Curtly Ambrose

Curtly Ambrose

Personal information
Full name	Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose
Born	21 September 1963 (1963-09-21) Swetes, Antigua and Barbuda
Height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Batting style	Left-handed batsman
Bowling style	Right-arm fast
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	West Indies
Test debut (cap 192)	2 April 1988 v Pakistan
Last Test	31 August 2000 v England
ODI debut (cap 53)	12 March 1988 v Pakistan
Last ODI	23 April 2000 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1985–2000	Leeward Islands
1998–1999	Antigua and Barbuda
1989–1996	Northamptonshire
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	ODIs	FC	List A
Matches	98	176	239	329
Runs scored	1439	639	3448	1282
Batting average	12.40	10.65	13.95	11.98
100s/50s	0/1	0/0	0/4	0/0
Top score	53	31*	78	48
Balls bowled	22103	9353	48798	17143
Wickets	405	225	941	401
Bowling average	20.99	24.12	20.24	23.83
5 wickets in innings	22	4	50	4
10 wickets in match	3	n/a	8	n/a
Best bowling	8/45	5/17	8/45	5/17
Catches/stumpings	18/0	45/0	88/0	82/0
Source: [1], September 1 2007

Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose (born September 21, 1963) is a former West Indian cricketer. His skill was as a right-arm fast bowler, especially in partnership with Courtney Walsh. His huge 6'7" (2.01 m) frame was a fearsome sight for any batsman; even when his pace fell away due to age, he still bowled excellent line and length and, due to his height, could extract steepling bounce from any pitch — a threat to even the finest of batsmen. With Walsh, he formed one of the greatest opening bowling partnerships in history, as evidenced by the 421 wickets they shared in the 49 Test matches they played together.

Ambrose was a man of few words, refusing countless interview requests with the motto "Curtly talk to no man."

Playing career

Born in Swetes, Antigua, he played for the Leeward Islands. He came to England in 1986 on a Viv Richards scholarship and played for Chester Boughton Hall in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition taking 84 wickets in 362.1 overs at an average of 9.80. After playing for Littleborough in 1987, he was engaged by Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, and went on to represent the West Indian cricket team. Ambrose made his Test debut in April 1988 at Georgetown, Guyana against Pakistan and retired at the end of the England tour in August 2000.

International cricket

A graph showing Ambrose's test career bowling statistics and how they have varied over time.

In Test cricket, he had 98 caps, bowled 1,001 maiden overs (roughly two in every seven) and took 405 wickets (making him only the fifth to exceed the 400 barrier) at an average of 20.99. This average is marginally bettered only by fellow West Indians Malcolm Marshall (20.94) and Joel Garner (20.97) among bowlers who have taken more than 200 wickets. In addition, Ambrose also boasts the best economy rate of any of the ten bowlers who have taken 400 or more Test wickets, at 2.30 per over. His best performance was eight for 45 against England at Barbados in 1990 (in 34 Tests against England he took 164 wickets, dismissing Mike Atherton seventeen times); he took five wickets or better on 22 occasions, including seven wickets for one run against Australia at the WACA, in Perth, in 1993. He also bowled a fifteen-ball over at the same ground: it contained nine no-balls and took thirteen minutes to bowl, making it possibly the longest over in Test cricket.

In 176 one-day internationals, Ambrose took 225 wickets. Despite certain pretensions as a left-handed batsman, and a single Test fifty to his credit (53 against Australia in 1991), he did not distinguish himself with the bat.

Legacy and life after cricket

Having retired from cricket, Ambrose now plays guitar in a reggae band called Big Bad Dread and the Baldhead alongside former team-mate Richie Richardson.

He was placed at No. 3 in Shane Warne's list of the fifty greatest cricketers of his time, while Ian Botham in his book Botham's Century noted that, although "a cricketer who thrived on aggression and menace", Ambrose was "the most reluctant and detached of heroes", indeed "one of the quietest that I ever encountered". As a bowler, he was always "miserly accurate" but occasionally, when fired up, "as unforgiving and as devastating as a hurricane", and "virtually unplayable": "But maybe of all these weapons, the most potent was his silence. Many fast bowlers have tried to put batsmen off their strokes by utilising various forms of verbal and physical intimidation. Curtly intimidated you with hush."

Hall of Fame

Curtly Ambrose has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Joining Ambrose in 2011's Hall of Fame class was an Australian trio of former allrounder Alan Davidson, former women's captain Belinda Clark and the late fast bowler Frederick Spofforth.

He was identified as one of the finest bowlers of all time, Ambrose picked up 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99 in a career that had remarkable performances. He took 6 for 24 to skittle England for 46 in Trinidad in 1993, and 7 for 25 against Australia at the WACA in 1993 to win the series for his side. He also played 176 ODIs, taking 225 wickets at an average of 24.12.

"It is a privilege and an honor to be inducted in the Hall of Fame," Ambrose said. "In the history of cricket there have been many great cricketers and to be part of that elite group, I'm very happy and very humbled.". Also he added as "I never thought that this day would come. This only tells me that all the hard work I put in throughout my career did not go unnoticed. I see this also as a just reward for all the joy and happiness that I may have brought to cricket and cricketers alike."

External links

• Player profile: Curtly Ambrose from ESPNcricinfo