Editing Curtly Ambrose (section)

==Final years of career==
Ambrose and Walsh missed the [[1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy|Mini World Cup ODI tournament]] in October 1998,<ref>Cozier (2000), p. 1,329.</ref> in Ambrose's case following damage to his house caused by [[Hurricane Georges]].<ref>{{cite web|title=West Indies Cricketers Off To Bangladesh|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/77420.html|work=The Barbados Nation| date = 24 October 1998|access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref> They returned to the team for West Indies' first ever tour of South Africa, and Ambrose took 13 wickets in the series at an average of 23.76, but West Indies lost every game of the five-match series.<ref>Dean, pp. 1,160–61.</ref> In the first Test match, Ambrose and Walsh bowled effectively but lacked support from the other members of the attack.<ref>Dean, pp. 1,162–63.</ref> In the second Test, the pair again lacked support, but bowled well. The visiting team generally bowled too many bouncers to be effective, but Ambrose took eight wickets in the game, including six for 51 in the second innings.<ref>Dean, pp. 1,164–65.</ref> He was ineffective in the third Test,<ref>Dean, p. 1,167.</ref> and despite bowling what Geoffrey Dean in ''Wisden'' called a "superb opening spell", could not prevent South Africa building up a large total against an attack lacking two other main bowlers.<ref name=4TSA98/> Ambrose pulled out of the attack himself later in the innings with a back injury,<ref>{{Cite news | last = Tennant |first = Ivo |title = Donald leaves West Indies begging for mercy | newspaper = The Times  | location = London  | page = 26 | date = 4 January 1999}}</ref> and did not bowl in the second innings.<ref name=4TSA98>Dean, pp. 1,168–69.</ref> He missed the final Test with a hamstring injury.<ref>Dean, p. 1,171.</ref> He was fit to play in the first six games of a seven-match ODI series, won 6–1 by South Africa, and took six wickets.<ref name=ODI/><ref>Dean, pp. 1,172–77.</ref> In March 1999,<ref name=figures/> West Indies then faced Australia in a home series, and contrary to expectations, West Indies drew the series 2–2. The outcome of the series was decided by a small group of players, including Ambrose, whom [[Mike Coward]] described in ''Wisden'' as "five of the most distinguished cricketers of all time".<ref>Coward, pp. 1,218–19.</ref> Ambrose took 19 wickets at 22.26, second to Walsh in the averages.<ref>Coward, p. 1,221.</ref> His best figures came in the fourth and final Test, when he took five for 94 in the first innings and eight wickets in the match,<ref>Coward, pp. 1,230–31.</ref> but in the third match, although he only took four wickets in total, Coward described Ambrose as "rampant" and wrote that Steve Waugh, who scored 199, had to survive "some extraordinary pace bowling from Ambrose".<ref>Coward, pp. 1,227–29.</ref> He played four of the ODIs which followed in April, taking three wickets.<ref name=ODI/> The following month, Ambrose took part in the [[1999 Cricket World Cup|1999 World Cup]] in England, and he was the second most economical bowler in the tournament in conceding an average 2.35 runs per over while taking seven wickets at 13.42.<ref>{{cite web|title=ICC World Cup, 1999: Best economy rates|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/best_career_economy_rate.html?id=787;type=tournament|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref> West Indies went out in the group stages, and Matthew Engel suggested that the bowlers were tired and judged the team "outright failures".<ref>{{Cite book | last = Engel | first = Matthew |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 2000 | editor-last=Engel | editor-first=Matthew| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = The World Cup, 1999 | location = London| isbn = 0-947766-57-X| page = 435}}</ref>

Following the World Cup, the West Indian selectors chose to rest Ambrose, along with Walsh, from alternate ODI tournaments. Ambrose consequently missed two ODI series, but in October 1999 he played two ODIs in a series against [[Bangladesh national cricket team|Bangladesh]] in [[Dhaka]] and three in a tournament in Sharjah.<ref name=ODI/><ref>{{cite web|last=Cozier|first=Tony|title=A convenient solution to dilemma| url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/83162.html |work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 November 2012|date=24 July 1999}}</ref> In the latter competition, Ambrose conceded five runs from ten overs against Sri Lanka, the second most economical bowling figures from a full allocation of 10 overs in all ODIs.<ref>{{cite web|title=One-Day Internationals: Bowling records: Best economy rate in an innings|url = http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283293.html |work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 November 2012}}</ref> However, in all five matches, he took just one wicket,<ref name=ODI/> and he injured his elbow in Sharjah which forced him to miss West Indies' tour of New Zealand which began in December.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eyre|first=Rick |title= Ambrose unfit, not selected for NZ tour | url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/83161.html |work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 November 2012|date=12 November 1999}}</ref> Ambrose recovered in time to play for the Leeward Island in domestic cricket, taking 31 wickets at 12.03 in seven first-class games.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Cozier | first = Tony |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 2001 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Cricket in the West Indies, 1999–2000 | location = London| isbn = 0-947766-63-4|page=1,361}}</ref> When [[Zimbabwe national cricket team|Zimbabwe]] toured the West Indies, he returned to the West Indies team to be named man of the match in the first Test—Zimbabwe were bowled out for 63 when chasing 99 runs to win.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Cozier | first = Craig |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 2001 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = The Zimbabweans in the West Indies, 1999–2000 | location = London| isbn = 0-947766-63-4 |pages = 1,206–08}}</ref> He took a wicket in the second and final Test,<ref name=figures/> and four wickets in six matches during a three-way ODI series also involving Zimbabwe and Pakistan.<ref name=ODI/> These were his final ODIs; in 176 matches, he took 225 wickets at an average of 24.12 and conceding 3.48 runs per over.<ref name=Cricinfo/> Pakistan subsequently played a three-Test series against West Indies; in his last home series, Ambrose took 11 wickets at 19.90 to head the West Indian bowling averages.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Mohammed | first = Fazeer |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 2001 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = The Pakistanis in the West Indies, 1999–2000 | location = London| isbn = 0-947766-63-4 |page = 1,211}}</ref>

Before his next series, a five-match series in England, Ambrose announced that he would retire after the final Test,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ambrose:It's time to leave|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/91322.html|work=Barbados Nation|access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref> although the president of the [[West Indies Cricket Board]] unavailingly tried to persuade him to continue for a little longer.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Hobson |first = Richard |title = Rousseau makes last appeal to Ambrose | newspaper = The Times  | location = London  | page = 29 | date = 30 August 2000}}</ref> West Indies lost the series 3–1, Tony Cozier, reviewing the series, suggested that only Ambrose and Walsh of the West Indian team emerged from the series with any credit. The other bowlers were ineffective, and Ambrose publicly commented during the series on the lack of support that he and Walsh received.<ref>Cozier (2001), p. 423.</ref> He was second in the averages to Walsh with 17 wickets at 18.64.<ref>Cozier, p. 428.</ref> After taking just one wicket in the first Test, although Martin Johnson, in ''Wisden'', suggested he bowled very well,<ref>Johnson, Martin in Cozier (2001), p. 432.</ref> Ambrose took five wickets in the second Test but was again unlucky as the batsmen were beaten by many deliveries that he bowled.<ref>Pringle, Derek in Cozier (2001), pp. 438–39.</ref> After this match, Ambrose returned to the West Indies having been rested from an ODI tournament involving England and Zimbabwe.<ref>Cozier (2001), p. 440.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Laven | first = Kate |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 2001 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = The Natwest Series, 2000 | location = London| isbn = 0-947766-63-4 |page = 455}}</ref> He took four wickets in the first innings of both the third and fourth Tests,<ref name=figures/> passing 400 wickets in the latter match.<ref>Hopps, David in Cozier (2001), p. 447.</ref> After he took three wickets in his final Test match, the crowd gave him a standing ovation and the England players formed a guard-of-honour when he came out to bat.<ref name="Atherton, p. 29">Atherton, p. 29.</ref><ref>Hobson, Richard in Cozier (2001), p. 454.</ref> In 98 Test matches, he took 405 wickets at an average of 20.99;<ref name=Cricinfo/> according to [[Mike Selvey]], in Swetes, his mother rang a bell each time he took a Test wicket.<ref name=Selvey2000/>

Having retired from cricket, Ambrose has concentrated on music, playing with several bands.<ref name=Cricinfo/><ref>{{cite web|last=Spooner|first=Philip|title='I was a fast bowler, I'm now a musician' – Ambrose|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/258268.html|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=22 September 2010|date=31 August 2006}}</ref> He played bass guitar with the [[reggae]] band Big Bad Dread and the Baldhead; one fellow band member was his former team-mate Richie Richardson.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vaidyanathan|first=Siddhartha|title=Reggae with Big Bad Dread and the Baldhead|url=http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/tourdiaries/archives/2006/06/reggae_with_big.php|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=24 October 2012|date=4 June 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615090251/http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/tourdiaries/archives/2006/06/reggae_with_big.php|archive-date=15 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ambrose was appointed a [[Order of the Nation (Antigua and Barbuda)|Knight Commander of the Order of the Nation]] (KCN) by the Antiguan Barbudan government on 28 February 2014, alongside Richardson and Andy Roberts.<ref>{{cite web| title=Three New Knights| url=http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/00/09/92/20/00063/01-2014.pdf|publisher=The Antigua and Barbuda High Commission Official News letter|access-date=3 January 2016|date=February 2014}}</ref>