Born on 9th January, 1968 in Jamaica, Jimmy Adams captained the West Indies during a tumultuous period where they slipped firmly down the rankings.

In what was a sensational start to his Test career, by the end of the Indian tour in 1994, Adams had amassed 1122 runs at an incredible average of 86.31. His Test career can be broken down into two halves. Adams averaged an incredible 61.34 in his first half of his career as compared to 25.58 in his second half, the highest Test differential for any international batsman.

It must be said that the fall in Adam's career coincided with the struggle of West Indies towards the latter half of the 90's. Adams suffered a cheek bone fracture when he ducked underneath a bouncer in fading light during a practice match against Somerset during the tour of England in 1995 resulting in an unfortunate crisis in confidence. Adams was a very defensive batsman and it spiraled over in his captaincy as well.

Adams was named the captain at the start of the 2000 home season. He started well with series wins against Zimbabwe and Pakistan as well as the first Test against England at Birmingham. Things though went wrong as West Indies lost 8 of their next 9 Test matches which included a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Australia. Adams was axed as the skipper and dropped from the squad permanently.

Adams had a moderate career in the limited overs of the game. His excruciatingly slow batting meant that he scored at a very modest average. He did have his moments though guiding WI to a fine victory over Australia with his career best 82 in 1999.Adams continued to play in domestic cricket in South Africa and minor cricket in England before announcing his retirement in 2006.

Apart from his batting, Adams was an useful slow left arm spinner picking up 5-wicket hauls in both forms of the game. Jimmy Adams is now one of the most respected commentators in West Indies.

Having served as West Indies' U-19 manager, Adams was appointed as the head coach of English county- Kent- in January 2012. He is also the President of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA) a position he has held since 2008.

By Cricketlineguruji Staff