Which West Indian Islands

[The Phantom Ram]

tend to produce the quickest bowlers or the best batsmen? Is there a trend or is it very random? Also can players only play for the island of their birth?

Cheers

[Andy Mellon]

Don't know if this helps

PHP Code:

Greenidge               Barbados
Haynes                  Barbados
Richards                Leeward Islands (born in Antigua)
Lara                    Trinidad & Tobago
Gayle                   Jamaica
Sarwan                  Guyana
Chanderpaul             Guyana
Lloyd                   Guyana
Ambrose                 Leeward Islands (born in Antigua)
Bishop                  Trinidad and Tobago
Marshall                Barbados
Walsh                   Jamaica
Holding                 Jamaica
Lawson                  Jamaica
Clarke                  Barbados
Daniel                  Barbados
Edwards                 Barbados
Collins                 Barbados
Best                    Barbados 


Looks like Barbados and Jamaica are good for fast bowling then!

[Ninjaman]

Theoretically. it is random but WI fast bowlers have tended to be of African as opposed to East Indian origin, so thus they are more likley to come from Barbados or Jamaica as opposed to Trinidad or Guyana, where the population is about 50% of Indian heritage.

Ricardo Powell is a Jamaican who married a Trinidadian girl and now plays for themas he lives there. All that is needed is that you take up citizenship or reside there and both organisations agree to let you change sides.

Sir Frank Worrell was Barbadian but played for Jamaica in first class games in addition to his homeland.

---

The WI first class teams are Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.

Jamaica has a pop. of 2.7 million, Barbados 280,000, Guyana 800,000 and T&T 1.1 million.

The Leeward Islands consist of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, B.V.I. and the U.S.V.I. The last two territories are yet to produce a cricketer of note if memory serves me right.

Anguilla has just 14,000 people, Antigua and Barbuda 70,000, Montserrat 10,000 , St. Kitts and Nevis 40,000.

The Windward Islands are Dominica, Grenada. St. Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. There populations are 70,000, 90,000, 170,000 and 120,000 respectively.

So taking this into consideration we see that Barbados has pulled more than its weight than any other national or regional area in cricketing history and one cannot really expect a whole troupe of world class talent to be pouring out of a place with only 70,000 people.

Hope this gives you a little flavour

[The Phantom Ram]

Originally Posted by Ninjaman

Hope this gives you a little flavour

Thanks for all that, it is very interesting - I must admit I knew very little about what the term 'West Indies' encompassed and also knew little about the ethnic make up of the Caribean islands. Are there any good books on the history / recent history of West Indian Cricket?

[Ninjaman]

Yes,

CLR James - Beyond a Boundary. A great book in every sense of the word.

Michael Manley - A History of West Indies Cricket.

Don't think you need to go further than these two books as a starter.

[trinicricketer]

actuall there are alot of indian pace bowlers produced in the caribbean they just never really make it big cuz indians in the caribbean are expected to be spinners or batsmen. i actually know a few seeing as im from trinidad.

[cantplaycantalk]

Couple more for you Barbadians

Joel Garner - Barbados
Sir Garfield Sobers - Barbados