Carl Hooper

Known for his elegant and graceful batting, Carl Hooper is a former West Indian allrounder who was known as the cleanest striker of the cricket ball. Hooper was the first cricketer to have scored 5,000 runs, taken 100 wickets, 100 catches and received 100 caps in both ODIs and Tests, a feat only matched since by Jacques Kallis.

Hooper made his Test debut for the West Indies at Mumbai on December 11th, 1987, and played his first innings on his 21st birthday. The promise was evident when he smashed a hundred in only his second Test at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata effortlessly smashing the top Indian bowlers.

While he was more renowned for his batting, he could contribute with his off-breaks. Hooper was also known for dropping out of the national squad when his country needed him the most which disappointed his fans. He excluded himself from the 1996 and 1999 World Cups. Hooper returned to the West Indies set up in early 2001 and that too as captain. The responsibility of captaincy brought the better out of him. On his return, he was more consistent and he averaged close to 46 in Test cricket.

He captained the side for almost two years and resigned after West Indies were knocked out of the group stages in the 2003 ICC World Cup. The team management retained him in the squad as a player for the Test series against Australia but Hopper dropped out yet again to allow the younger talent to settle in the senior squad. Those were the final curtains on his international career.

After international retirement, Hooper played for Lancashire in County Cricket and announced retirement from all forms of cricket in 2004.

(As of April 2021)