Basil Butcher
Encyclopedia
Basil Fitzherbert Butcher (born September 3, 1933, Port Mourant
, British Guiana
(now Guyana
)) is a former West Indian cricket
er who played in 44 Tests
from 1958 to 1969
. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1970.
Basil Butcher was a wristy batsman and was a consistent number 4 and 5 batter in the West Indies side. He made an immediate impact on the international scene with 64 not out on debut against India in 1958-59 and finishing with 486 runs at 69.42. He struggled until the 1963 tour of England, where he rediscovered his form by making 383 runs which included an innings of 133 from a team total of just 229, helping the West Indies to a draw at Lord's. The innings became legendary because during the interval he had received news through a letter that his wife had had a miscarriage back home in Guyana.
Butcher was an occasional legspinner. He took 5 Test wickets which all came in the one innings, 5 for 34 against England at Port-of-Spain in 1967-68.
Port Mourant
Port Mourant is a village located in region six, East Berbice-Corentyne, in Guyana. This agriculturally sustained village is famous for producing one of the country's most influential political figures, Dr. Cheddi Jagan...
, British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
(now Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
)) is a former West Indian cricket
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 44 Tests
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...
from 1958 to 1969
West Indian cricket team in England in 1969
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1969 season to play a three-match Test series against England. England won the series 2-0 with one match drawn....
. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1970.
Basil Butcher was a wristy batsman and was a consistent number 4 and 5 batter in the West Indies side. He made an immediate impact on the international scene with 64 not out on debut against India in 1958-59 and finishing with 486 runs at 69.42. He struggled until the 1963 tour of England, where he rediscovered his form by making 383 runs which included an innings of 133 from a team total of just 229, helping the West Indies to a draw at Lord's. The innings became legendary because during the interval he had received news through a letter that his wife had had a miscarriage back home in Guyana.
Butcher was an occasional legspinner. He took 5 Test wickets which all came in the one innings, 5 for 34 against England at Port-of-Spain in 1967-68.
Series
Butcher was part of the West Indian side in the following series:- West Indian cricket team in India in 1958-59 - 5 Tests
- West Indian cricket team in Pakistan in 1958-59 - 3 Tests
- English cricket team in West Indies in 1959-60English cricket team in West Indies in 1959-60The English cricket team in the West Indies in 1959-60 played five Test matches, eight other first-class matches and two minor games. England won the Test series by one match to nil, with the other four matches being drawn.- The England touring party :...
- 2 Tests - West Indian cricket team in England in 1963West Indian cricket team in England in 1963The West Indian cricket team in England in 1963 played 30 first-class matches of which they won 15, lost 2 and drew 13. West Indies played five Tests and won the series against England by three matches to one, with one game drawn....
- 5 Tests - Australian cricket team in West Indies in 1964-65 - 5 Tests
- West Indian cricket team in England in 1966West Indian cricket team in England in 1966The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1966 season to play a five-match Test series against England. West Indies won the series 3-1 with one match drawn....
- 5 Tests - West Indian cricket team in India in 1966-67 - 3 Tests
- English cricket team in West Indies in 1967-68 - 5 Tests
- West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1968-69West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1968-69The West Indies cricket team toured Australia in the 1968-69 season and played a five-match Test series against Australia.Australia won the series 3-1 with one match drawn.-Test series summary:* at Brisbane Cricket Ground – West Indies won by 125 runs...
- 5 Tests - West Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 1968-69 - 3 Tests
- West Indian cricket team in England in 1969West Indian cricket team in England in 1969The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1969 season to play a three-match Test series against England. England won the series 2-0 with one match drawn....
- 3 Tests