Carl Hooper’s life in sport: from West Indies to Australia via county cricket

The West Indies batter on his effortless style, playing with his idols and how leadership brought out the best in him

By Wisden Cricket Monthly

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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West Indies skittle Pakistan for first away Test win against rivals since 1990

  • West Indies (win by 120 runs) 163 & 244; Pakistan 154 & 133
  • Jomel Warrican named player of match and series

West Indies secured their first Test win in Pakistan since 1990 after beating the hosts by 120 runs in the second match in Multan on Monday to ensure the series ended in a 1-1 draw.

Pakistan needed 178 to win and sweep the two-match series after being reduced to 76-4 at stumps on the second day but lost two quick wickets when Saud Shakeel (13) and Kashif Ali (1) were removed cheaply by Kevin Sinclair and Jomel Warrican.

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Jomel Warrican worships at cricket’s most unfashionable altar – remember the name | Jonathan Liew

Why am I writing about the fifth most famous spinner from the West Indies? Because it matters for Test cricket

There was a lovely moment after the Trinidad Test a couple of years back. With the final day’s play between India and West Indies washed out and the match drawn, Ravindra Jadeja and Jomel Warrican went up to the top of the covered stand to chat spin bowling.

And, you know, really chat about it. The dirty, under-the-counter stuff. Alignment, shoulder positions, approach angles, how to maintain efficiency of momentum into the delivery stride. The stuff that, to those uninitiated in the art and argot of left-arm red-ball spin bowling, might barely even register as English. Just two master craftsmen talking about their arcane, esoteric and very possibly dying craft.

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West Indies great Clive Lloyd ‘disturbed’ by two-tier plan for Test cricket

  • Talks ongoing on dividing sport into two divisions
  • Lloyd: ‘I think it will be terrible for some countries’

The West Indies great Clive Lloyd is “disturbed” by the idea of a two-tier structure for Test cricket and believes efforts should instead be focused on ensuring struggling teams play more often against the top sides.

According to a report in the Melbourne Age, India, Australia and England are in talks to divide Test cricket into two divisions to allow cricket’s “Big Three” to play each other more often. The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Indian chairman, Jay Shah, will meet representatives of the Australian and English boards this month, the report added.

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West Indies v England: fifth men’s T20 cricket international – match abandoned

England’s final match of their West Indies tour was abandoned after heavy rain meaning Jos Buttler’s side won the five-game series 3-1

1st over: West Indies 6-0 (Lewis 5, Hope 0) Evin Lewis nearly perishes second ball! He opts to pull a lifter that’s too far outside off and thick-edges it over first slip, where not even Jamie Overton can reach it. He gets four for that, followed by a single for another false shot, also a pull – a leading edge that squirts into the covers. And then he gets away with a third edge as a failed swish sends the ball into the ground before it goes through to Phil Salt. Archer, as so often lately, is looking good without getting his just deserts.

The players are out there, under grey skies. Jofra Archer has the new ball.

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