Full Name

Colin Everton Hunte Croft

Born

March 15, 1953, Lancaster Village, East Coast, Demerara, British Guiana

Age

71y 4d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Fast

Playing Role

Bowler

Wisden overview
"Crofty," a West Indian team-mate once said, "would bounce his grandmother if he thought there was a wicket in it." In a relatively brief career lasting just five years, he established a reputation as one of the most chilling of fast men, with no compunction whatsoever about inflicting pain. There was little of the orthodox about him. The prancing run was straight but the batsman saw only his head bobbing behind the umpire until he veered out wide of the crease just prior to delivery, leaning back and slanting the ball awkwardly in to the right-hander. Often, as with Courtney Walsh later, it would hold up off the seam and move away.

Occasionally his volatility and enthusiasm for the bouncer got him into trouble, most notably when he kept the local infirmary busy while bowling for Guyana against the Australians in 1977-78, and again two winters later during an acrimonious tour of New Zealand, when he failed to veer out in his run and flattened the umpire Fred Goodall who had annoyed him.

He was a fine bowler though and in 27 matches he managed 125 wickets - a remarkable haul in a side laden with high-class pace where the spoils tended to be spread. Best of all came in his second match where at Port-of-Spain he laid waste the Pakistan batting with 8 for 29, still the best figures by a West Indian fast bowler. Since retirement he qualified as an airline pilot ("he wouldn't land in the middle of the runway too often," someone commented) and then joined the media circus where he frequently turns press conferences into a lecture theatre. Mike Selvey

Colin Croft Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests2752616529131258/299/9523.302.8349.3730
ODIs19191070620306/156/1520.663.4735.6010
FC121-21101105274288/29-24.592.9949.3-171
List A81-408324651026/106/1024.163.6240.0220

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests2737221583310.53--00-180
ODIs19641889.003847.36001010
FC1211365485546*10.42--00--250
List A8133182313315.40--00--170
Colin Croft portrait

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Debut/Last Matches of Colin Croft

Recent Matches of Colin Croft

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
West Ind XI vs South Africa00/5123-Jan-1984PretoriaList A
West Ind XI vs Transvaal5* & 0*1/9517-Dec-1983JohannesburgFC
West Ind XI vs South Africa--3/4807-Dec-1983JohannesburgList A
West Ind XI vs Natal0 & 4*2/55 & 0/3902-Dec-1983DurbanFC
West Ind XI vs N. Transvaal3*4/41 & 2/2019-Nov-1983PretoriaFC

Photos of Colin Croft

Colin Croft, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Michael Holding pose ahead of the <i>Fire in Babylon</i> premiere
The Test Match Special team celebrates its 50th anniversary
Colin Croft commentator
Colin Croft at Newlands
Croft with Cyril Mitchley and Roger Prideaux.
Croft with Christo Eramus and Roger Prideaux.