Name:

Ambrose, Curtly Elconn Lynwall

Date of Birth:

21 Sep 1963

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Swetes, Antigua and Barbuda

Career:

Test: 1988 - 2000
ODI: 1988 - 2000
First Class: 1985 - 2000

Teams:

West Indies (Country)
Northamptonshire (Regional)
Antigua and Barbuda (Regional)

Waugh against Ambrose: Eye-ball to eye-ball confrontation (1995)

Lethal giant fast bowler was most economical 

Born : September 21, 1963 at Swetes Village, Antigua

Curtly Ambrose was a late developer. In 1986, he won a Viv Richards scholarship to play cricket in the UK and never looked back.

One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he averaged an impressive rate of 20.99 for his 405 Test wickets, with an economy rate of 2.30. He is best remembered for his devastating spell of 7-1 against Australia in Perth, although throughout his career he formed a potent opening partnership with Courtney Walsh. He also took 225 ODI wickets during his career that lasted between 1988 and 2000.

A giant of the game in every sense, Curtly Ambrose was the most lethal pace bowler of his generation. Like his predecessor Andy Roberts, Ambrose didn't say much, refusing countless interview requests with the motto "Curtly talk to no man". Yet his silence seemed only to magnify his achievements - and his menace.

Among Ambrose's 405 Test wickets at 20.99, two spells stand out: the 6 for 24 that hustled England out for 46 in Trinidad in 1993-94, and his series-clinching burst of 7 for 1 against Australia at the WACA the previous season. Perth's springboard of a pitch was ideal for a man who stood 6ft 7ins and released the ball from almost 10ft high, but there was more to Ambrose's game than bounce.

When his extreme pace deserted him, he fell back on subtle seam movement and an immaculately grooved action. English batsmen saw a great deal of Ambrose's hand-jiving wicket celebration, which set his white wristbands flashing like doves taking to the sky.