West Indies’ ‘Three Ws’ whose records still stand today

Whether you are a cricket fan or not, most of you must have heard the names of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. They are called the ‘Two Ws’ of Pakistani cricket i.e. Wasim and Waqar as both of them have excelled in the bowling department for the Pakistan team. But do you know why they are called ‘Two Ws’? When West Indies cricket was at its peak, there were three batsmen in this team whose names started with the English letter ‘W’ and they led the West Indies team to successive successes. The cricket world remembered him as the ‘Three Ws’ of West Indies. These were Frank Warrell, Clyde Walcott, and Everton Weeks ie Warrell, Walcott, and Weeks. Wardell was the eldest and was born in 1924, while Weeks was born in 1925 and Walcott in 1926. These three were considered the backbone of West Indies batting in the 1950s and it was said that if one failed, the other would succeed, and if the other failed, the third would surely succeed. They also had other values ​​in common. Interestingly, not only did the trio play on the same team for a decade, but all three were from the southwestern parish of St. Michael’s in Barbados, West Indies, and all three were born within a few miles of each other. It is even said that the three were born by the same midwife.
The famous West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers while talking to Pete Gibbons once said about them that when he first heard the term ‘Three Ws’ he was not familiar with them but the three later became icons. It was radio commentary time and a Test match between England and West Indies was in progress when a voice introduced Sobers to the trio.
According to him, a voice introducing him said: ‘Worrell was batting with such delicacy that the ball would reach the boundary before the fielder and the fielders would tire of chasing him. Walcott was the ‘bully beef’ of the West Indies batting, hitting the ball with such force that the fielder would take his hand off the ball as it was going at the speed of the bullet. While Weeks’ footwork was so good and elegant that when he took a shot, the fielders standing in front could only stand and admire his stroke play. Sobers later played with him for nearly half a decade and is considered the best Test all-rounder of all time. Even today, the cricket record of these ‘Three Ws’ is not less than any other. While Warell scored 3860 runs in 51 matches at an average of around 50, Walcott scored 3798 runs in 44 matches at an average of 57, which included 15 centuries and 14 half-centuries, while Weeks scored 4455 runs at an average of 59 in 48 matches. He scored 15 centuries and 19 half-centuries.
All three also scored double centuries. If seen in today’s context, except for Warrel, Walcott, and Weeks’ average is better than the Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar who is called the ‘God’ of cricket. These three made a total of 39 centuries and 55 half-centuries, so if you look at it from this point of view, each of them must have been successful in the matches they played together. Warrel also bowled well and took more than 60 wickets in his short career and represented the West Indies for a maximum of 15 years.