Ezra Moseley, who played two Tests and nine ODI for West Indies in the late 80s, has died at the age of 63 in a road accident in Barbados. According to the Newspaper The Nation, Ezra Mosely was out riding his bicycle when he was hit by a car in a junction near Bridgetown. In his prime, Ezra Moseley was considered as one of the quickest bowlers to have emerged from the Caribbean but due to the brilliance of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner, Ezar Moseley never got a chance to play much for the West Indies. However, his career was primarily overshadowed by the West Indies rebel tour to Apartheid South Africa in the mid-80s.
In that series of six matches and three ‘Tests’, Ezra Moseley impressed and was one of the best bowlers on the tour. However, following the end of the rebel tour series, Ezra Moseley and players who had toured the country were handed a life ban. Ezra Moseley continued to play in South Africa for Eastern Province as well as remaining at Glamorgan until 1986, when he became a professional in the Lancashire Leagues. It was only in 1989 that when the Commonwealth League decided to overturn the bans did Ezra Moseley make a comeback and he did feature for the West Indies in the series against England and Australia.
Making an impact
Ezra Moseley picked up six wickets in two Tests but in 1990, he is best remembered for breaking England skipper Graham Gooch’s arm as West Indies won the series 2-1. In nine ODIs, he picked up seven wickets but had a high economy rate of over five. In 76 First-Class matches, he picked up 279 wickets at an average of 23.
After his retirement, he coached in Barbados and he is the prime factor behind the success of current West Indies skipper Jason Holder who has emerged as one of the best all-rounders in cricket as well as a stable captain. Cricket West Indies director Jimmy Adams paid tribute to Ezra Moseley when he said, “Ezra was one of our region's premier fast bowlers from the late '70s through the '80s and into the early '90s. I want to extend our sincere condolences to his family. After his playing days were over Ezra continued to serve cricket in the region by coaching at the junior levels in Barbados and moving into positions with our international Women's team.”