Sportskeeda's All-Time Test XI: From the realms of immortality

#10 – Sir Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)

Riling up Ambrose inevitably ended in a baptism by fire

Renowned for changing innumerable games with manic bursts, Curtly Ambrose terrorized even top-quality batsmen by turning it on without any prior indication. Not the one to give too much away once the action ended, a popular refrain of ‘Curtly talk to no man’ added to his already brooding demeanour. However, between the 22 yards, he made sure of letting his bowling do all the talking.

While quite a few of his sensational spells came on pitches which were conducive for extra bounce, Ambrose was also the master of operating on broken fifth-day surfaces by preying on the lack of it. Although his searing pace left him for good in the latter part of the 90s, the Antigua-born cricketer utilized his vast experience and a trademark nagging line to continue to prise out wickets.

Did You Know – During his childhood, Ambrose wanted to move to the USA and become a baseball player while thinking cricket was ‘too long’. However, he changed his decision at a later age and made his first-class debut at 22.

Statistics: 405 wickets from 98 matches at an average of 20.99 with 22 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket hauls.