Frank King (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Frank McDonald King was a West Indian cricket
er who played in 14 Test
s between 1953 and 1956.
Born in Delamere Land, Brighton, St Michael
, Barbados
, King was a hostile right-arm fast bowler who opened the bowling for the West Indies in three consecutive home series in the early 1950s. But he failed to build on a promising debut in the 1952-53 series against the Indian cricket team
, when, with 17 wickets, he was the second highest wicket-taker after Alf Valentine
. In the third Test of the series, he took five wickets for 74 runs in India's first innings, and also broke the hand of the Indian wicketkeeper, Ebrahim Maka
. The report of the tour in Wisden
for 1954, however, says that he "used the bumper a little too often for it to be a surprise ball".
The following season he played three Tests against England
and took eight wickets, again bowling with much hostility and inflicting injury to several batsmen, though he himself also suffered from muscle strains. But in 1954-55 he took just three wickets in four matches against the Australians
. His one overseas tour, to New Zealand
in 1955-56, was blighted by injury. In the first Test, he pulled up with a strained muscle at the start of his ninth over; returning for the third Test, he again was injured, this time after four balls of his ninth over. This tour saw the emergence of Tom Dewdney
as a fast bowler, and King never again appeared for the West Indies. When he was passed over for the 1957 West Indies tour to England, he retired from first-class cricket
and moved to England where he played league cricket for West Bromwich Dartmouth in the West Midlands.
King's cricket outside Tests was largely for Barbados, but he played two matches in 1951-52 for Trinidad against Barbados. He died in Bescot
, Walsall
, Staffordshire
, England
.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in 14 Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
s between 1953 and 1956.
Born in Delamere Land, Brighton, St Michael
Saint Michael Parish, Barbados
StatisticsParish:Saint MichaelArea:Largest city:BridgetownPopulation :94,860 inhab.Population density:2,432.31 inhab/km²Parliamentary representation- House seats11MapParishes of Barbados...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, King was a hostile right-arm fast bowler who opened the bowling for the West Indies in three consecutive home series in the early 1950s. But he failed to build on a promising debut in the 1952-53 series against the Indian cricket team
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, when, with 17 wickets, he was the second highest wicket-taker after Alf Valentine
Alf Valentine
Alfred Louis Valentine, April 28, 1930–11 May 2004 , was a West Indian cricketer in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for his performance in the West Indies' 1950 tour of England, which was immortalised in the Victory Calypso.-The 1950 tour:...
. In the third Test of the series, he took five wickets for 74 runs in India's first innings, and also broke the hand of the Indian wicketkeeper, Ebrahim Maka
Ebrahim Maka
' was a wicket-keeper who represented India in Test cricket.Ebrahim Maka appeared at a time when the Indian cricket had many wicket keepers of nearly the same class. His first appearance was in the fourth Test against Pakistan in 1952-53...
. The report of the tour in Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
for 1954, however, says that he "used the bumper a little too often for it to be a surprise ball".
The following season he played three Tests against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and took eight wickets, again bowling with much hostility and inflicting injury to several batsmen, though he himself also suffered from muscle strains. But in 1954-55 he took just three wickets in four matches against the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. His one overseas tour, to New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in 1955-56, was blighted by injury. In the first Test, he pulled up with a strained muscle at the start of his ninth over; returning for the third Test, he again was injured, this time after four balls of his ninth over. This tour saw the emergence of Tom Dewdney
Tom Dewdney
David Thomas Dewdney was a West Indian cricketer who played in nine Tests between 1955 and 1958. He was in the car driven by Garry Sobers when it collided with a truck and caused the death of fellow test player Collie Smith...
as a fast bowler, and King never again appeared for the West Indies. When he was passed over for the 1957 West Indies tour to England, he retired from first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
and moved to England where he played league cricket for West Bromwich Dartmouth in the West Midlands.
King's cricket outside Tests was largely for Barbados, but he played two matches in 1951-52 for Trinidad against Barbados. He died in Bescot
Bescot
Bescot is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England.It is served by Bescot Stadium railway station, adjacent to which is Bescot depot where locomotives are maintained. The Bescot Stadium was built in 1990 for Walsall F.C.....
, Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.