Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose is a
former cricketer
from Antigua
who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. A fast bowler, he took 405 Test wickets
at an average of 20.99 and topped the ICC Player Rankings for much of his career to
be rated the best bowler in the world. His great height—he was 6 feet 7 inches
(2.01 m) tall—allowed him to make the ball bounce unusually high after he
delivered it; allied to his pace and accuracy, it made him a difficult bowler
for batsmen to face. A man of few words during his career, he was notoriously
reluctant to speak to journalists. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992; after he
retired he was entered into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame
and selected as one of West Indies all-time XI by a panel of experts.
Born in Swetes, Antigua,
Ambrose came to cricket at a relatively late age, having preferred basketball
in his youth, but quickly made an impression as a fast bowler. Progressing
through regional and national teams, he was first chosen for the West Indies in
1988. He was almost immediately successful and remained in the team until his
retirement in 2000. On many occasions, his bowling was responsible for the West
Indies winning matches which seemed lost, particularly in association with Courtney
Walsh. Against Australia in 1993, he took
seven wickets while conceding a single run;
in 1994 he was largely responsible for bowling England out for 46 runs, taking six for 24.
Ambrose's bowling
method relied on accuracy and conceding few runs; several of his best
performances came when he took wickets in quick succession to devastate the
opposition. He was particularly successful against leading batsmen and when the
team depended on him. From 1995, Ambrose was increasingly affected by injury,
and several times critics claimed that he was no longer effective. However, he
continued to take wickets regularly up until his retirement, although he was
sometimes less effective in the early matches of a series. In his final years,
the West Indies team was in decline and often relied heavily on himself and
Walsh; both men often bowled with little support from the other bowlers.
Following his retirement, Ambrose has pursued a career in music as the bass
guitarist in a reggae
band.
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