Wesley Hall's hat-trick against Pakistan - the most memorable

By A. C De Silva

WINDIES STAR BOWLER.... Wesley Winfield Hall is the popular West Indies pace bowler who will celebrate his 74th birthday tomorrow (Monday, September 12th) and he has a bagful of stories on the cricket field and elsewhere to enlighten followers of cricket.

Hall was one of the high-ranking West Indian pace bowlers. He was known for his blistering pace and he used to drive terror into the minds of the batsman facing him when he came at the batsman with a run-up of around 40 yards and having with him Charlie Griffith as his co-partner, formed as the most fearsome opening bowling combinations in Test history.

Six feet two inches in height, he also had the muscle to send the ball racing to the batsman taking strike and would drive terror into him.

He had a graceful run-up and could bowl in long spells. He bowled well even in long spells and to his credit there was that famous last over in the first tied Test against Australia in Brisbane in 1961 where he showed the skill and nerve even in the tense situation.

The Test cricket schedules in the good old days were not as elaborate the present-day schedules and in he 1960s even though he didn't play in many matches, he bowled so tight that he helped himself to 192 wickets. AT a certain time the great Sir Garfield Sobers rated him ahead of Michael Holding.

The great fast bowler

At the ripe old age of 74 years, he is still very active and despite being pressed for time, Hall, among other things, spoke about his favourites.

The following are excerpts...

What goes into the making of a fast bowler?

Fifty per cent perspiration, the rest is inspiration.

The bowlers he'd love to watch

I enjoyed bowling with Roy Gilchrist and Charlie Griffith... Both were truly great. Outside teammates, I pick the following (alphabetically).

SHANE BOND (NZ): Has the pace and speed is something I like... Is aggressive and seems to have the stamina.

ALAN DAVIDSON (Aus): For me, the finest left-arm fast bowler... He'd be awesome.

MICHAEL HOLDING (WI): It was with good reasons that 'Whispering Death' was associated with him... Very smooth and quick.

DENNIS LILLEE (Aus): He was aggressive, but still was poetry in motion.

MALCOLM MARSHALL (WI): The best of all time, according to me... He wasn't built big, but could generate such pace and be innovative. He was smart.

GLENN McGRATH (Aus): What consistency! The batsmen should thank God that he wasn't quicker.

FRED TRUEMAN (Eng): Would be very effective... A naturally gifted fast bowler.

The West Indies bowler with the most potential - Kemar Roach... Give him the experience and he'll be a handful. He's quick... At 21, he has a bright future.

India's No.1: Definitely Zaheer Khan... He's not the fastest around, but uses his experience well. He's consistent and knows how to swing the ball.

Hall's message for the young bowlers: Look after your body and diet... Train hard and eat well... By that, I don't mean overeat, but eat the right food... To bowl quick, you've got to be strong... Work on your run-up and delivery and, remember, that you've got to be strong in the mind... On a particular day, you may not be bowling well, but could still get wickets... Some other day, you may be bowling superbly, but could end up wicketless... So, accept what destiny holds for you... If I may add, the manly art of fast bowling will, in time, teach you everything.

Finally, whether he'd look to hit batsmen?

(Grins): No one wants to see blood on a cricket pitch... However, slightly inconveniencing batsmen, like a broken finger, was par for the course! Batsmen wanted to occupy the crease for a long time; my job was to minimise their stay. Right?

48 Tests

Altogether Hall played in 48 Tests, 14 not outs, scored 818 runs, and in his bowling he bagged 192 wickets for an average of 26.38.

There were several memorable series for Hall and one such series was against India where the Indians lost all five matches to the West Indians led by Sir Frank Worrell. The destroyers were a terrible trio who were to spearhead numerous West Indian triumphs in the sixties - Wesley Hall 27 wickets at 15.74, Lance Gibbs 24 wickets at 20.41 and Sir Garfield Sobers 23 wickets at 20.58.

Tall and well-built Hall, however began his career as a wicket-keeper, but soon switched to fast bowling. In addition to being a fast bowler, Hall was elected a Senator in Barbados.

He was also a cricket selector, manager, administrator, politician and clergyman and all West Indians respected him. He was also a Minister in the Government of Barbados. He was in-charge of Tourism and Sports.

When he was in the thick of the game and while bowling, his gold chain with a crucifix bouncing on his chest made a fine picture and it, no doubt gave him all courage to go flat-out.

Thrilled at first chance

He was thrilled and very surprised when he first got into the West Indies team that visited England in 1957. He hardly slept a wink the night the side was announced. Raw material then, big, ebonic, Wesley Hall threw everything - even the direction and length than spring from discipline. When Hall was added to the party that was for India and Pakistan in the 1958-59 series, he was greatly thrilled.

He established himself in no uncertain manner against Pakistan when at one particular venue - at Lahore where he had a hat-trick. The Pakistan batsmen who were in his hat-trick ring were: Mushtaq Mohammad, Fazal Mohammad and Nasim-ul-Ghani.

Hall went to India and Pakistan with Roy (stormy petrel) Gilchrist and Jaswick Taylor as his fast bowling colleagues. He was the greatest menace to the Indians. Gilchrist's venom not withstanding.... and Hall's figures of 30 wickets at 17.66 each in the Tests say little if anything at all.

Hall's success handed him a contract in Sheffield Shield cricket in Australia. He won the hearts of all cricket fans there and he has been doing just that all over the world. We have had Hall - the Entertainer, whether he is bowling, batting or fielding.

Tissera scored century

Sri Lanka's cricket fans also had the opportunity of seeing Hall in action here. AT the Colombo Oval, he thrilled the fans who had come with his bowling and his happy approach to batting. Hall did not go flatout when he played here, but when Michael tissera was heading for his century he sent down a couple of fliers which Tissera did well to counter.

The Hall became the darling of the crowd when he sent down a juicy ball and Tissera promptly dispatch it to the boundary for his century.

Hall scored 44 runs in 40 minuets with his hard thing in the match played at the Saravanamuttu Stadium (Colombo Oval).

Wesley Hall and Charlie Griffith retired from cricket together at the end of their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1968-69.