THE WEST Indies Cricket Board, through its president, Pat Rousseau, and chief executive officer, Gregory Shillingford, has hailed Jamaica's Courtney Walsh as a great cricketer, a wonderful person, a fine role model, and one of the greatest ambassadors of West Indies cricket.
The 38-year-old Walsh, who first represented the West Indies in 1984, announced on Wednesday that the current Test match between the West Indies and South Africa will be his last, and in a joint statement released yesterday, Rousseau and Shillingford praised him as one of the most famous and most revered sons of West Indies and thanked him for his stellar and unstinting service to the West Indies team and to world cricket.
Following is the WICB release:
"The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) wishes to salute the supreme contribution of one of the icons of West Indies and international cricket, Ambassador Courtney Andrew Walsh, who has announced his intention to retire from Test cricket after the fifth Cable & Wireless Test match versus South Africa.
"He has been one of the greatest ambassadors for the West Indies and for the game and is loved, admired and respected worldwide, both for his wicket-taking prowess and for his affable personality. The field of play will not be the same without this veteran fast bowler who has proudly worn the maroon cap for 17 years since making his Test debut against Australia in 1984. However, memories of his myriad achievements will warm the hearts of fans forever, including those who have played against him.
"We in the West Indies are truly blessed to count him among our most famous and most revered cricketing sons. His accomplishments, particularly the recently unprecedented attainment of 500 Test wickets, are feats, which can only be described, in superlative terms.
"On this occasion of his farewell Test appearance - fittingly before his home crowd at Sabina Park - the WICB takes the opportunity to thank him for his stellar and unstinting service to the West Indies team and to world cricket. We wish him well in this match and beyond as he looks forward to a well-deserved retirement."
