Editing Joel Garner

{{short description|West Indian cricketer}}
{{About|the West Indian cricketer|the Australian rules football player|Joel Garner (footballer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox cricketer
 |                name = Joel Garner
 |               image = JOEL GARNER.jpg
 |             country = West Indies
 |            fullname = 
 |          birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|12|16|df=yes}}
 |         birth_place = [[Christ Church, Barbados]]
 |            nickname = Big Bird
 |            heightft = 6
 |          heightinch = 8
 |             batting = Right-handed
 |             bowling = Right arm [[Fast bowling|fast]]
 |       international = true
 |   internationalspan = 1977–1987
 |       testdebutdate = 18 February
 |       testdebutyear = 1977
 |    testdebutagainst = Pakistan
 |             testcap = 160
 |        lasttestdate = 15 March
 |        lasttestyear = 1987
 |     lasttestagainst = New Zealand
 |        odidebutdate = 16 March
 |        odidebutyear = 1977
 |     odidebutagainst = Pakistan
 |              odicap = 21
 |         lastodidate = 28 March
 |         lastodiyear = 1987
 |      lastodiagainst = New Zealand
 |               club1 = [[Barbados national cricket team|Barbados]]
 |               year1 = 1975–1987
 |               club2 = [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]]
 |               year2 = 1977–1986
 |               club3 = [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]]
 |               year3 = 1982/83
 |             columns = 4
 |             column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
 |            matches1 = 58
 |               runs1 = 672
 |            bat avg1 = 12.44
 |           100s/50s1 = 0/1
 |          top score1 = 60
 |         deliveries1 = 13,169
 |            wickets1 = 259
 |           bowl avg1 = 20.97
 |            fivefor1 = 7
 |             tenfor1 = 0
 |       best bowling1 = 6/56
 |  catches/stumpings1 = 42/–
 |             column2 = [[One Day International|ODI]]
 |            matches2 = 98
 |               runs2 = 239
 |            bat avg2 = 9.19
 |           100s/50s2 = 0/0
 |          top score2 = 37
 |         deliveries2 = 5,330
 |            wickets2 = 146
 |           bowl avg2 = 18.84
 |            fivefor2 = 3
 |             tenfor2 = 0
 |       best bowling2 = 5/31
 |  catches/stumpings2 = 30/–
 |             column3 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
 |            matches3 = 214
 |               runs3 = 2,964
 |            bat avg3 = 16.74
 |           100s/50s3 = 1/8
 |          top score3 = 104
 |         deliveries3 = 39,829
 |            wickets3 = 881
 |           bowl avg3 = 18.53
 |            fivefor3 = 48
 |             tenfor3 = 7
 |       best bowling3 = 8/31
 |  catches/stumpings3 = 129/–
 |             column4 = [[List A cricket|LA]]
 |            matches4 = 256
 |               runs4 = 1,023
 |            bat avg4 = 11.75
 |           100s/50s4 = 0/1
 |          top score4 = 59[[not out|*]]
 |         deliveries4 = 13,359
 |            wickets4 = 397
 |           bowl avg4 = 16.61
 |            fivefor4 = 10
 |             tenfor4 = 0
 |       best bowling4 = 6/29
 |  catches/stumpings4 = 71/–
 |                date = 13 September 
 |                year = 2009
| medaltemplates =  
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Cricket]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{cr|WIN}}}} <!-- Mention Host Names for Team Sports-->
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICC Cricket World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Winner|[[1979 Cricket World Cup|1979 England]]|}}
{{Medal|RU|[[1983 Cricket World Cup|1983 England and Wales]]|}}
 |              source = http://cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/51876.html Cricinfo
}}

'''Joel Garner''' (born 16 December 1952) is a former West Indian [[cricket]]er, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early [[History of the West Indian cricket team#Dominance.2C rebels and blackwashes .281980s.29|1980s West Indies cricket team]]s. Garner is the highest ranked [[One Day International]] bowler according to the ICC best-ever bowling ratings,<ref name="ICCODI" /> and is 37th in [[Test cricket|Tests]].<ref name="ICCTest">[http://www.relianceiccrankings.com/alltime/test/bowling/ ICC Highest-Ever Test Ratings], Reliance ICC rankings, accessed 21-Jan-2020</ref> Garner was a member of the West Indies teams that won their second world title in the [[1979 Cricket World Cup]] as well as finishing as runners-up at the [[1983 Cricket World Cup]]. 

In conjunction with fellow fast bowlers [[Michael Holding]], [[Andy Roberts (cricketer)|Andy Roberts]], [[Colin Croft]], and later [[Malcolm Marshall]], [[Curtly Ambrose]], and [[Courtney Walsh]], the West Indies reached unprecedented heights in the [[Test cricket|Test]] and [[one-day cricket]] arenas, not losing a Test series in 15 years.

In 2010, Garner was inducted into the [[ICC Cricket Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.343681.e9568672cf|title=Walsh, Garner inducted into Hall of Fame.
|author=Staff |publisher=Guardian Media |date=6 October 2010 |access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Joel Garner was born in Enterprise, Christ Church, Barbados. Enterprise was a "scattering of houses among fields of sugar cane". Garner was the older of two boys. When he and his brother were very young, his parents migrated to Canada and the United States and they were left in the care of their grandparents. Cricket was popular and Garner played it as a child. He first attended St Christopher's boys primary school which was held in the local Anglican Church. He attended secondary school at Foundation Boys and played cricket for the school where he played as an all rounder. When selected for a school team coached by [[Seymour Nurse]], He was told by Seymour Nurse "What's a big fellow like you doing batting or trying to bat? You're much too big to be a batsman...with your height, son, you should be bowling, fast". Seymour Nurse spent time coaching Garner on how to take full advantage of his height when bowling. He then attended coaching sessions organized by [[Charlie Griffith]] and [[Garfield Sobers|Gary Sobers]]. Griffith taught Garner to bowl a yorker that swung in the air and how to use a bouncer effectively.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Garner |first=Joel |title=Big Bird. Flying High. The autobiography of Joel Garner |publisher=Arthur Barker |year=1988 |location=Great Britain |pages=20–35}}</ref>

== Career ==
Garner first came to the attention of [[Somerset]] whilst playing for Littleborough in the Central Lancashire League. He replaced Sir Garry Sobers as the club's paid man for the 1976 season, continuing in the role for the 1977 and 1978 seasons. During his three-year stay at Littleborough he amassed over 1500 runs with the bat and took 334 wickets at 9.34 runs apiece.

Joel Garner signed for Somerset for the start of the 1977 season. [[Brian Rose (cricketer)|Brian Rose]], who captained Garner at Somerset thought that when Garner bowled, his bounce was "always too steep to drive, often to even play forward".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel GARNER - Test Profile 1977 - 1987 - West Indies |url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Sporting Heroes}}</ref> He took 338 First Class wickets at an average of 18.10 during his time at Somerset and was considered the best fast bowler to play for the county.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Joel Garner interview: "Somerset is still one of the better places in the world to live" |url=https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/sport/17716902.joel-garner-interview-former-somerset-west-indies-bowler-returns-taunton/ |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=Somerset County Gazette |date=20 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Garner said of Somerset “The people are relaxed and I found people friendlier here. They never hassled you, you could go about your business and I just fit in”.<ref name=":0" />

He was at Somerset in the most successful time in the county's history in winning five trophies.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1979 Gillette Cup final at Lords, Garner took six wickets for 29 runs to help defeat [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Full Scorecard of Somerset vs Northants Final 1979 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/gillette-cup-england-1979-416982/northamptonshire-vs-somerset-final-417003/full-scorecard |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> and in the 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup final at Lords, Garner took five wickets for 14 runs to help defeat [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Full Scorecard of Surrey vs Somerset Final 1981 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/benson-hedges-cup-1981-481728/somerset-vs-surrey-final-481775/full-scorecard |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>

Garner appeared in 58 test matches for the West Indies between 1977 and 1987 and took 259 wickets at an average of barely above 20, making him statistically one of the most effective bowlers of all time. He made his test debut against [[Pakistan national cricket team|Pakistan]] in 1977 and took 25 wickets in his debut series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Has there ever been a more underrated bowler than Joel Garner? |url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/04/03/why-joel-big-bird-garner-was-underrated/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Roar |language=en-US}}</ref>

Garner took seven five wicket bags in test cricket but never took ten wickets in a test match.  As he shared the bowling duties with [[Michael Holding]], [[Andy Roberts (cricketer)|Andy Roberts]], [[Colin Croft]], and later [[Malcolm Marshall]], competition to take wickets was plentiful.<ref name="cricketcountry.com">{{Cite web |date=2014-12-16 |title=Joel Garner: 16 facts you should know about the Big Bird |url=https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/joel-garner-16-facts-you-should-know-about-the-big-bird-497691 |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=Cricket Country |language=en-US}}</ref>

At 6 feet 8 inches (an inch taller than [[Jason Holder]], who stands at 6 feet 7 inches), he was, at the time, the tallest [[fast bowler]] to play test cricket.

Garner was dropped for the final test of the Indian tour of the West Indies in 1983 and again for the West Indies tour of India later that year. Battling injuries, he spent the time building his fitness and returned for the 1983-84 one day series in [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]]. Garner missed six one day games due to a knee injury but was able to return for the final few games where his form and fitness had returned. In the following Australian tour of the West Indies, Garner took 31 wickets in the test matches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel Garner {{!}} Biography, Stats, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joel-Garner |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> He described himself as "probably the most happiest man on the team. Dropped from the side the previous season, called washed-up even by friends I hoped hadn't meant it, plagued by recurring injuries to knees and shoulder, I still bowled 208 overs in the tests".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Garner |first=Joel |title=Big Bird Flying High |publisher=Arthur Barker |year=1988 |pages=128–139}}</ref>

However, it was in [[one-day cricket|limited overs]] cricket that Garner put his height to use with devastating effect: in 98 matches he took 146 wickets. He had the ability to unleash a devastating yorker, as well as generate more bounce. As of January 2020, he is one of only two players with more than 100 ODI wickets at an average of under 20 [[bowling average|runs per wicket]],<ref>[http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283257.html RECORDS / ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS / BOWLING RECORDS / BEST CAREER BOWLING AVERAGE], [[ESPNcricinfo]], 20 January 2020. The other is [[Rashid Khan (cricketer)|Rashid Khan]].</ref> while his economy rate of 3.09 runs per over is the best ever for any bowler who bowled at least 1000 balls.<ref>[http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283266.html RECORDS / ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS / BOWLING RECORDS / BEST CAREER ECONOMY RATE], [[ESPNcricinfo]], 20 January 2020</ref> He is the all-time highest ranked ODI bowler.<ref name="ICCODI">[http://www.relianceiccrankings.com/alltime/odi/bowling/ ICC Highest-Ever ODI Ratings], Reliance ICC rankings, accessed 21-Jan-2020</ref>

His 5 for 39 in the [[1979 Cricket World Cup]] final against [[England]] remains the best ever performance by a bowler in a final; it included a spell of 5 wickets for 4 runs, and he was on a hat-trick twice.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/65063.html|title=Final: England v West Indies at Lord's, Jun 23, 1979 {{!}} Cricket Scorecard {{!}} ESPN Cricinfo|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150321.html|title=ENGLAND v WEST INDIES|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref>

He was also the part of the West Indian team which was runner-up in [[1983 ICC Cricket World Cup]]. In the first league match with India, he, along with [[Andy Roberts (cricketer)|Sir Andy Roberts]], set the highest ever 10th wicket partnership in World Cup history (71), but chasing 262, West Indies were reduced to 157-9 but Garner and Roberts added 71 runs to make 228 and West Indies lost by 34 runs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/fow/highest_partnerships_by_wicket.html?id=12;type=trophy|title=Cricket Records {{!}} Records {{!}} World Cup {{!}} Highest partnerships by wicket {{!}} ESPN Cricinfo|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65067.html|title=4th Match: India v West Indies at Manchester, Jun 9-10, 1983 {{!}} Cricket Scorecard {{!}} ESPN Cricinfo|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref>

Garner played for [[Barbados]] in the West Indies, for [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]] in the [[Sheffield Shield]] and alongside [[Viv Richards]] and [[Ian Botham]] for [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] in the English [[County Championship]].

In [[Barbados]], his club team was [[YMPC Cricket Club|YMPC]].<ref name="YMPC">{{cite news|title=MPC rewards Barbados under-15 cricketers|url=http://www.caribbeansportsnetwork.com/cms/sunday-league/1948-ympc-rewards-barbados-under-15-cricketers|access-date=5 July 2011|newspaper=Caribbean Sports Network|date=26 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006161151/http://www.caribbeansportsnetwork.com/cms/sunday-league/1948-ympc-rewards-barbados-under-15-cricketers|archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref> During his time playing for Barbados, he was captain in 1986. He revealed his tactics to [[Derek Pringle]] as “It’s quite simple. Me and Macko [<nowiki/>[[Malcolm Marshall]]] open the bowling and nip out the top order. We have a rest and the other bowlers come on and keep it tight. Then me and Macko come on and blast out the tail. We have a bat, get a hundred lead and bowl them out again.”<ref name="cricketcountry.com"/>

Until the appearance of the {{convert|7|ft|1|in|m|adj=on}} tall [[Pakistan cricket team|Pakistani]] fast bowler [[Mohammad Irfan]] in 2010, Garner, former [[Australian cricket team|Australian]] pace bowler [[Bruce Reid]] and [[Ireland cricket team|Irish]] fast bowler [[Boyd Rankin]] were the equal-tallest players ever to play international cricket.

[[Geoffrey Boycott|Geoff Boycott]] said of Joel Garner "They should cut Joel Garner off at the knees to make him bowl at a normal height".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Svoboda |first=Martin |title=They should cut Joel Garner off at the knees to make him… |url=http://quotepark.com/quotes/1903137-geoff-boycott-they-should-cut-joel-garner-off-at-the-knees-to-ma/ |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=Quotepark.com |language=en}}</ref>

== After retirement ==
In October 2010 Garner was named interim manager of the [[West Indies]] for the tour of [[Sri Lanka]]. He was one of the new faces in the team including captain [[Daren Sammy]].<ref name="cricinfo">{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/484021.html|title=West Indies v Sri Lanka: Joel Garner named interim West Indies manager &#124; Cricket &#124; ESPN Cricinfo|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref>

In the 2013 election he was the BCA candidate for vice-president of the [[West Indies Cricket Board]], losing to [[Whycliffe Cameron|Dave Cameron]]'s running mate, Emmanuel Nanthan of Dominica, 8–4.<ref name="espncricinfo.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/627038.html|title=Whycliffe Cameron elected new WICB president|publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]]|date=28 March 2013|access-date=30 December 2015}}</ref> {{as of|2016}} he continues as [[Barbados Cricket Association]] president, spearheads West Indies' drive in Masters Cricket, has served as a West Indies selector, and fulfils various other duties.<ref name="BCA Board">{{cite web | url=http://www.bcacricket.org/2010/board.php?set=1 | title=Current BCA Board Members | publisher=[[Barbados Cricket Association]] | date=2016 | access-date=8 April 2016}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Cricinfo|id=51876}}
* [http://www.bcacricket.org/2010/board.php?set=1 Barbados Cricket Association] Profile
{{Navboxes
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{{West Indies Squad 1979 Cricket World Cup}}
{{West Indies Squad 1983 Cricket World Cup}}
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{{ICC Cricket Hall of Fame}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Joel}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Barbados cricketers]]
[[Category:Somerset cricketers]]
[[Category:Expatriate cricketers in England]]
[[Category:South Australia cricketers]]
[[Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers]]
[[Category:West Indies Test cricketers]]
[[Category:Barbadian cricketers]]
[[Category:West Indian cricketers of 1970–71 to 1999–2000]]
[[Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year]]
[[Category:World Series Cricket players]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Christ Church, Barbados]]
[[Category:Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World]]
[[Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers]]