winter. He showed exceptional stamina as well as speed and bowled more overs in the five Tests than anyone else apart from Ramadhin. Operating throughout in hot and humid conditions on pitches deliberately prepared to favour the bat, he captured 22 wickets at 30.86 runs apiece. His best bowling performance came, predictably, at Kingston in the third Test when he took 7/69 in the first innings. This was the first occasion on which he exceeded 5 wickets in an innings in a Test in the Caribbean and, in fact, it remained his best performance in a Test innings anywhere. His 7/69 is still the best by a West Indian against England in a Test innings at Kingston. Only slightly less impressive was his performance on the featherbed pitch at Bourda in March when, in the most difficult of circumstances, he persevered to take 6/90 in just over 30 overs. This was then the best bowling performance by a West Indian in a Test innings against England at Georgetown. In his tenth match, Hall captured his 50th Test wicket when he had Ken Barrington caught by Franz Alexander at Port-of-Spain. As both captains seemed generally content to pursue defensive strategies, a positive result could be obtained only in the second Test, when the West Indies experienced an inexplicable collapse in their first innings. England consequently won the series 1-0, their first ever triumph in a Caribbean rubber. Apart from Hall, the dominant player in the series was Sobers who exceeded 700 runs and averaged more than 100 per innings. Alexander also established himself as a top-flight wicket-keeper by achieving 23 dismissals which then equalled the world record held by J.H.Waite of South Africa. Among his world-record 22 catches were no fewer than 9 off Hall’s bowling. The latter, meanwhile, achieved his highest first-class score to date by making 29 at Port-of-Spain in the fifth Test. But his Bridgetown nightmare continued. After three first-class matches there, his bowling analysis read: 99/14/345/2. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 36. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Bridgetown, January 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) lbw F.S.Trueman 14 563-8d 40 9 98 1 P.B.H.May c F.C.M.Alexander 482 6 2 9 0 71-0 37. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Port-of-Spain, January 28, 29, 30, February 1, 2, 3 (England won by 256 runs) b J.B.Statham 4 112 33 9 92 2 M.C.Cowdrey b 382 K.F.Barrington c F.C.M.Alexander not out 0 244 23.4 4 50 3 K.F.Barrington c F.C.M.Alexander 230-9d E.R.Dexter b D.A.Allen c F.C.M.Alexander 38. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Kingston, February 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 (Match drawn) not out 0 353 31.2 8 69 7 G.Pullar c G.St A.Sobers 277 P.B.H.May c C.C.Hunte E.R.Dexter c F.C.M.Alexander M.J.K.Smith b R.Illingworth c F.C.M.Alexander R.Swetman b J.B.Statham b 15