By Celina DeCastro
This Day in History: On March 15, 1953 Colin Everton Hunte Croft was born in Lancaster Village in British Guiana.
Croft, a former West Indian and Guyanese cricketer, was part of the West Indian quartet of fast bowlers from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Due to his full height of 6’5, he was considered to have aggressive bowling style.
His figures of 8/29 in a 1977 match against Pakistan remain the best Test innings figures by a fast bowler from the West Indies.
“Croty,” a West-Indian team mate said, “would bounce his grandmother if he thought there was a wicket in it.”
During his time as a cricketer, Croft also obtained a Commercial Airline Pilot’s license in the US, and worked as a commercial pilot in the Caribbean.
In 1982, Croft took part of the Rebel Tour that took place in apartheid South Africa. This tour was in violation of an international ban on sports tours in that country, but the rebel players were granted “honorary whites” states by the government to allow access to all-white cricket play areas.
As a result, all players that partook in the tour were banned for life from International Cricket, ending Croft’s cricket career.
With his cricket career only lasting five years, his created a reputation for himself as “one of the most chilling of fast men, with no compunction whatsoever about inflicting pain”.
In 1994, Croft joined the media career by covering cricket games part-time as a commentator and analyst. He also was a contributing writer for CricInfo, publishing over 500 articles so far for the media outlet.
Croft also took up teaching mathematics at the Lambrook School in Winkfield Row, Berkshire, Uk from 2007 to 2008.
He has continued his sports journalist career since 1994, going to every location where the West Indies cricket team tours. He regularly appears on Sky Sports when West Indies are playing a match.
