KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC-Former Jamaica and West Indies opening batsman Basil Williams has died at the age of 65.
Williams played seven Tests for West Indies between 1978 and 1979, distinguishing himself with two hundreds in his brief career.
He was selected on the regional side at a time when the West Indies line-up was weakened by the defection of many leading players to World Series Cricket but he proved an effective replacement, scoring 469 runs at 39.08.
“We mourn the loss of another servant of the game in the Caribbean,” said WICB president Dave Cameron.
“Indeed, the Jamaica Cricket Association and the Kensington Cricket Club family of which he was a part for all of his life will miss him”.
Williams also became the tenth West Indian to score a century on Test debut, when he struck 100 off 118 balls in the second innings against Australia in Georgetown in 1978. He was picked for the tour of India later that year, where he scored 111 in Kolkata, but was dropped after the return of the WSC players.
“I knew ‘Shotgun’, as he was affectionately known, having been a member of Kensington for so many years,” said Cameron.
“He was captain of the first team and I had the honour of playing with him. He was a tough, but fair captain and a no-nonsense guy.”
Williams made his debut for Jamaica in February 1970 and played with distinction until his retirement in 1986 with five centuries in his 46-game first-class career.He served the game in Jamaica in a number of areas including selector, board member and team manager.
