Joel Garner - West Indies - Batsman

Height: 6 feet 8 inches. Country: West Indies. Bowling type: right arm fast. International span: 1977-1987. That, in short, explains everything about yet another fast bowling sensation from the Caribbean Islands. Joel Garner (or Big Bird) was one of the most feared bowlers in his playing days, thanks to his quick pace, the bounce he extracted due to his height, and toe-crushing Yorkers which hit the base of the stumps before the batsman could react. When these qualities coupled with the likes of Holding, Roberts, Colin Croft and later Malcolm Marshall, it formed a nightmare for the batsmen.

Garner played 58 Tests between 1977 and 87, and picked up 259 wickets at an average of just over 20. The fact that he took so many wickets while competing with his peers in the team speaks volumes about his ability. In ODIs, his toe-crushers made him un-hittable in the death overs. He picked up 146 wickets from 98 games, and is the only player with more than 100 wickets to average less than 20. His 5 for 29 in the World Cup final in 1979 against England, the best ever figures in a World Cup final, also included a spell of 5 for 4 which blasted the hosts out of the contest.

Garner retired in 1987, and another bowler with similar characteristics - Curtly Ambrose - took over. In 2010, Garner was named the interim manager of the West Indies team to tour Sri Lanka.

By Karthik Lakshmanan