The champion West Indies teams of the late 70s to early 90s

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Born in Bridgetown, Barbados on April 18th, 1958, Malcolm Marshall took only 20 years to make his First-class debut in the 1977/1978 season. His Test debut came in the following season- owing to defections of the leading West Indies players to Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. Marshall had a slow start in Test cricket- a surprising fact when one considers his statistics.
The chance to cement a place in the West Indies side came again in 1980. From there, Marshall never looked back. He announced his arrival as a world-beater against England- the team that feared him the most. Marshall played 81 Test matches and amassed 376 wickets, which was then a record for the most wickets by a West Indian bowler. His Test bowling average of 20.94 is the kind of figure that one may never see in modern cricket.
Marshall was the only West Indian paceman of his era to take over 300 wickets. He had the most wickets, best strike rate and lowest bowling average of them all. However, one interesting fact is that he had the highest batting average of them all as well. From 107 innings, Marshall accumulated 1,810 runs at an average of 18.85. He scored 10 Test fifties and seven First-class centuries. He was the closest player that the West Indies had to a genuine all-rounder since Garry Sobers and before Dwayne Bravo.
Malcolm Marshall played a lot of First class cricket for Hampshire of England and Natal of South Africa. In all, he played 408 First class matches and scalped an astounding 1,651 wickets at an average of 19.10. South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini credits Marshall for helping him to develop into an excellent fast bowler.
When he stopped playing, Marshall took on coaching jobs- starting in South Africa. He coached the West Indies senior team before his death at age 41 from cancer. Though he was a devastating bowler in his day, Marshall was a charming fellow. It was no surprise that his death, in 1999, was mourned across the cricket world.

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Mervyn Dillon West Indies

Image via WikipediaDillon was discarded by West Indies selectors at the age of 31; the victim of unreasonably high expectations. Dillon's statistics reveal that he was a good stock bowler who can be expected to deliver wickets. However, he also served up many juicy full-tosses, half-volleys and harmless bouncers to grateful batsmen.
Geoff Boycott remarked that Dillon bowled great wicket-taking deliveries, but served up too many "four balls' that made him expensive.
In his career, Dillon took 131 wickets in 38 Test matches with an average of 33.57. His ODI returns were 130 wickets from 108 matches with an economy rate of 4.61. While "Big Merv" was no rabbit with the bat, his batting was at times comical and over-ambitious. He even appeared as if he would threaten Courtney Walsh's record for highest number of "ducks" in a Test match.
Although his returns from international cricket made him an above-average cricketer, Dillon's efforts were often overlooked because he was not the strike bowler that the W.I. selectors felt that he should be. He was the strike bowler for Trinidad and performed very well in this capacity. At Test level, however, Mervyn Dillon was a stock bowler who could take wickets. Expectations of him were perhaps too high.
A comparison to one of the current crop of bowlers shows that the parlous state of West Indies cricket is due to fundamental problems and is not merely an issue of finding better bowlers than Dillon. Daren Powell- considered a strike bowler in the 2008 team- took a grand total of 73 wickets after 30 Test matches at a poor average of 47.28 (up to December 12, 2008). This would have been acceptable if Daren Powell was not a "rabbit" with the bat. Powell needed 82 balls on average to get a wicket in a Test match compared to 66.4 for Dillon.
The high-arm action of Mervyn Dillon was truly a beauty to behold. In his prime, Dillon was able to deliver genuinely quick deliveries with speeds of up to 140 km/hr. His consistency in ball placement often left a lot to be desired. However, Mervyn Dillon's West Indies career was cut short prematurely by those who felt that younger, quicker bowlers should be given a chance. The fact that these younger, quicker bowlers pale in comparison to Mervyn Dillon is an emphatic indictment of West Indies cricket.
An international comeback for Mervyn Dillon is highly unlikely at the age of 35 (in 2009). He has not retired from First-class cricket, but has stepped aside to allow younger fast bowlers to emerge from Trinidad and Tobago. Even in the twilight of his career, "Big Merv" still has many overs left in him.

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West Indies cricket

Image via WikipediaBorn in St. Michael, Barbados on September 12th, 1937, Wes Hall initially began playing cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Cricinfo's Martin Williamson recounted that Hall converted to a bowler when the regular new ball bowler for his club side failed to show up. His returns were immediately impressive and he became one of the eminent fast bowlers for the West Indies in the 60s - after making his Test debut against India in Mumbai on November 28th, 1958. Hall went on to play 48 Test matches between 1958 and 1969, ending his international career against New Zealand in Auckland.
Hall garnered a spectacular return of 192 Test wickets at an average of 26.38 from his 48 matches - a return of exactly four wickets per Test. His tall, lean frame resulted in a fast arm action that hurled deliveries at over 90 miles per hour at batsmen- deliveries that were evidently well directed. One of Hall's 192 Test wickets came during the last over of the first-ever tied Test match (against Australia at Brisbane). His last over is one of cricket's enduring stories.
With the bat, Hall was somewhat productive at Test level, underscoring his batting potential. He scored two Test half-centuries and even scored a First class century. His batting average at Test level was a respectable 15.73- not bad for a lower order batsman. Wes Hall played 170 First class matches for teams like Barbados, Queensland and West Indies. An interesting footnote is that, in his later years, Hall played for Trinidad and Tobago on the West Indies domestic circuit. That was interesting because he is a born-and-raised Barbadian.
Hall was president of the WICB for a short period that commenced in 2001. He was also a minister of government and religion - going by the title of "Reverend Wes Hall." His affable nature and effusive use of language belies his past as a tall, lean and feared fast bowler of the 60s. A sportsman, politician and religious leader - Wes Hall will remain a true legend of cricket- not just in the West Indies.

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