Kenny Benjamin
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Kenneth Charlie Griffith Benjamin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda | 8 April 1967|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting style | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling style | Right-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut | 18 April 1992 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 13 February 1998 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut | 4 December 1992 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 17 December 1996 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1988–1999 | Leeward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993 | Worcestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999–2000 | Gauteng | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000–2001 | Easterns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricket Archive, 21 October 2010 |
Kenneth Charlie Griffith ("Kenny") Benjamin (born 8 April 1967 in St John's, Antigua) played 26 Tests and 26 One Day Internationals for the West Indies.[1]
A right arm fast bowler, Benjamin spent much of his international career bowling alongside Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. He made his Test debut in their side's first ever Test against South Africa, in 1991–92. He never really made a name for himself until a spell of 6–66 against England in 1993–94 which he followed up with seven wickets in his next Test, finishing the series with 22 wickets.
After a playing career that included spells in English and South African domestic cricket, Benjamin coached the United States cricket team.[2] While playing for Netherfield cricket team(Kendal) in England's Northern Premier League system, Benjamin was also contracted to coach schoolchildren, one of whom, Will Greenwood, went on to play international rugby for England. Greenwood remembers Benjamin's unique approach to keeping his young pupils attentive:
"If you were foolish enough to horse about, he'd bowl at you, coming in off just one yard and fire down the fastest ball you ever faced. He would then walk down the wicket, and, in a lazy West Indian drawl, say, "Don't mess about in my net sessions"."[3]
Michael Vaughan, in his autobiography, gives credit to "scary" time spent facing Benjamin in the nets, as formative in his development in facing fast bowlers. Aged 14, Vaughan made the first team at Sheffield Collegiate, for whom Benjamin also played.[4]
References
- ↑ "Kenny Benjamin | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo.com.
- ↑ "USA name squad for Champions Trophy | USA Cricket News". ESPN Cricinfo.
- ↑ "Will: The Autobiography of Will Greenwood – Will Greenwood – Google Books". Books.google.co.uk.
- ↑ "Michael Vaughan: Time to Declare My Autobiography – Michael Vaughan – Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. 28 April 2011.