Wes Hall

Wes Hall
Personal information
Full name
Wesley Winfield Hall
Born (1937-09-12) 12 September 1937 (age 87)
Glebe Land, Station Hill, St Michael, Barbados
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast
RoleFast bowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 104)28 November 1958 v India
Last Test3 March 1969 v New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1955/56–1970/71Barbados
1961/62–1962/63Queensland
1966/67–1969/70Trinidad
Career statistics
Competition Test FC LA
Matches 48 170 2
Runs scored 818 2,674
Batting average 15.73 15.10
100s/50s 0/2 1/6
Top score 50* 102*
Balls bowled 10,421 28,095 108
Wickets 192 546 3
Bowling average 26.38 26.14 23.66
5 wickets in innings 9 19 0
10 wickets in match 1 2 0
Best bowling 7/69 7/51 2/53
Catches/stumpings 11/– 58/– 0/–
Source: CricketArchive, 16 July 2011

Sir Wesley Winfield Hall (born 12 September 1937) is a Barbadian former cricketer and politician. A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall played 48 Test matches for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969. Hall's opening bowling partnership with fellow Barbadian Charlie Griffith was a feature of the strong West Indies teams throughout the 1960s. Hall was one of the most popular cricketers of his day and was especially popular in Australia, where he played two seasons in the Sheffield Shield with Queensland.

A wicket-keeper/batsman as a schoolboy, Hall did not take up fast bowling until relatively late. He was included in the West Indies squad to tour England in 1957 having only played one match of first-class cricket. He made his Test cricket debut against India in 1958 and was instantly successful. He took a Test hat-trick in Pakistan in 1959, the first West Indian cricketer to do so. Hall bowled the final over in two famous Test matches, the Tied Test against Australia in 1960 and the Lord's Test against England in 1963. Years of non-stop cricket and resultant injury reduced Hall's effectiveness in the latter part of his Test career.

After his playing days Hall entered Barbadian politics, serving in both the Barbados Senate and House of Assembly and appointed Minister of Tourism in 1987. He was also involved in the administration of West Indies cricket as a selector and team manager and served as President of the West Indies Cricket Board from 2001 to 2003. Hall was later ordained a minister in the Christian Pentecostal Church. He is a member of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and the West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame. In the 2012 Birthday Honours he was knighted for services to sport and the community.[1]

  1. ^ Barbados "No. 60175". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2012. pp. 39–40.