West Indies legend Sir Everton Weekes passes away at 95

West Indies legend Sir Everton Weekes passed away at the age of 95 on Wednesday. He was part of the famous Three Ws- alongside Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott- and was the last surviving member of the group.

Born in 1925 in St. Michael, Barbados, Sir Everton Weekes represented his nation in 48 Tests in a career spanning ten years. During this time, he notched up 4455 runs at a phenomenal average of 58.61, with 15 centuries and 19 fifties to his name.

Between March and December of 1948, Sir Everton Weekes notched up five successive Test centuries – scores of 141 against England in Jamaica, followed by scores of 128, 194, 162 and 101 in India – and missed a sixth one on the trot, after getting run-out for 90. He notched up 1000 Tests runs in just 12 innings – one innings quicker than even Australian legend Don Bradman – and no one has managed to reach that record since.

The Barbados legend was also named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1951. He retired from professional cricket at the age of 33 in 1958.

Sir Everton Weekes was also a highly respected coach and he headed the Canada team in the 1979 World Cup. He also served as a former team manager, ICC match referee and is a member of the ICC Hall of Fame.

Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt paid tribute to the legend in a statement saying:

“On behalf of CWI I want to publicly express our deepest sympathy to the family of this remarkable Iconic sportsman and gentleman, who passed away earlier today. I also send condolences to former CWI President Sir Wes Hall, and his family, who were all extremely close to Sir Everton."

He added:

“I never had the opportunity to see Sir Everton bat, but I had the opportunity to get to know him a little in his later years. I learned about his incredible career by reading about him and looking at old videos when I could. His performance stats were excellent as he set tremendously high standards for his time.”

Sir Everton Weekes was also a member of the famous Empire Club in Barbados, which also featured other legends like Worrell, Charlie Griffith and Conrad Hunte.