Legendary West Indies Cricketer and the last of the famous “three W’s” in the West Indies Cricket Everton Weekes passed away at the age of 95. He has been termed as the founding father of the sport in the Caribbean.
Barbadian Weekes was part of a feared post-World War II West Indies team which also featured Clyde Walcott and Frank Worrell.
Walcott died in 2006 while Worrell passed away in 1967. All three had been born within a mile and a half of each other over an 18-month period.
Today, the national stadium in Bridgetown is named the Three Ws Oval.
Weekes has played 48 Tests between 1948 and 1958, scoring 4,455 runs at an average of 58.61. His highest Test score was 207.
Weekes made his mark in the fourth Test against England in Jamaica in 1948 where he crashed an attack that included Gubby Allen, Maurice Tremlett and Jim Laker for 141, leading to a 10-wicket win. When the West Indies went on to tour India later in the year, he produced successive innings of 128 in Delhi, 194 in Bombay and 162 and 101 in Calcutta.
Weekes has been described as a 5 feet 6 inch bundle of muscle by his fellow players. He has made 15 centuries, 5 in an extra ordinary sequency, which remains a record till today.
West Indies Players’ Association tweeted: “We salute a great West Indies icon; Sir Everton made an invaluable contribution to the sport, his country and the region.
