Patrick Patterson: West Indies cricketer
Full name: Balfour Patrick Patterson
Date of birth: September 15, 1961
Place of birth: Williamsfield, Jamaica
Major teams: West Indies, Jamaica, Lancashire, Tasmania
Playing role: Fast bowler, lower order batsman
Patrick Patterson in action
Bowling at speeds upwards of 85 miles per hour is an arduous task, and most of fast bowling's exponents are aggressive, especially on the field of play.
Balfour Patrick Patterson certainly had a fast bowler's temperament and he was genuinely quick. This who saw him opined that he was quicker and undoubtedly more hostile than the late Malcolm Marshall.
Facing B.P. Patterson was no easy task for batsmen. Skill, technique and mental fortitude was necessary to preserve life and limb. Former England opener Graham Gooch said that the only time he feared for his safety and life was when he faced the tall, muscular Jamaican fast bowler.
Patterson made his First-class debut in 1982 and ended his short playing career ten years later. He was one of many fast bowlers to play for the West Indies in the 1980s, but his appearances were limited by the emergence of other prospects. The Jamaican made his Test debut against England at Sabina Park, taking 7/73 against the hapless English batsmen.
Patrick Patterson had a decent record and strike rate in Test matches, but a phenomenal record in ODIs, where he was able to contain runs and take wickets regularly. His bowling records demonstrate his prowess in both forms of the game.
B.P. Patterson's bowling records
Match-type
| Matches
| Wickets
| Average
| Strike rate
| Economy
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests
| 28
| 93
| 30.90
| 51.9
| 3.57
|
ODIs
| 59
| 90
| 24.51
| 33.8
| 4.33
|
First-class
| 161
| 618
| 27.51
| 49.3
| 3.34
|
List A
| 100
| 106
| 24.27
| 35.5
| 4.09
|
Patterson’s hostility and temperament can be summed up in an anecdote. At Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1988, Steve Waugh – who would later become a great Australian captain – directed a bouncer at Patterson on a springy pitch.
Waugh was no more than a medium-pacer, but directed the red cherry in the region of the Jamaican’s head. At the end of play that day, the fast bowler stormed into the Australian dressing room and threatened to kill all their batsmen on the field the following day. Patterson’s best Test match haul of 9/88 came in that match, as the West Indies won by 285 runs.
In his short career, Patterson played in the English County with Lancashire and Down Under with Tasmania. Despite the brevity of his career, some cricket followers remember the Jamaican strike bowler for his sheer pace and hostility. His run-up lacked the elegance of Michael Holding’s glide to the crease, but the bounce and pace he generated from his inelegant action was not lost on opposing batsmen.
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