Garner, Joel

Joel Garner, byname Big Bird or Big Joel, (born December 16, 1952, Christ Church, Barbados), West Indian cricketer who was one of the game’s dominant bowlers in the 1970s and ’80s.

Garner grew up in Barbados. He made his Test (international two-innings, five-day match) debut for the West Indies in 1977 and became an integral part of the outstanding West Indian cricket teams of his era, combining his very live arm with those of Colin Croft, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, and Malcolm Marshall to form some of the most daunting bowling partnerships in cricket history. He also enjoyed great success in English county cricket, playing for Somerset during the team’s best years in the 1980s.

At more than 6 feet 8 inches (2 metres) tall, he delivered his pitches from an unprecedented height (some 8 feet [2.4 metres]). Although he was a fast bowler, Garner relied more on accuracy and bounce than on lightning pace. He also possessed the ability to bowl among the game’s most deadly yorkers (a delivery in which the ball bounces just at the feet of the batsman, negotiating the fine line between a nearly unhittable delivery and the seldom-thrown “full toss,” in which the ball does not bounce at all and is usually driven solidly by the batsman). Garner was one of the stingiest bowlers in one-day (limited-overs) cricket, and his Test record was equally impressive, as he averaged just less than 5 wickets per Test throughout his career. In the 1979 World Cup final, Garner fired in unplayable deliveries relentlessly and took 5 wickets in only 11 overs as England collapsed from 183 runs for 2 out to 194 runs all out. He was selected Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1980. In the 1983–84 Test series against visiting Australia, Garner took 31 wickets. Garner ended his career at age 34 after playing 58 Tests and 98 one-day internationals.

Garner remained involved in the sport, and he later served as president of the Barbados Cricket Association. He was inducted into the International Cricket Council Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.