(1963-09-21) 21 September 1963 (age 60) Swetes, Antigua and Barbuda
Height
201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Batting
Left-handed
Bowling
Right-arm fast
Role
Bowler
International information
National side
West Indies (1988–2000)
Test debut (cap 192)
2 April 1988 v Pakistan
Last Test
31 August 2000 v England
ODI debut (cap 53)
12 March 1988 v Pakistan
Last ODI
23 April 2000 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years
Team
1985–2000
Leeward Islands
1989–1996
Northamptonshire
1998–1999
Antigua and Barbuda
Career statistics
Competition
Test
ODI
FC
LA
Matches
98
176
239
329
Runs scored
1,439
639
3,448
1,282
Batting average
12.40
10.65
13.95
11.98
100s/50s
0/1
0/0
0/4
0/0
Top score
53
31*
78
48
Balls bowled
22,103
9,353
48,798
17,143
Wickets
405
225
941
401
Bowling average
20.99
24.12
20.24
23.83
5 wickets in innings
22
4
50
4
10 wickets in match
3
0
8
0
Best bowling
8/45
5/17
8/45
5/17
Catches/stumpings
18/0
45/0
88/0
82/0
Source: Cricinfo, 24 October 2012
Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, 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 is 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 very 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 spells were responsible for winning matches for West Indies which seemed lost, in association with Courtney Walsh. Against Australia in 1993, he bowled one of the greatest bowling spells of all time, when he took seven wickets while conceding a single run, hence taking figures of 7/1 for the first spell of the match. Similarly, in 1994 he was largely responsible for bowling England out for 46 runs, taking six wickets for 24 runs. He is regarded as one of the greatest match-winning bowlers of all time.
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. 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 Ambrose 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.
Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely...
Nobel prize-winning economist, of Antiguan parentage CurtlyAmbrose, West Indian cricketer CurtlyAmbrose Rai Benjamin, hurdler who won Olympic Gold and Silver...
remarkable opening bowling partnership along with fellow West Indian CurtlyAmbrose for several years. Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs for the West...
Trophy, the 2nd Match against West Indies. His 100th wicket was that of CurtlyAmbrose. In that match, he took a five-wicket haul for the second time in his...
prominent cricketers who have played for the Leewards Islands includes CurtlyAmbrose, Eldine Baptiste, Kenny Benjamin, Winston Benjamin, Sheldon Cottrell...
family of three sisters and five brothers. Joseph grew up idolising CurtlyAmbrose and Courtney Walsh, opening bowlers of the West Indies cricket team...
south ends were renamed for two former West Indies cricketers, Sir CurtlyAmbrose and Sir Andy Roberts. The ground's second Test match against England...
original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2013. "Player Profile: CurtlyAmbrose". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved...
Cork (20), Walsh took twice as many wickets as his long-time partner CurtlyAmbrose (17), who retired from cricket after the 5th Test. West Indies won the...
Vasu, ESPNcricinfo, 27 December 2006 "Speedster Ishant Sharma earns CurtlyAmbrose comparison". Herald and Weekly Times. Archived from the original on...
0 in) and many great West Indian fast bowlers, such as Joel Garner, CurtlyAmbrose, and Courtney Walsh, were 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) or above. He generated...
likened to his predecessors in the West Indies side, Joel Garner and CurtlyAmbrose. He made his Test debut against India in 1994. He dismissed Sachin Tendulkar...
Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft, and later Malcolm Marshall, CurtlyAmbrose, and Courtney Walsh, the West Indies reached unprecedented heights in...
there was a great deal of pressure on Richardson. Under his captaincy, CurtlyAmbrose and Courtney Walsh led the bowling attack and Brian Lara emerged as...
the next highest score was only 4. CurtlyAmbrose and Andrew Hudson were jointly named Men of the Match — Ambrose for his match-winning spell of 6/34...
Test, Australian tail-end batsman Geoff Lawson had his jaw broken by a CurtlyAmbrose bouncer (Scorecard). New Zealander Mark Greatbatch scored 146 not out...
Dave Joseph, and included seven West Indies international players: CurtlyAmbrose, Eldine Baptiste, Kenny Benjamin, Winston Benjamin, Ridley Jacobs, Sylvester...
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