Famous Cricketers No 61 - Wes Hall

Modes of Dismissal (Bowling) (a) First-Class Ct B C&B Lbw St HWKt Total 308 170 7 57 1 3 546 Like all fast bowlers, Hall captured the majority of his wickets by way of edges to the wicket-keeper and the close fielders. No fewer than 44 of his victims were caught by Franz Alexander, his regular wicket-keeper between 1957 and 1961. Jackie Hendricks (17) Deryck Murray (16), Wally Grout (15) and David Allan (14) also contributed enormously to Hall’s success. Fielding generally at second slip, Gary Sobers took 27 catches off Hall’s bowling, while Conrad Hunte snared 13 and Rohan Kanhai 11. Hall was also fast enough to defeat most batsmen by sheer pace and hence the high percentage of those batsmen whom he bowled and/or trapped lbw. His lone stumped victim was G.J.Smith when, in a more jovial spirit, Hall resorted to a slower pace during the Hastings Festival in 1963. The batsman dismissed most often by Hall was Australia’s Bobby Simpson whose wicket he claimed on 10 occasions. Others against whom he bowled with satisfactory results were Colin Cowdrey (9), Colin Milburn (9), Polly Umrigar (8), Geoffrey Boycott (7), Les Favell (7), Graeme Thomas (7), Nari Contractor (6), Tom Graveney (6), Vijay Manjrekar (6), Norman O’Neill (6) and Pankaj Roy (6). He also dismissed Ken Barrington, Chandra Borde, Bob Cowper, Neil Harvey, ‘Budhi’ Kunderan and Vijay Mehra 5 times each. (b) Tests Ct B C&B Lbw St HWkt Total 106 66 3 16 - 1 192 At the Test match level, Hall enjoyed his greatest success against such excellent batsmen as Simpson (8), Cowdrey (7), Manjrekar (7), Contractor (6), and Umrigar (6). He also dismissed Barrington, Boycott, Graveney, Roy, Tamhane, Fred Titmus and Fred Trueman 4 times each. England’s Ted Dexter, John Edrich, Peter May, Milburn and Basil D’Oliveira and Australia’s Richie Benaud, Cowper, Harvey, O’Neill and Keith Stackpole also fell to Hall on 3 occasions each. Outstanding Bowling Performances 1. Record for West Indians in India: 80 wickets (1958/59, 1966/67) 2. Record for West Indians in a tour of the subcontinent: 87 wickets (1958/59) 3. Record for West Indians in an innings at Jorhat: 7/54 v East Zone, 1958/59 4. Record for West Indians in an innings against East Zone: 7/54 at Jorhat, 1958/59 5. First West Indian to achieve a hat-trick in a Test: v Pakistan at Lahore, 1958/59 6. First bowler to achieve a hat-trick against Pakistan, Lahore, 1958/59 7. Record for the West Indies in an innings against England at Kingston: 7/69, 1959/60 8. Record for the West Indies in an innings against England at Georgetown: 6/90, 1959/60 (until bettered by L.R. Gibbs: 6/60, 1967/68) 9. Record for the West Indies in a Test match at Brisbane: 9/203, 1960/61 10. Record for the West Indies in a Test match at Kanpur: 11/126, 1958/59 (record for the West Indies in a Test against India in India until bettered by A.M.E. Roberts: 12/121 at Madras, 1974/75) 11. Record for Queensland in a Sheffield Shield season: 43, 1961/62 (until bettered by P.J. Allan: 46, 1968/69) Significant Batting Partnerships Seventh Wicket 87 (88) with A.King (89), Barbados v Indians Bridgetown 1961/62 (seventh wicket record for Barbados v Indians) Eighth Wicket 74 (102*) with L.R.Gibbs (31), WI v Cambridge University Fenner’s 1963 (eighth wicket record for the West Indians v Cambridge University) 72 (35) with G.St A.Sobers (70), West Indies v India Calcutta 1966/67 48