Famous Cricketers No 73 - Sonny Ramadhin

were maidens. Claiming 17 wickets at 28.88 runs apiece, he headed the West Indian bowling averages, though Wesley Hall with 22 wickets (ave 30.86) was always the more dangerous. By the end of the tournament, Ramadhin had increased his West Indian record to 155 Test wickets, 32 more than Alfred Valentine (123), despite having to miss the fourth Test at Georgetown because of injury. At Kingston, in the third Test, he reached two important milestones. He claimed his 150th Test wicket in his 40th Test when he trapped Brian Statham (21) lbw in the second innings. In the first innings, he captured his 600th wicket in first-class cricket when he had Trueman (17) caught by Joe Solomon. It had taken him 135 games to reach this milestone. Ramadhin’s 23 runs at Port-of-Spain in January was his highest Test innings against England. The tourists won the series 1-0. This was only the second time that the West Indies had ever lost a Test rubber at home, and it was their first defeat at England’s hands in the Caribbean. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 133. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Bridgetown, January 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) did not bat - 563-8d 54 22 109 3 K.F.Barrington c F.C.M.Alexander 482 R.Illingworth b F.S.Trueman c F.C.M.Alexander 7 2 11 0 71-0 134. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Port-of-Spain, January 28, 29, 30, February 1, 2, 3 (England won by 256 runs) b F.S.Trueman 23 112 35 12 61 3 M.J.K.Smith c F.M.M.Worrell 382 R.Illingworth b F.S.Trueman lbw lbw b E.R.Dexter 0 244 28 8 54 1 G.Pullar c F.M.M.Worrell 230-9d 135. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Kingston, February 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 (Match drawn) b J.B.Statham 5 353 28 3 78 2 M.C.Cowdrey c R.O.Scarlett 277 F.S.Trueman c J.S.Solomon. did not bat - 175-6 28.3 14 38 3 G.Pullar lbw 305 R.Illingworth b J.B.Statham lbw 136. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Port-of-Spain, March 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31 (Match drawn) c M.C.Cowdrey b E.R.Dexter 13 338-8d 34 13 73 4 K.F.Barrington c F.C.M.Alexander 393 M.J.K.Smith b R.Illingworth c G.St A.Sobers D.A.Allen c sub (S.M.Nurse) did not bat - 209-5 34 9 67 1 R.Subba Row lbw 350-7d SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 4 4 0 41 23 10.25 - - - Career 136 129 42 770 44 8.85 - - 31 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Test matches (6 ball) 248.3 83 491 17 4-73 28.88 - - Career (6 ball) 5401.2 1972 } 11503 608 8-15 18.91 41 14 (8 ball) 324.3 76 1960/61 - West Indians in Australia Ramadhin accompanied the West Indians on their memorable tour of Australia in 1960/61 under Frank Worrell’s astute leadership. They won only 4 (while losing 5) of their 14 first-class matches, but created a positive impression wherever they went. Australia won a very closely contested series 2-1. The first Test ended in that much celebrated tie at Brisbane in December and the fourth was left drawn at Adelaide with West Indies needing only one last wicket to take the lead in the rubber. Australia then squeaked home by a very narrow margin in the final Test. Ramadhin’s contributions 32