The West Indies have signalled their intentions in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup to be held later this year, with a comprehensive 4-1 victory at home against Australia.
The player of the series was leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr, who took 12 wickets at just 11.66 apiece. Having earlier played for the United States, Walsh is the fifth West Indian men’s international to have also played for another country. Here is a look at these players.
Sammy Guillen
Guillen played five Tests for the West Indies and three for New Zealand. Born in Port-of-Spain, the Trinidadian wicketkeeper played all five Tests on the West Indian tour of Australia in 1951-52. He then took up residence of New Zealand, and started playing for Canterbury.
He represented New Zealand against the West Indies in 1955-56. The final Test of that series, in Auckland, was also his last, and he fittingly effected the stumping that gave New Zealand their first Test win. He also played as a goalie in New Zealand’s premier football tournament.
Clayton Lambert
Born in Berbice in erstwhile British Guiana, Lambert first played for the West Indies in an ODI against England at his home ground of Bourda in 1989-90 – he scored a promising 48. The attacking left-handed batsman made his Test bow at The Oval in 1991, scoring 39 and 14.
He made a comeback after more than six years in 1997-98 against England, this time scoring 104 in a Test at St. John’s and 119 in an ODI at Port-of-Spain as opener. In 2004, he turned out for the United States at the age of 42 against New Zealand in a Champions Trophy match.
Anderson Cummins
The exclusion of Cummins, who had started off well in ODIs, was the reason for the fans’ boycott of the historic Test against South Africa in Bridgetown in 1991-92 – “No Cummins, no goings”, stated a banner. The Barbadian pacer made his Test debut the next year, at Perth.
Though he played only five Tests, he did take 91 wickets in 76 ODIs. He reserved his best for India, taking 5/31 against them at Brisbane in 1991-92 and 4/33 at Wellington at the 1992 World Cup. In 2006-07, he appeared for Canada aged 40, playing his last at the World Cup.
Xavier Marshall
Having the middle name Melbourne, Marshall incidentally made his international debut in an ODI against Australia at the MCG in 2004-05. The Jamaican batsman’s best ODI innings was 157*, including a then record 12 sixes, from number four against Canada at King City in 2008.
His highest score in seven Tests was 85 against Australia at Bridgetown in 2008. He returned to international cricket in United States colours in a T20I against the UAE in 2018-19 – nearly a decade after his last game for the Windies – and has played 13 ODIs for his new team.
Hayden Walsh Jr
Walsh made his debut for the United States in 2018-19 in the same T20I that marked Marshall’s return. The leg-spinner first played first-class cricket for the Leeward Islands in 2011-12 and is the son of Antiguan Hayden Walsh Sr., who was also a first-class player.
Walsh’s only ODI for the United States was against Papua New Guinea in 2019. Less than three months after his last outing for the US, he made his ODI debut for the West Indies against Afghanistan. His recent T20I success against Australia has been his best moment until date.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Logan Van Beek (gun fielder - has taken some screamer catches) has never been that close to test selection but wouldn't be a bad white ball option.
Rustom Deboo
Roar Guru
Clarke remains the oldest man to make an ODI debut; he was 47 when Netherlands played New Zealand at the 1996 World Cup. A couple of years earlier, he had smashed 78 in the Netherlands' nine-wicket trouncing of the touring South Africans.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Lots of players of WI origin were (and possibly still are) very dominant in associate level cricket. Most of these players were not good enough to represent WI. Nolan Clarke a hard hitting opening bat from Barbados was once considered a WI prospect in the 70s, but then he became something like a 'Viv Richard in ICC cricket' playing for the Netherlands. He played without much success in the 1996 wc. Normally teams like USA, Canada, Bermuda have few players from WI origin. I checked the scorecard of Bangladesh v USA in 1994 (Kenya) and there were at least 2 players with Windies connection; fast bowler Hopeton Barrett and Derek Kallicharan, an off spinner and the brother of Kali. Back in the in 1982 Bermuda bowled out the Tigers for 67 to win by 7 wickets, fast bowler Lionel Thomas took 4 wickets, he had represented the Leeward Islands. Plenty more such examples are available.
JGK
Roar Guru
You could add Brendan Nash who played for Queensland for many years. Ok, not exactly a different country but certainly a different century.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Labuschagne moved here when he was 10, same with Watling to NZ, and Stokes to UK, so not really fair to let SA claim him. NZ had three African products: Conway, de Grandhomme, & Wagner, in their XI for the ICC Test Championship Final.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I'd be interested to know how much talent the Windies have lost more generally. South Africa is probably best known as the great exporter of talent, think Pietersen, Strauss, Labuschagne, Conway etc. But is Archer the only example of a talented WI players electing to play for someone else other than the Windies?
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
An interesting fact on Sammy Guillen. His grandson Logan Van Beek has played for the Netherlands and is currently playing for Wellington. When the Blackcaps had a seam bowling injury crisis, Van Beek was close to making his Test debut vs the West Indies last year. Also this wouldn’t really count but Phil Salt was eligible for West Indies. He grew up in one of the Caribbean Islands from the age of ten to this teens but he was always focused on playing for Sussex u19s and ultimately, England.