The West Indies batter on his effortless style, playing with his idols and how leadership brought out the best in him
Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Carl Hooper, 58, played 102 Test matches for the West Indies between 1987 and 2003, scoring nearly 6,000 runs, taking 114 wickets with his wily off-spin and captaining the side in 22 of those appearances. Known as one of the most stylish, if not necessarily most consistent, batters of the era, he also played 227 ODIs and had five prolific seasons with Kent, making 22 first-class centuries in 85 matches for the club.
Hooper returned to the county game with Lancashire in 2003 and is one of only three players to have scored a first-class century against all 18 first-class counties. “He was so talented, yet he didn’t understand just how good he was,” wrote Brian Lara of his former teammate. “People would ask why he didn’t do full justice to his brilliance, and you know what, there is no clear reason for it.”
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