13 Facts about Carl Hooper – The Calm Caribbean

The former West Indies captain is renowned for his calm and composure, on and off the pitch. Carl Hooper was a useful all-rounder and probably led the last West Indies team which had the mettle to beat tough opponents. Though he had an inconsistent phase in his career, Hooper managed to score more than 10,000 international runs along with 300 wickets in his roller-coaster career.

Here are some interesting facts about Carl Hooper:

1. Birth and playing style:

Carl Hooper was born on 14 December 1966 in Georgetown, Guyana. He was a right-handed batsman and an off-spinner.

2. First-class career:

He made his first-class debut in 1983, and has since played for Guyana, Kent, and Lancashire scoring over 23,000 runs and notching 555 wickets.

3. Century against all 18 county teams:

In 2003, playing for Lancashire, he achieved the terrific feat of scoring centuries against all 18 county teams. Back then, he was the second batsman, to do so.

4. Test debut:

Hooper debuted in Test cricket against India in 1987. He scored 5762 runs and took 118 wickets in his Test cricket over the span of 15 years.

5. Double hundred:

His best performance in Tests came against India in 2002 when he scored 233 runs at Bourda, the only double hundred of his career.

6. ODI debut

Hooper made his ODI debut in 1987 against New Zealand where he scored 48 runs but did not bowl as West Indies won by 95 runs.

7. ODI career:

He played 225 ODIs for West Indies and scored 5761 runs, one less than his final tally in Test cricket. He scored seven ODI centuries and took 193 wickets with the best bowling figures of 4 for 34 runs.

8. Final Test:

Hooper played his last Test in 2002, against India in Kolkata and could score only 19 runs. He dismissed Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly in the first innings.

9. ODI retirement:

The last game of his career was against Kenya in 2003, and Windies won the World Cup match comfortably.

10. The great stat:

Hooper is the first cricketer to have the combination of 5000 runs, 100 wickets, 100 catches, and 100 international caps in both ODIs and Tests. Only South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has managed to achieve this feat after him.

11. As captain:

Carl Hooper captained the West Indies side for more than 50 games, but the poor team performance in ICC World Cup 2003 and he was replaced by Brian Lara.

12. Post-retirement:

After retirement, Hooper has been coaching several cricket clubs, including Woodville cricket club and Sagicor High performance Centre.

13. Against the idea of IPL:

He has voiced his disagreement to domestic leagues like IPL, saying such leagues will destroy cricket.

Written by Gautam Sudev