Greatest West Indies ODI XI of all time

#6 Carl Hooper

Hooper was a good batsman lower down the order and a useful spinner

Like Brian Lara, Carl Hooper was always touted to be a colossal talent but failed to reach the dizzy heights of batting greatness like the former. But when in full flow, Hooper batted with such elegance that only a few other West Indian batsmen could match. For a batsman of his calibre, a Test batting average of 36 must be considered as a massive underachievement. However, Hooper enjoyed a far more successful career in ODIs.

(Video Courtesy: cricketmoments YouTube Channel)

Hooper 's ODI batting average of 35 is very decent for a middle-order batsman. He could play the role of a consolidator and score runs at a quick pace too. As his tally of 193 wickets in 227 matches at an impressive economy rate of 4.36 demonstrates, his off spin bowling can be very valuable in the middle overs.

With over 5000 runs and close to 200 wickets, Hooper was amongst the finest ODI all-rounders of his time. Barring Chris Gayle, no West Indian player boasts of an all-round record comparable to Hooper's in ODI cricket. Since the Windies were never blessed with a top-notch frontline spinner in ODIs, Carl Hooper will have to take up the lion's share of the burden of spin bowling.