Carl Hooper

Carl Hooper Biography

Carl Llewellyn Hooper is a former West Indies cricketer. He was a right-hand batsman and right arm off break bowler, known for his strokeful batting, agile slip fielding and clever spin bowling, which made him a vital asset for the cricketing powerhouse.

Background

Hooper was born on 15 December 1966 in Georgetown, Guyana. He started his domestic cricket in the 1983-84 season for his hometown team Guyana.

Debut

Hooper made his ODI debut against New Zealand in Dunedin in March 1987. He played a useful knock of 48 to help Windies impose a challenging total which they eventually defended easily.

His Test debut came in the same year in December against India in Mumbai. He scored 37 in the only innings he got to play.

Rise to Glory

Hooper established himself as an indispensable member of the national team over a 15-year long career. His career is dotted with match winning performances with bat and ball for the Windies.

While his batting let him down, he put a fine performance in the 1987 World Cup with the ball. Hooper has some memorable performances against India.

His first Test century came against India. Scoring his highest Test score of 233 against India in his home ground was perhaps the highlight of his Test career.

He produced an all-round display in the Frank Worrell series against Australia in 1992. He scored a flamboyant 178 of 247 balls against Pakistan in 1993.

Over 5000 Test runs, 115 catches and over 100 wickets are a testament to Hooper’s all-round abilities.

Low Points

Hooper was often criticized for lack of commitment. He was accused of getting carried away to easily in a desire to play aggressively. As a result, he could not convert his good start into big scores.

Hooper announced his retirement from international duties in 1999 but had a failed attempt for a comeback. Rather, he had to bear the brunt of a disastrous 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign, where he was the captain.

Club Career

Hooper spent his entire domestic cricket in the Caribbean for the Guyana team. He is the fourth highest run scorer in the all-time list. He has also had an accomplished county experience.

Cooper played six seasons with Kent and had a brief stint with Lancashire post his retirement. He is one of only three players to have scored centuries against 18 different English counties.

Stats

Hooper played 102 Test matches for the Windies, scored 5762 runs and took 114 wickets. He has 5671 runs and 193 wickets in ODI cricket.

Hooper has the honor of being the first cricketer in the world to score 5,000 runs, take 100 wickets, grab 100 catches and have 100 caps in both ODIs and Tests, a feat only achieved by Jacques Kallis after Hooper.