Editing Curtly Ambrose (section)

==International bowler==

===Debut and first years===
When [[Pakistan national cricket team|Pakistan]] toured the West Indies in 1988, Ambrose played in the [[One Day International]] (ODI) series, taking the place of the recently retired [[Joel Garner]].<ref name=Lawrence/> He made his debut during the first match, on 12 March 1988 in [[Sabina Park|Kingston, Jamaica]], taking wickets with his third and ninth [[Delivery (cricket)|deliveries]]; he ended the innings with four for 39 from 10 [[Over (cricket)|overs]]. In the second match, he took four for 35 and followed with another two wickets in the third. [[West Indies cricket team|West Indies]] won those first three matches to take the series, and Ambrose did not play in the fourth or fifth game.<ref>Ahmed (1989), pp. 981–83, 985–86.</ref> In the Test series which followed, Ambrose was less effective. In the first Test, he took two for 121 as West Indies lost at home for the first time in 10 years.<ref>Ahmed (1989), pp. 986–87.</ref> ''Wisden'' noted that his debut was "unimpressive", but that he improved in the subsequent matches.<ref>Ahmed (1989), p. 978.</ref> He finished the series with seven wickets at an [[Bowling average|average]] of over 50 runs per wicket.<ref name=Lawrence/> Later that year, Ambrose was chosen to tour England. After appearing in early tour games, he was chosen for the first two ODIs, taking three wickets in total, but was omitted from the third.<ref>Cozier (1989), pp. 288–92.</ref> In the Test series, he played in all five matches to take 22 wickets at an average of 20.22; his best figures of four for 58 came in the fourth Test, in which he took seven wickets and was named [[Man of the match#Cricket|man of the match]].<ref>Cozier (1989), pp. 284, 305–07.</ref> Writing in ''Wisden'', commentator [[Tony Cozier]] described Ambrose as "a ready-made replacement for Garner"; the amount of bounce he generated after the ball pitched "made him a constant menace".<ref>Cozier (1989), p. 281.</ref>

In 1988–89, West Indies took part in an ODI tournament in [[Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium|Sharjah]]. Ambrose took 8 wickets,<ref name=ODI>{{cite web|title=Statsguru: CEL Ambrose: One-Day Internationals|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/51107.html?class=2;template=results;type=bowling;view=series|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=4 October 2012}}</ref> and was man of the match with four for 29 when West Indies defeated Pakistan in the final.<ref>{{Cite book| title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1990 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Sharjah Champions Trophy, 1988–89| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-15-4 |pages = 1,015–16}}</ref> From there, West Indies travelled to Australia for a series in which Ambrose was a dominant figure. The West Indies won the Test series 3–1, using controversial [[Bouncer (cricket)|short-pitched bowling]] tactics. Ambrose's height made him difficult to play as he made the ball bounce more than other bowlers. Writing in ''Wisden'', [[John Woodcock (cricket writer)|John Woodcock]] noted: "As in England, earlier in 1988, Ambrose's bowling was a telling factor&nbsp;... [His] advance compensated for something of a decline in [[Malcolm Marshall|[Malcolm] Marshall's]] effectiveness".<ref name=Woodcock>Woodcock (1990), pp. 960–61.</ref> In the first Test, he took seven wickets; in the second, he took five wickets in a Test innings for the first time with five for 72, and finished with eight in the game; and in the third, he took six wickets.<ref name=figures>{{Cite web| url = https://cricketarchive.com/cgi-bin/player_oracle_reveals_results2.cgi?playernumber=1883&testing=0&opponentmatch=exact&playername=&resulttype=All&matchtype=All&teammatch=exact&startwicket=&homeawaytype=All&opponent=&endwicket=&wicketkeeper=&searchtype=InningsList&howout=All&endscore=&playermatch=contains&branding=cricketarchive&captain=&endseason=&startscore=&team=&startseason=| title = Player Oracle CEL Ambrose| publisher = CricketArchive| access-date = 30 August 2012}}</ref> His performances earned him man of the match award in the first and third games,<ref>Woodcock (1990), pp. 967–73.</ref> and he ended the series with 26 wickets at an average of 21.46. He was West Indies' leading wicket-taker and headed the team bowling averages.<ref>Woodcock (1990), pp. 962–63.</ref> In the ODI tournament that took place during the tour, West Indies defeated [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]] in the final;<ref name=Woodcock/> Ambrose took 21 wickets in the series and twice took five wickets in an innings.<ref name=ODI/>

Suffering from fatigue and illness,<ref>{{Cite book| last = Rutnagur | first = Dicky | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1990 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = The Indians in the West Indies, 1988–89| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-15-4| page = 994}}</ref> Ambrose was less successful later in 1989 when [[India national cricket team|India]] toured the West Indies: he took just five wickets in the four-Test series at an average of 54.60.<ref name=test>{{Cite web| url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1883/t_Bowling_by_Season.html | title = Test Bowling in Each Season by Curtly Ambrose | publisher = CricketArchive| access-date = 30 August 2012}}</ref>

===County cricketer and success against England===
Ambrose made his debut in the English [[County Championship]] for [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club]] in 1989—the club signed him for the 1988 season but as he was playing in the West Indies touring team, he was unavailable that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ambrose: A true great |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/england_v_west_indies/908962.stm| access-date=30 August 2012|date=4 September 2000 | publisher = BBC Sport}}</ref> He took a wicket with his first delivery for the club, but was not particularly successful in the first part of the season; he settled down later and took 28 first-class wickets at 28.39 for Northamptonshire in nine games.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Radd | first = Andrew | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1990 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Northamptonshire in 1989| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-15-4| pages = 498–500}}</ref>

Early in 1990, [[England cricket team|England]] toured the West Indies and played four Tests—a fifth was abandoned owing to rain. The visiting team dominated the first part of the series but West Indies eventually won 2–1.<ref name=Eng90>Lee (1991), pp. 967–70.</ref> Ambrose was unfit for the first Test, which West Indies lost, and the first four ODIs, but returned to take four for 18 in an ODI organised to replace the rained-off second Test.<ref>Lee (1991), pp. 974–79.</ref> After a drawn third Test, West Indies won the fourth game. The home captain, [[Viv Richards]], set England 356 to win, but after losing early wickets, the English batsmen entered the last hour of the game with five wickets still to fall.<ref name=Lee/> Ambrose took the [[Cricket ball#Condition of a cricket ball|new ball]] and removed the last five batsmen for 18 runs in 46 deliveries,<ref>{{Cite news | last = Lee |first = Alan |title = Russell's fight is all in vain | newspaper = The Times  | location = London  | page = 46 | date = 11 April 1990}}</ref> four of them [[leg before wicket]]. He finished with figures of eight for 45, ten wickets in the match, and West Indies levelled the series with a 164-run win. Ambrose was man of the match.<ref name=Lee>Lee (1991), pp. 984–85.</ref> He took six wickets in the final match,<ref name=figures/> to finish the series with 20 wickets at 15.35, finishing top of the West Indies' averages. Ambrose, along with the other home bowlers, was described by Alan Lee in ''Wisden'' as an "awesome handful in the latter part of the series", and described his match-winning spell in the fourth Test as "unforgettable".<ref name=Eng90/> Ambrose's other appearances for West Indies in 1989–90 were all in ODIs, although he did not take more than two wickets in any innings except in the match against England.<ref name=ODI/><ref name=figures/> He also took 22 first-class wickets for the Leeward Islands,<ref>{{Cite book| last = Cozier | first = Tony |title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1991 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Cricket in the West Indies, 1989–90| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-16-2| page = 1,154}}</ref> and when he returned to England to play for Northamptonshire in 1990, took 58 first-class wickets to top the club's bowling averages.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Radd | first = Andrew | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1991 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Northamptonshire in 1990| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-16-2| pages = 532–35}}</ref> In [[List A cricket|one-day cricket]] for the county, he took 13 wickets while [[Economy rate#Bowling statistics|conceding an average]] of just 2.53 runs per over.<ref name=ListA>{{Cite web| url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1883/a_Bowling_by_Season.html| title = List A Bowling in Each Season by Curtly Ambrose | publisher = CricketArchive| access-date = 30 August 2012}}</ref>