OTD | Joel Garner, the big bird, who was a nightmare for batters, was born in 1952

On this day in 1952, one of cricket’s finest bowlers, Joel Garner, was born. The West Indian pacer was a part of the pace bowling quartet consisting of himself, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, and Colin Croft (Malcolm Marshall later on) which is regarded as arguably the greatest bowling attack ever by many. For his insane height, Joel was given a nickname as the ‘Big Bird’.

Garner played 58 Tests and 98 ODIs for the West Indies. He was a part of the West Indies’ golden generation which practically won everything to be won at the time. They won a Test series in England, Australia, India, Pakistan, and the ODI World Cup twice. Garner played a key role in most of those wins. He was the first-change bowler and picked wickets with the old ball, which is a challenge in itself.

Batters often found him difficult and nearly unplayable. Joel’s height was his biggest advantage. His release point ensured he got a bit of extra bounce. Though Garner wasn’t a tearaway quick, he got enough seam movement. He was excellent in Tests everywhere he bowled. Garner is one of the fewest bowlers to average around 25 or less everywhere he bowled.

In ODIs, he was on another level. Garner was the best ODI bowler for a long time. He picked 146 wickets in 98 ODIs at a meagre bowling average of 18.84, and an economy rate of just 3.09, including five 4-wicket hauls to his name. He was a part of the West Indian team that won the ODI World Cup in 1979. In the final, he registered figures of 5/29, which is the best for a bowler in a WC final to date.

He was hardly hit by the batters. Many including the great Sir Viv Richards himself considered him to be unhittable. He took 881 wickets in FC cricket at a bowling average of 18.53. In List-A cricket, he claimed 397 wickets at a bowling average of just 16.61. Garner is arguably the best bowler to have mostly bowled with the old ball across Tests and ODIs.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.