Talk:History of the West Indies cricket team

Collaboration of the fortnight

Comments made during nomination for COTF status were:

1. Support Probably the team pages that is closest to FA status, jguk 12:19, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
2. Support At this stage, I think we should only do the really big topics. Smoddy (Rabbit and pork) 15:46, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
3. Hesitant There is a lot of rework to be done. The list of the batsmen and bowlers and summary of decades need a lot of beefing up - too many numbers and not enough data Tintin1107 18:20, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
4. Support -- the tour events have to be delinked from the page.  =Nichalp (talk · contribs)= 19:16, May 18, 2005 (UTC)

Suggestions

This can do with a lot of beefing up.

1. The 'notable cricketers' include just statistics and they are not always relevant (see for instance, Lawrence Rowe and Frank Worrell)

2. The decades also could do with more descriptive stuff.

3. A general outline of WI cricket history, which could be part of 'decades' or a seperate section. I am not very clear about what this could be. Highlights could be the events that preceded Worrell's selection as the captain, Lloyd's team, all the mess that has happened in the last 10 years etc. Tintin 10:13, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

I've done some re-ordering, and also expanded the "early tours" section. I myself am not looking at the Intro and Overview bits yet until the rest is tidied up/written.

I think the article should mostly be chronological, and I don't think it should cover junior or women's teams (at least not other than in passing). We can have a separate article on those, if there's demand for them.

I've moved the "important dates" and "notable players" sections to the end - mostly for reference as I envisage these being removed as the relevant bits get written into the chronology. And I don't envisage including references to all of those players in this article either! jguk 13:46, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

Early tours

--> NEED EVIDENCE FOR THIS In 1900 Arthur Austin led a touring side to England, but none of these matches was first-class <--

Aucher Warner - brother of PF. Short of books at the moment, so have to rely on the net :

Cozier : The first representative West Indies team to England toured in 1900 under the captaincy of Aucher Warner.

[1] I don't know about this book but this passage is borrowed/copied from CLR James' Beyond a boundary. Jessop scored 157 in one hour !

Constantines : Lebrun's career was an inspiration to his son. At the turn of the century (1900) Lebrun, by public subscription, went on the first West Indies tour of England and scored the first West Indian century at Lords of 113. Tintin 14:01, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

Jguk, the 1900 captain was Aucher Warner - not Austin Tintin 16:54, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

flag

added Image:West Indies Cricket Board Flag.jpg to infobox. Original image was Image:West Indies Cricket Board Flag.png but I didn't know how to link to that as the infobox expects a jpg file. Perhaps a clever person can fix. - Ian ≡ talk 03:00, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

Can we get a maroon flag and not a RED one

Important dates in the history of West Indian cricket

• 1900 - West Indies under Aucher Warner ( brother of Sir Pelham) make its first tour of England. The tour of 1923 under the captaincy of Sir Harold Austin was the first to involve matches which are deemed first class.
• June 23, 1928 - Test debut against England at Lord's
• February 26, 1930 - West Indies register their first test match victory at Georgetown against England
• March 4, 1931 - At Sydney against Australia, West Indies register their first away test match victory
• June 29,1950 - West Indies defeat England by 326 runs at Lord's. WI went on to win the series 3-1, the highlights being the bowling of Ramadhin and Valentine and the batting of the three W's
• March 1, 1958 - Garry Sobers scores 365* against Pakistan at Kingston setting a new record for the highest individual score in Test cricket
• 1960 - Frank Worrell is appointed captain of West Indies, the first black cricketer to get that post. George Headley had stood in for John Goddard for two tests in 1947-48.
• 1960-61 - Worrell's West Indians and Richie Benaud's Australians play arguably the greatest Test series in history. The first match at Brisbane ended in a tie. Australia won the series 2-1. Half a million people lined the streets of Melbourne to bide farewell to the West Indians.
• 1974 - Clive Lloyd takes over from Rohan Kanhai as the captain of West Indies. The beginning of the Lloyd era which saw WI become one of the greatest teams of all time.
• June 21, 1975 - West Indies win the first Cricket World Cup
• May 7, 1976 - Women's team make their Test debut against Australia. A month later they played their first one day match.
• June 23, 1979 - Clive Lloyd lifts the Cricket World Cup again
• August 14, 1984 - West Indies complete a 5-0 'blackwash' of England.
• January 1, 1985 - At Sydney, Clive Lloyd plays his last Test. Australia win by an innings and 55 runs to end West Indies' record streak of 27 Test matches without defeat.This also included a (then) record 11 wins in consecutive Tests.
• April 18, 1994 - Brian Lara scores 375 against England at St. John's and breaks Sobers' record for highest individual score in Test cricket
• June 6, 1994 - Playing for Warwickshire against Durham in county cricket, Lara scores 501*. This breaks the 35 year old record of Hanif Mohammad for the highest score in first class cricket.
• May 3, 1995 - West Indies lose the final Test at Kingston to Australia, thereby losing the series 1-2. This was their first defeat in a series in 15 years.
• 1998-99 - West Indies make their first tour of South Africa. They suffered a 0-5 defeat in a controversy ridden series.
• April 12, 2004 - Brian Lara scores 400* against England at Antigua to regain the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket.
• September 25, 2004 - Brian Lara lifts the ICC Champions Trophy

The 1930s

Test tours

West Indies had their first test tour of Australia in 1930. They also toured England twice during the 1930s. They played 19 tests, most of them against England, winning 4 and losing 9. Most of the test matches had 6-ball overs but 3 of them had 8-ball overs. The test matches played had different formats (3 day, 4 day, 5 day, timeless).

West Indian captains

Most of the matches were captained by G C Grant.

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1930s

1. George Headley 2135

List of top West Indian wickettakers of the 1930s

1. L N Constantine 53

The 1940s

Test tours

The 1940s were affected by World War II. In 1948, West Indies toured newly independent India for the first time for a 5 test tour. The tour was preceded by a non-test tour of Pakistan and followed by a similar short tour of Ceylon. West Indies did not lose any of the 9 test matches it played in this decade.

West Indian captains

Most of the matches were captained by JDC Goddard under whose captaincy the West Indies won 3 test matches.

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1940s

1. Everton deWeekes 1072 at an average of 82.46
2. Clyde Walcott 585

List of top West Indian wickettakers in the 1940s

1. W Ferguson 33

The 1950s

Test tours

During the 1950s, West Indies toured England and New Zealand twice and Australia, India and Pakistan once each. West Indies played a total of 48 test matches in this decade, winning 18 and losing 17. It won just 1 of the 10 test matches it played against Australia, losing 7 of them. Thus, Australia was the only test side against whom they had a poor record. Both their batting and bowling failed to click against Australia in this decade. 1957 was an especially bad year when they could not win a single test match which they made up for in 1958 by winning 5 test matches. These were the days when the side winning the toss used to bat 90% of the time. Most of the matches had 6-ball overs and were either 5 or 6-day matches with 6 of them being 4-day matches.

West Indian captains

• JDC Goddard
• JB Stollmeyer
• DS Atkinson
• FCM Alexander - won 7 test matches, lost 3

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1950s

1. Clyde Walcott 3,129 runs at an average of 61.35 with 13 centuries and 11 fifties
2. Everton deWeekes 3,383 runs at an average of 54 with 10 centuries and 17 fifties
3. Frank Worrell 2,397 runs at an average of 48
4. Sir Garfield Sobers 2,213 runs at an average of 56.74
5. JB Stollmeyer 1,520 runs at an average of 40
6. Rohan Kanhai 1,317 runs at an average of 44

The 1960s

Test tours

In the 1960s, the West Indies-England test series came to be known as the Wisden Trophy after John Wisden and the West Indies-Australia test series came to be known as the Frank Worrell Trophy. West Indies toured England thrice in this decade, Australia twice and India and New Zealand once each. West Indies played 49 test matches in this decade winning 18, losing 13. Only 3 of the test matches were against New Zealand compared to 23 against England. It did not lose a single of the 8 test matches against India. The matches were a mixture of 6-ball overs and 8-ball overs. Most of them were 5 or 6-day matches with only 3 of them being 4-day matches.

West Indian captains

Most of the test matches in this decade were captained by Sir Gary Sobers. Some of them were also captained by Frank Worrell.

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1960s

1. Sir Garfield Sobers 4,563 runs at an average of 60 with 15 centuries
2. Rohan Kahnai 3,739 runs at an average of 50 with 10 centuries
3. Nurse 2,523 runs at an average of 48

List of top West Indian wickettakers in the 1960s

1. Lance Gibbs 184
2. W W Hall 146
3. Griffith 94

The 1970s

Test tours

During the 70s, West Indies toured England, Australia and India twice and Pakistan once. The West Indies played 63 test matches in this decade, winning 18 and losing 15. It was only against Australia that they lost more test matches than they won. Most of the test matches they played in this decade had 6 ball overs while 8 of them had 8 ball overs. Most of the test matches were 5-day tests whereas only 5 of them were 6-day test matches.

West Indian captains

1. Gary Sobers
2. Rohan Kanhai
3. Clive Lloyd
4. Alvin Kallicharran

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1970s

1. Alvin Kallicharran 3956 at an average of 49.45
2. Roy Fredericks 3809 at an average of 46
3. Clive Lloyd 3475 at an average of 46
4. Vivian Richards 2736 at an average of 58
5. Lawrence Rowe 1785 at an average of 46
6. Gordon Greenidge 1732 at an average of 47
7. Gary Sobers 1256 at an average of 52.33
8. Rohan Kanhai 1171 at an average of 45
9. C A Davis 1065 at an average of 66.56

List of top West Indian wickettakers in the 1970s

1. Andy Roberts 140 wickets at an average of 25.15 taking 5 wickets in an innings 9 times
2. Michael Holding 65 wickets at an average of 24.55
3. Colin Croft 52 wickets at an average of 21.53

The 1980s

Test tours

The 1980s were the golden period for the West Indies cricket team when they dominated world cricket. The West Indies toured Australia 4 times in the 1980s, England thrice, New Zealand twice and Pakistan and India once each. They played 82 Test matches winning 43 of them and losing just 8. They did not lose any of the 24 Test matches they played against England and lost just 1 out of 19 Test matches they played against India. They even dominated Australia in this decade although they won just 1 out of 6 Test matches they played in New Zealand. As many as 52 of the 82 Test matches they played in this decade were on foreign soil. They also lost just 1 out of the 30 Test matches they played at home. 1984 was a particularly good year when they won 11 Test matches and lost just 1.

The great West Indian captains of this decade were Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards both of whom had an outstanding record. They were the only 2 captains to have won over 20 Test matches in the 1980s and were far ahead of the competition.

List of top West Indian runscorers in the 1980s

1. Vivian Richards 5,113 at an average of 49 with 15 centuries
2. Gordon Greenidge 5,103 at an average of 46 with 12 centuries
3. Desmond Haynes 5,083 runs at an average of 41.32 with 12 centuries
4. Richie Richardson 3,320 runs at an average of 48 with 10 centuries
5. Jeff Dujon 2,884 runs at an average of 36 with 6 centuries
6. Clive Lloyd 2,881 runs at an average of 52 with 8 centuries
7. Larry Gomes 2,490 runs at an average of 41 with 7 centuries

List of top West Indian wickettakers in the 1980s

1. Malcolm Marshall 323 wickets at an average of 19.91
2. Joel Garner 210 wickets at an average of 20.62
3. Michael Holding 184 wickets at an average of 23.38
4. Courtney Walsh 122 wickets at an average of 24.24
5. Colin Croft 73 wickets at an average of 24.56

The 1990s

The 1990s were also good for the West Indies but they did not continue the dominance of world cricket that they had in the 1980s. In the 90s, they toured England, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan twice and India, Sri Lanka and South Africa once. They played 81 Test matches winning 30 and losing 28. While their home record was still good, their away performance waned.

Courtney Walsh did not enjoy the same success as captain as Richie Richardson did. Brian Lara's performance as captain was even worse. As the decade progressed key players such as Ambrose and Walsh were not adequately replaced and it became clear that the West Indies of the 1980s were a thing of the past.

In May 2003, they won a Test match against Australia at St. John's scoring a world record 418 runs in the 4th innings breaking a 27-year-old record of India who had scored 406 runs in the 4th innings to win a match incidentally against the West Indies. It was only the third time in the history of Test cricket that over 400 runs had been scored in the 4th innings to win a match. As of 2004, they are one of only 3 Test playing nations to have played over 400 Test matches, the others being Australia and England.

Notable players

Notable West Indian batsmen include

• Brian Lara - world record holder for highest individual score (400 not out against England at St. John's, April 2004), also held the world record earlier from April 1994 to October 2003 (375, also against England at St. John's) One of five batsmen in the world to have scored 10,000 Test runs and the only West Indian to do so. One of only 3 West Indian triple centurions, the other two being Lawrence Rowe and Sir Gary Sobers, second person after Sir Don Bradman and the only West Indian to score Test triple century twice, 2nd West Indian batsman after Sir Gary Sobers to have scored 25 Test centuries, fastest to score 10,000 Test runs in terms of number of innings and only batsman to score 10,000 Test runs in less than 200 Test innings, scored a Test record 28 runs in an over against South Africa, scored 169 in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 1995, scored 18 ODI centuries, most by a West Indian, scored 1,349 ODI runs in the year 1993, most by a West Indian in a calendar year, one of only 2 West Indian batsmen to have hit 100 sixes in ODI cricket, scored the 2nd fastest century in ODI cricket (fastest by a West Indian) in just 45 balls (1999), scored the fastest fifty by a West Indian batsman in ODI cricket in just 23 balls (against Canada, 2003), scored 26 runs in an over in that match, the most by a West Indian, 2nd fastest batsman to reach 5,000 ODI runs (118 matches) (International career: 1990-)
• Lawrence Rowe - 1000 Test runs in 16 Test matches (2nd fastest West Indian) at an average of 71 (International career: 1972-1980)
• Vivian Richards - one of only two batsmen (the other being Chris Cairns) to have scored more than 80 sixes in a Test career, scored a world record ODI innings of 189 not out against England at Manchester in 1984 breaking Kapil Dev's record innings of 175 not out in the previous year, held the record for 13 years, continues to be a West Indian record, in that innings, scored 114 runs in boundaries, another world record beating Kapil Dev's 100 runs in boundaries, another world record held for 13 years, in 1987, scored the second highest ODI innings by a West Indian player (181 against Sri Lanka at Karachi), hitting 7 sixes in that innings, a world record. 3 months later, he again hit 7 sixes in an ODI (against India at Rajkot) innings becoming the first person to do so twice, only West Indian batsman to have scored 175+ runs in an ODI innings, first West Indian to score 150 in one day international (against Australia at Melbourne, 1979), scored 11 ODI centuries, hit 126 sixes in ODIs, a West Indian record, fastest to reach 1000 ODI runs (21 matches), one of only 4 batsmen to have reached 1000 ODI runs in less than 25 ODIs, fastest batsman to reach 5,000 ODI runs (114 matches) (International career: 1974-1991)
• Sir Garfield Sobers - over 8,000 Test runs at an average of 58 runs per innings with 26 Test centuries, one of only 2 West Indian batsmen to score 5,000 runs in less than 100 Test matches, one of the youngest cricketers to play a Test match for West Indies (International career: 1954-1974)
• Gordon Greenidge - scored 11 ODI centuries, hit 8 sixes in an ODI innings against India in 1989, a world record, got 6 consecutive ODI scores of 50+ runs, only West Indian to do so, 2nd fastest to reach 1000 ODI runs (23 matches), one of only 4 batsmen to have reached 1,000 ODI runs in less than 25 ODIs, reached 5,000 ODI runs in 121 matches, in 1989, became the oldest West Indian to score an ODI century (International career: 1974-1991)
• Clive Lloyd - In 1984, at the age of 40, became the oldest West Indian to score a Test century (International career: 1966-1985)
• Desmond Haynes - scored 17 ODI centuries and 57 ODI 50s making 74 innings of 50+, highest by a West Indian, hit 6 sixes in an ODI innings against India at Georgetown in 1989, in 1994, became the oldest West Indian to score an ODI century at the age of 38 (International career: 1978- 1994)
• Carl Hooper - (International career: 1987-2003)
• Jimmy Adams - 1000 Test runs in 18 Test matches at an average of 77 runs per innings. (International career: 1992-2001)
• Ricardo Powell - youngest West Indian to score an ODI century, scored 2000 ODI runs at a strike rate of 98, emulated Gordon Greenidge by hitting 8 sixes in an ODI innings against India in 1999 at Singapore, hit 7 sixes in another ODI against India at Toronto (International career: 1999-)
• Ramnaresh Sarwan - scored 1,000 ODI runs in 27 ODIs, one of the best batting averages in ODI cricket (International career: 2000-)

Notable West Indian bowlers include:

• Courtney Walsh - the first bowler to take 500 Test wickets, a milestone he reached in 2000. The only West Indian bowler to take 500 wickets. He took 34 wickets in a Test series against England at an average of 13 runs per wicket, a year in which he took 66 Test wickets, the highest by a West Indian bowler since 1984, took 13 wickets in a Test match against New Zealand conceding just 55 runs at Wellington in 1995, took a Test hat-trick against Australia at Brisbane in 1988, the first Test hat-trick by a West Indian bowler in 28 years, one of only 3 West Indian bowlers to take 5 wickets in a Test innings more than 20 times (International career: 1984-2001)
• Curtly Ambrose - one of only 2 West Indians to have taken over 400 Test wickets, one of 3 West Indian bowlers with a Test bowling average below 21, only bowler to have taken over 400 Test wickets at an average of less than 21, one of only 3 West Indian bowlers to have taken 5 wickets in a Test innings more than 20 times, only West Indian bowler to have reached 400 Test wickets in less than 100 Test matches, finished with an ODI economy rate of 3.48 (International career 1988-2000)
• Malcolm Marshall - one of only 3 West Indian bowlers with a Test bowling average below 21, took 73 wickets in the year 1984, 2nd highest by a West Indian in a calendar year, one of only 3 West Indian bowlers to take 5 wickets in an innings more than 20 times, only West Indian bowler to have taken 5 wickets in 4 consecutive Test innings in 1984 against Australia, only West Indian bowler to have taken 10 wickets in a Test match 4 times, finished with an ODI economy rate of 3.53 (International career: 1978-1992)
• Lance Gibbs - Took a Test hat-trick against Australia at Adelaide in 1961, at the age of 41 in 1976 became the oldest player to play a Test match for the West Indies (International career: 1958-1976)
• Joel Garner - one of 3 West Indian bowlers with a Test bowling average below 21, strike rate of 51 balls per wicket, took 52 Test wickets in his first 10 Test matches, took 79 Test wickets in the year 1984, a West Indian record, only West Indian to take more than 75 Test wickets in a calendar year, took just 21 matches to reach 100 Test wickets, took 146 ODI wickets at an average of 18.84, one of the best bowling averages in ODI cricket and an economy rate of 3.09 (International career: 1977-1987)
• Michael Holding - took 30 wickets in a Test series against India at an average of 22 runs per wicket in 1983/1984, took 14 wickets in a Test match against England in 1976 at The Oval, a West Indian record, finished with an ODI bowling average of 21.36 and an economy rate of 3.32 (International career: 1975-1987)
• Andy Roberts - took just 9 Test matches to take his first 50 Test wickets, 2nd fastest by a West Indian bowler, one of only 2 West Indian bowlers to reach 100 Test wickets in less than 20 Test matches, finished with an ODI bowling average of 20.35 and an economy rate of 3.4 (International career: 1974-1983)
• Wes Hall - took 52 wickets in his first 10 Test matches, took 103 Test wickets in his first 20 Test matches, first West Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick against Pakistan at Lahore in 1958/59 (International career: 1958-1969)
• Colin Croft - best strike rate of all West Indian bowlers, only West Indian with a Test strike rate of less than 50 balls per wicket, one of only 3 West Indian bowlers to have reached 50 Test wickets in less than 10 Test matches, took just 21 Test matches to reach 100 Test wickets, took 6/15 in an ODI against England at Kingstown in 1981, finished with an ODI bowling average of 20.66 and an economy rate of 3.47 (International career: 1977-1982)
• Charlie Griffith - took 32 wickets at an average of 16 runs per wicket in a Test series against England in 1963 (International career: 1960-1969)
• Ian Bishop - Test strike rate of 52 balls per wicket, took just 21 Test matches to reach 100 Test wickets (International career: 1988-1998)
• Jack Noreiga - only West Indian bowler to take 9 wickets in a Test innings conceding less than 100 runs against India in 1971, conceded nearly 400 runs for the remaining 8 wickets he took in that series, his only Test series at the age of 33/34
• Franklyn Rose - 2nd best Test debut by a West Indian bowler and best in 47 years, 2nd West Indian bowler to take 6 wickets in first Test innings and first in 47 years (against India at Kingston, 1997)
• Hines Johnson - first West Indian bowler and 1 of only 2 West Indian bowlers to have taken 10 wickets in debut Test match against England at Kingston
• Winston Davis - took 7/51 in a World Cup match against Australia at Leeds in 1983, a world record, the first time anyone took 7 wickets in an ODI, held for 8 years, currently a West Indian ODI record (International career: 1983-1988)

Notable West Indian wicketkeepers include

• David Murray - 9 dismissals in a Test match (International career: 1973-1982)
• Courtney Browne - 9 dismissals in a Test match (International career: 1995-)
• Ridley Jacobs - 9 dismissals in a Test match (International career: 1996-)
• Junior Murray - 8 dismissals in a Test match (International career: 1992-2002)
• Jeff Dujon - first West Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in 23 years (1983), only West Indian wicketkeeper with over 200 ODI dismissals (International career: 1981-1991)
• Deryck Murray - 5 dismissals in an innings 4 times, with 189 test dismissals. (1963 - 1980)

Rebels to South Africa

WICB banned the players for life (which was later revoked), and some were refused entry back home.

Some boards banned the players for life. Guyana definitely refused entry for Kallicharran. But the generic statement above is not accurate. Don't have a source to look up the exact details at the moment. Tintin 14:59, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

They certainly would have been banned by the WICB for life - though I admit I don't know about what the local island associations did, jguk 15:39, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Comment

I was asked to look at the article by Tintin, and already I have to correct many NPOV violations. The style in which this article is wrote at times is unencyclopedic and is biased, and quite colloquial. There is room for improvement certainly.--Knucmo2 22:30, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Hurricane Hugo

N. B.

Please note that the reference to Hurricane Hugo on this page: [2]

under the sub-head "Fall From The Top" appears to be erroneous. I do not know which hurricane is actually referred to as there are so many storms each year, but it certainly was not Hugo as that storm was in 1989

Sgd.

Chesil Hamilton Box 557, New Road, St. Kitts, West Indies

---

Copied from the article space to this page: Posted by 201.220.0.75. =Nichalp «Talk»= 14:59, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

Changed article to Hurricane Ivan which badly damaged Queen's Park in 2004. -- Ian ≡ talk 15:20, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

In use

I intend to rework this article into two decent articles over the weekend. I'd be grateful for people's patience and ask them not to put through amendments until I remove the "in use" marker tomorrow. Many thanks, jguk 20:18, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

At the rate I'm going, it'll be in use all this week. If anyone wants to make a significant edit in the meantime, please let me know - but I'd appreciate the extra time, jguk 20:30, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

Oops, I didn't see the notice in time and made a minor edit (as CricketBot). Hope that doesn't cause trouble. Stephen Turner (Talk) 13:26, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

GA removed

As part of Wikipedia:WikiProject_Good_articles/Project_quality_task_force/Sweeps, I am in the process of going through the GA cricket articles and checking them for quality. At the moment, I don't think the article is in conformity with current GA standards. The main issues are

• Lack of refs. From about the 1960s section onwards, the refs are dead or don't exist. Most of the refs are not in the correct format and some are simply comments, some of which do not back up the assertion in the text properly. Like the claim of being the best in the 1960s. Some of the attempted refs are other WP articles and most are only scorecards. Scorecards cannot substantiate not statistical things like bad pitch, good captaincy and so forth in the match
• MOS - things like "first Test" instead of "First Test". Some sentences starting with a number. Some things using numbers for single figure scores like "5 wickets" or "1 run".
• Prose - multiple instances of things like contractions, "windies" which is colloquial and other newspapery language, eg, "The bowlers to follow had big shoes to fill (quite literally) and ultimately have not responded close to the level that Ambrose and Walsh have set" and also unattributed POV/qualitative statements

Unfortunately the main author Jguk is no longer with us and this article has had little improvement in those two years, so I have delisted it, but if anyone wants to fix it up they can simply tap me on teh shoulder again. (Instead of waiting a long time in the WP:GAC queue). Blnguyen (bananabucket) 05:10, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

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Cite errors

I've converted the depracated Template:Ref label system to use ref tags. This has introduced a bunch of cite errors (mismached ref names where refs are invoked but not defined). I want to emphasize that I've introduced no errors that were not in the original text, but my edits have merely made them visible.

While I could fix a few cite errors, some 20 of them remain in the article. They are due to user Jguk (who has retired since 2007) adding content with ref names but no refs in 2005. Perhaps they intended to get back to it, but they never did. Consequentially, most citations from Worrell retired at the end of the series.<ref name="Worrell retires as captain" /> are broken. We're all left wondering what ref Jguk had in mind for the ref name "Worrell retires as captain", and others.

The three solutions are: 1) leave the errors in place, 2) replace the erroneous ref names with {{citation needed}} (since we could infer that Jguk thought these claims need citations and these sources exist), or 3) hide the erroneous ref names as WP:HIDDEN text (since it could also be argued that no one has asked for these citations, see WP:MINREF). – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 12:58, 14 December 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for cleanup up the references! There's so much material on Wikipedia that's marginally referenced, and I think finxing or exposing it is very important to maintain trust in the material.

To that end, #3 is a non-starter. Hiding unreferenced material just won't work. We can replace the bad references with fact tags as #2, but I doubt they'd ever be fixed. It looks like the errors are all in the second half of the section named "A period of mixed fortunes (1960s)". Why not just delete this content? It's unreferenced and therefore OR, and the article is still pretty strong without it. -- Mikeblas (talk) 14:53, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

I've gone and done that deletion to remove two paragraphs and a couple more sentences. The section abruptly ends now, but there are no errors and no unverifiable facts. What do you think? -- Mikeblas (talk) 15:07, 15 February 2023 (UTC)