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18-Apr-2011 02:34:00 GMT
West Indies news

Ex-Windies Captain Franz Gerry Alexander Dies

Kingston: Former West Indies cricket captain Franz "Gerry" Alexander has died. He was 82.

Alexander's sister-in-law, Betty Barnes, said Sunday he died at his home in Kingston on Saturday but did not immediately give a cause of death.

Alexander made his debut for the West Indies against England at Leeds in 1957. He represented the West Indies in 25 test matches between 1957 and 1961, scoring 961 runs at an average of 30.03.

Sports Minister Olivia Grange says she believes cricket aficionados "can put Gerry Alexander in that class of great men who contributed much to Jamaica and West Indies cricket."

At a time when the West Indies and the world beyond it were undergoing great social change, Alexander was the last white captain of the team. He was replaced first temporarily and then permanently by Frank Worrell in time for the legendary 1960-61 series in Australia, which featured Test cricket's first tie at Brisbane.

Prior to that he courted controversy by choosing to send home the fast bowler Roy Gilchrist from the West Indies' 1958-59 tour of India and Pakistan for reasons of indiscipline, including the bowling of repeated beamers. Gilchrist did not play for the West Indies again.

In his final series as captain, before being succeeded by Worrell, Alexander equalled the record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a series with 23 victims against England. He followed that up by supporting Worrell grandly with 484 runs at 60.50 in the 1960-61 series, scoring at least one half-century in each of the matches and his only first-class century in the third Test at the SCG, won by the West Indies. Alexander finished his Test career at the conclusion of the series with 961 runs at 30.03, and 90 dismissals.


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