Statue unveiled for Sir Wes Hall

Cricket Legend Sir Wes Hall was beaming this evening as he cut the ribbon unveiling a bronze statue in his honour at Kensington Oval.

The eight-foot statue designed by Jason Hope stands near Hall’s long time colleague and friend for some 73 years national hero Sir Garfield Sobers.

Sir Wes who recounted some of its exploits as a West Indies cricketer said it was a great privilege to play cricket for the West Indies.

He said he was humbled by the accolade and expressed hope that his achievements would inspire young Barbadians.

“When ordinary people do extraordinary things that are worthy of emulation and received by the people of their country then they will have material for our young men and women to know that they too can write their names on history’s page.”

A charismatic figure on and off the field, Hall played 48 Test matches between 1958 and 1969, taking 192 wickets at 26.38 runs apiece, including five wickets in an innings nine times and ten wickets in a match on one occasion. He took 546 wickets at an average of 26.14 in 170 first-class matches.

Hall also served as a West Indies chief selector, team manager and president of the regional Board. In addition, he was a Barbados Government Minister of Tourism and Sports and Member of Parliament.