Wes Hall Knighted – Cricket News Update
This year the Queen's Birthday honours list included a West Indian cricketing great who became an inspiration for generations of pacemen to come, he was knighted on the occasion. West Hall, who will be knighted, was one of the most feared pacers in the 60s.
The 74-year-old great, who later headed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and also became a prominent personality in business, government and public service, will be knighted for his “contribution to sport and the community”.
Born on 12 September 1937 in Barbados, he made his debut against the Indians in 1958. During his 11-year Test cricketing career, the tall charismatic bowler represented West Indies in 48 Tests and bagged 192 wickets at an impressive average of 26.38. At 54.2, his strike rate was once considered among the all-time best in the game’s history. He became the first West Indian bowler to take a hat-trick on his debut against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, thus finding his place in the Windies cricketing folklore.
He was later to be inducted in the West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame, Julian Hunte, the WICB president praised his contribution, “There are few in West Indies cricket who could be more deserving of such an illustrious honour as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 on and off the field.
His heroics on the cricketing field were well known during his cricketing days. On one such occasion, during the Brisbane Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in 1960, Hall took 9 wickets for 203 runs, including an extraordinary final over, where he claimed three wickets and for the first time in the 84 years of Test history, forced a TIE. His “finest hour” was yet to come during the second Test at Lords in the summer of ’63 when he bowled for three hours without a break to draw the match against the Englishmen.
“He laboured for our game and our people because of his love for cricket and West Indians, and so diverse are his talents and skills that he has also served Barbados and the region in politics, religion and as a widely acclaimed and ever-popular speaker,” concluded the WICB president Julian Hunte.
Sir Garfield Sobers and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Julian-Robert-Hunte-c69628 were also went on to receive Knighthoods.
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