# Courtney Walsh
**Courtney Andrew Walsh** (born 1962, [Kingston, Jamaica](https://www.edgepedia.org/kingston-jamaica)) is a West Indian former cricketer, a right-arm fast bowler who took 519 wickets in 132 Test matches between 1984 and 2001 and in March 2001 became the first bowler in history to reach 500 Test wickets.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [2](https://nepalindata.com/media/resources/items/0/bNepali_Times_040.pdf) He broke [Kapil Dev](https://www.edgepedia.org/kapil-dev)'s world record of most Test wickets in 2000 and remains the leading wicket-taker in West Indies Test history.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, Kingston, Jamaica; right-hand batter, right-arm fast bowler[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) |
| Test career | 1984–2001, 132 matches, 519 wickets at 24.44, 22 five-wicket hauls[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [4](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/news/how-stuart-broad-compares-with-the-500-club-muralitharan-warne-kumble-anderson-mcgrath-walsh/) |
| Milestone | First bowler to 500 Test wickets, in March 2001 at age 38 years 140 days[2](https://nepalindata.com/media/resources/items/0/bNepali_Times_040.pdf) • [5](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/129501/stats-ashwin-becomes-the-second-fastest-to-500-test-wickets-cricbuzzcom) |
| ODI career | 227 wickets, West Indies' leading ODI wicket-taker; best figures 5/1 against Sri Lanka in 1986[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) |
| First-class career | 1,807 wickets in 429 matches, 48th on the all-time list and the only non-Englishman in the top 50[3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/) |
| Captaincy and honors | Captain of the West Indies in 22 Tests; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1987; ICC Hall of Fame 2010[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) |
| Coaching | Bangladesh specialist bowling coach (2016); head coach of the West Indies women's team (2020)[7](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-becomes-bangladesh-bowling-coach) • [8](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-named-head-coach-of-west-indies-womens-team) |
## Playing career
Walsh made his Test debut in Australia on 9 November 1984, a week after his 22nd birthday, at the WACA in Perth, a ground he later called a special moment in his career.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/) He came into a [West Indies](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-indies) attack that already contained [Michael Holding](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-holding) and [Malcolm Marshall](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-marshall), and he learned his early cricket at the Melbourne Club in Kingston as a student of Holding.[3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/)
**Partnership with Ambrose.** Walsh is remembered for his hostile new-ball partnership with [Curtly Ambrose](https://www.edgepedia.org/curtly-ambrose), and he captained the West Indies in 22 Tests.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) Among the matches he recalled was the Adelaide Test won by one run, after which Ambrose took a spell of 7 for 1 in the next match as the West Indies won the series 2–1.[3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/)
**Record wickets.** Walsh passed Kapil Dev's world record of most Test wickets in 2000 and finished with 519 at an average of 24.44, including 22 five-wicket hauls.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [4](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/news/how-stuart-broad-compares-with-the-500-club-muralitharan-warne-kumble-anderson-mcgrath-walsh/) His 500th wicket came in March 2001, at 38 years and 140 days the oldest of the bowlers to reach the mark until R Ashwin in 2024.[2](https://nepalindata.com/media/resources/items/0/bNepali_Times_040.pdf) • [5](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/129501/stats-ashwin-becomes-the-second-fastest-to-500-test-wickets-cricbuzzcom) He took 129 Tests to reach 500, over 16 years and 128 days from his debut.[9](https://testbook.com/question-answer/which-of-the-following-bowlers-hashave-taken-more--620a07ef1ef171c9ddc41a81) His best innings figures were 7 for 37 against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, in 1995, bowling into the stiff [Wellington](https://www.edgepedia.org/wellington) wind, part of match figures of 13 for 55, the second best in West Indies history behind Holding's 14 for 149.[3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/) Among fast bowlers, only Walsh had taken more Test wickets after turning 30, with 341.[10](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/104028/james-anderson-vs-glenn-mcgrath-similarities-and-differences-test-cricket-most-wickets-fast-bowlers-cricbuzzcom)
**Batting.** Walsh was a tail-end batter who scored a record 43 ducks in [Test cricket](https://www.edgepedia.org/test-cricket).[11](https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/4194/courtney-walsh)
## One-day cricket and World Cups
In ODIs Walsh took 227 wickets, making him the West Indies' leading wicket-taker in the format, with best figures of 5 for 1 in a spell against Sri Lanka in 1986.[1](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true) • [6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) He played in three ICC Cricket World Cups, in 1987, 1996, and 1999, and never won one, a regret he described as leaving his career somewhat incomplete.[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner)
**The 1987 sportsmanship gesture.** In a group match against Pakistan in Lahore, with Pakistan needing two runs off the last ball, Walsh declined to run out the non-striking last man Saleem Jaffar, who was backing up too far; Pakistan won, and the gesture earned Walsh wide respect for sportsmanship while costing the West Indies the match and a place in the semi-finals.[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) • [11](https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/4194/courtney-walsh)
**1996.** His closest approach to the title came in 1996, when the West Indies recovered from a 73-run defeat to Kenya in Pune to reach the semi-final against Australia at Mohali. Chasing 208, the West Indies reached 165 for 2 before [Shane Warne](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-warne) took four wickets, and they fell five runs short.[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner)
## County cricket
Walsh spent 11 seasons with [Gloucestershire](https://www.edgepedia.org/gloucestershire), taking 869 first-class wickets at 20.01 with 61 five-wicket hauls and 16 ten-wicket matches, and 243 one-day wickets at 21, conceding 3.81 runs an over.[12](https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/courtney-walsh-the-brutal-quick-who-turned-gloucestershire-into-championship-contenders) His first-class career total of 1,807 wickets in 429 matches places him 48th on the all-time list, the only non-Englishman in the top 50, and the most first-class wickets by any West Indian.[3](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/)
## Coaching
After retiring from international cricket in 2001, Walsh worked in coaching and talent spotting, especially with fast bowlers. He managed the West Indies Under-19 side, served as a bowling consultant for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the [Caribbean Premier League](https://www.edgepedia.org/caribbean-premier-league), worked with the ICC Americas Cricket Combine, and was a selector of the West Indies Cricket Board.[7](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-becomes-bangladesh-bowling-coach) He joined the Bangladesh national team as specialist bowling coach on 1 September 2016, on a contract running to the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.[7](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-becomes-bangladesh-bowling-coach) In October 2020 he was named head coach of the West Indies women's team, having earlier served as interim coach for a series against India and supported the side at the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.[8](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-named-head-coach-of-west-indies-womens-team) As of 2025 he was coaching the Royal Champs squad in the Abu Dhabi T10.[13](https://jammudiamond.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/JD-Epaper-22-November-2025.pdf)
## Place in the game
Walsh was inducted into the [ICC Cricket Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/icc-cricket-hall-of-fame) in 2010 and was named one of Jamaica's greatest cricketers in 2004.[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner) For years his 519 stood as the world record for most Test wickets, until [Glenn McGrath](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-mcgrath) overtook it in 2005 on the way to 563.[14](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-13/james-anderson-breaks-glenn-mcgrath-test-wicket-record/10236412) Only four fast bowlers have taken 500 Test wickets: Walsh, McGrath, James Anderson, and [Stuart Broad](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-broad).[15](https://scroll.in/field/968895/scroll_in)
## References
1. [Courtney Walsh, ICC Hall of Fame](https://www.icc-cricket.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famer-courtney-walsh?appview=true)
2. [Nepali Times, 27 April – 3 May 2001](https://nepalindata.com/media/resources/items/0/bNepali_Times_040.pdf)
3. [Birthday tribute to West Indies Legend – Courtney Walsh, Windies Cricket](https://www.windiescricket.com/news/birthday-tribute-west-indies-legend-courtney-walsh/)
4. [How Stuart Broad compares with the rest of the '500 club', Sportsadda](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/news/how-stuart-broad-compares-with-the-500-club-muralitharan-warne-kumble-anderson-mcgrath-walsh/)
5. [Stats: Ashwin becomes the second fastest to 500 Test wickets, Cricbuzz](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/129501/stats-ashwin-becomes-the-second-fastest-to-500-test-wickets-cricbuzzcom)
6. [COURTNEY WALSH: The great game made me a winner, ICC](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-the-great-game-made-me-a-winner)
7. [Courtney Walsh becomes Bangladesh bowling coach, ICC](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-becomes-bangladesh-bowling-coach)
8. [Courtney Walsh named head coach of West Indies women's team, ICC](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/courtney-walsh-named-head-coach-of-west-indies-womens-team)
9. [Which of the following bowlers has/have taken more than 500 wickets in Test Cricket, Testbook](https://testbook.com/question-answer/which-of-the-following-bowlers-hashave-taken-more--620a07ef1ef171c9ddc41a81)
10. [James Anderson vs Glenn McGrath, Cricbuzz](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/104028/james-anderson-vs-glenn-mcgrath-similarities-and-differences-test-cricket-most-wickets-fast-bowlers-cricbuzzcom)
11. [Courtney Walsh Profile, Cricbuzz](https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/4194/courtney-walsh)
12. [How Courtney Walsh turned Gloucestershire into Championship contenders, Wisden](https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/courtney-walsh-the-brutal-quick-who-turned-gloucestershire-into-championship-contenders)
13. [Jammu Diamond epaper, 22 November 2025](https://jammudiamond.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/JD-Epaper-22-November-2025.pdf)
14. [James Anderson has broken Glenn McGrath's record, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-13/james-anderson-breaks-glenn-mcgrath-test-wicket-record/10236412)
15. [As Stuart Broad joins Test cricket's 500-club, Scroll](https://scroll.in/field/968895/scroll_in)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Cricket › Cricket people and teams › People › Men's international cricketers › West Indian men's cricketers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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