George Headley: West Indies’ first great batsman

In the 1930s, when West Indies were still finding their feet in Test cricket, the burden of their batting rested on the shoulders of a slim, nimble batsman. He was George Headley of Jamaica. He played only 22 Tests, but scored 2,190 runs at an average of 60.83 and hit 10 centuries¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, he piled up runs at every level of the game and set the standard for several generations of West Indies players who followed².

Early life and start in cricket

George Alphonso Headley was born on 30 May 1909 in Colón, Panama, in Central America, where his father was working on the construction of the Panama Canal. His first language was Spanish. At the age of 10 he was sent to Jamaica to learn English, with the plan that he would later study dentistry in the United States².

West Indies is a combined team of several Caribbean islands and countries, and each island plays first-class cricket with its own team. Headley fell in love with cricket at school. According to Wisden, his papers for travel to the United States were delayed, and during that wait he was played against an English team visiting Jamaica in early 1928. A double century in the second match settled the matter: he would become a cricketer, not a dentist. Even so, he was not selected for the 1928 tour of England².

A sensation in his first series

On 11 January 1930, in his first Test against England at Bridgetown, he scored 21 and 176. In the third Test, which began at Georgetown on 21 February 1930, he made 114 and 112, becoming the first West Indian batsman to score a century in both innings of a Test¹³. This was also West Indies’ first Test victory, by 289 runs².

The last Test of the series, at Kingston, was a “timeless” Test, meaning there was no limit on the number of days. England made 849 and set West Indies a target of 836 to win. Headley scored 223 in 390 minutes with 28 fours¹. Rain came later and the match was drawn. In that first series he scored 703 runs at an average of 87.80².

On the 1930-31 tour of Australia, he made 102 not out in Brisbane and 105 in 146 minutes in Sydney¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, during that innings in Sydney he completed 1,000 Test runs in only 17 innings, the third-fastest to the mark at the time. Clarrie Grimmett, the famous Australian leg-spinner, called him the best player on the leg side he had bowled against².

England, Kingston and Lord’s

Against the English team that toured Jamaica in 1932, he scored 344 not out, then the highest first-class score by a West Indian. In the 1933 English season he scored 2,320 runs, and Wisden named him one of its Cricketers of the Year the following year². On the same tour, in the Manchester Test, he batted for 375 minutes to make 169 not out¹.

On 14 March 1935, at his home ground in Kingston, he scored 270 not out against England in 495 minutes with 30 fours. It is his highest Test score¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, it was then the highest Test score by a West Indian, and the innings laid the foundation of West Indies’ first series win over England².

His most famous feat came at Lord’s in June 1939. In the Test that began on 24 June 1939, he scored 106 and 107, becoming the first player to score two centuries in a Test at Lord’s. According to Wisden, England’s Len Hutton, who watched him play that summer, said he had never seen a batsman play the ball so late². In the same series he also scored 51 at Manchester and 65 at The Oval¹.

After the war

The Second World War took his best years, and he could play his next Test only at the age of 39. In January 1948, in the Bridgetown Test, he led West Indies. It was his only Test as captain². Later that year he played one Test against India¹.

In January 1954, in response to public demand, he was recalled for the Kingston Test against England. According to ESPNcricinfo, Jamaican spectators gave him a tremendous ovation, and the English fielders stepped back to let him take the first run easily, for which Headley doffed his cap in thanks². In this last Test he scored 16 and 1¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. Figures are for his international career.

Impact and legacy

Eight of Headley’s 10 Test centuries came against England, and his average against them was 71.23¹. In first-class cricket he scored 9,921 runs at an average of 69.86, with 33 centuries. According to Wisden, he was a batsman of medium height, well balanced and light on his feet. He played best off the back foot and rarely played a shot in haste. He placed the ball into gaps so accurately that it was hard to set a field for him².

He died on 30 November 1983 in Kingston, Jamaica. Cricket continued in his family. His son Ron Headley played two Tests for West Indies in 1973, and his grandson Dean Headley played Test cricket for England. In 2009 the ICC inducted him into the Cricket Hall of Fame³. In Wisden’s words, his part in the strength of modern West Indian sides cannot be overstated².