Curtly Ambrose

Lore & Background

Ambrose was born in Swetes, Antigua, the fourth of seven children. His father was a carpenter; the family had no background in cricket, but his mother was a fan. He played cricket in his youth primarily as a batsman, but his favourite sport was basketball. He grew several inches in his late teens to reach 6 feet 7 inches, and his mother encouraged him to become more involved in cricket. Success as a fast bowler in a softball cricket match persuaded him to play club matches at age 20. He quickly attracted attention and made his first-class debut for the Leeward Islands in 1985–86. A Viv Richards scholarship funded him to play club cricket in England in 1986, where he took 84 wickets at an average of 9.80; the following year he took 115 wickets for Heywood Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League.

Ambrose made his international debut in a One Day International against Pakistan on 12 March 1988 in Kingston, Jamaica, taking wickets with his third and ninth deliveries. In the Test series that followed, he was less effective, but later that year he toured England and took 22 Test wickets at an average of 20.22. In 1988–89, he was a dominant figure in Australia, taking 26 wickets at 21.46 and earning man of the match awards in two Tests. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992. Against Australia in 1993, he bowled one of the greatest bowling spells of all time, taking seven wickets while conceding a single run (figures of 7/1). In 1994, he bowled England out for 46 runs, taking six wickets for 24 runs.

Reader's Guide

Curtly Ambrose is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history, primarily for his ability to win matches for the West Indies through devastating spells. His bowling method relied on accuracy and conceding few runs; he often took wickets in quick succession to devastate the opposition. His height generated exceptional bounce, making him a constant menace. From 1995, he was increasingly affected by injury, and critics sometimes claimed he was no longer effective, but he continued to take wickets regularly until his retirement in 2000. In his final years, the West Indies team was in decline and often relied heavily on Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. After retiring, 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. He later pursued a career in music as the bass guitarist in a reggae band.

Did You Know?

• Ambrose took 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99.
• He bowled a spell of 7/1 against Australia in 1993.
• He was a man of few words and notoriously reluctant to speak to journalists.
• After retiring, he became a bass guitarist in a reggae band.