OTD | Former Caribbean cricketer, Sir Gordon Greenidge was born in 1951

On this day, back in 1951, West Indies star cricketer Gordon Greenidge was born. Notably, the star cricketer has represented his country for around 17 years in Test cricket and ODIs and took the side to the epitome of the level owing to his magnificent batting power, which guided the side to some of epic wins.

Gordon is known as one of the greatest and most destructive opening batters in the history of cricket. Notably, the top-order batter was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame back in 2009. The legendary cricketer was part of the Windies squad that lifted the trophies in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups and ended up as the runner-up in 1983 after Kapil Dev-led India beat them.

Speaking here about his childhood, the star cricketer was raised by his mother and later went on to move to London, where he faced several forms of racism in school. However, his cricketing abilities have attracted English county clubs to offer him a chance to play for their side. Meanwhile, he later made his international debut for the Windies only despite being brought up in England.

As the legendary cricketer turns 73, let’s delve into his international career. The star batter began his Test career against India back in 1974, where he made 93 and 107 runs in his Test debut at M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bangalore. However, the great batter made his ODI debut against Pakistan in the 1975 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Gordon played a crucial role in the 1979 World Cup, made a significant impact after scoring 253 runs in the tournament, and played a pivotal role in defeating Team India in the semi-finals of the tournament. In addition, the great batter also showed his lethal form in the 1983 World Cup; however, he was out for just one run in the final game, which allowed Team India to lift their first-ever title, and the Windies suffered the biggest blow after his wicket to India.