Charlie Griffith

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Charlie Griffith West Indies (WI)

Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling type	Right-arm fast
	Tests	First-class
Matches	28	96
Runs scored	530	1,502
Batting average	16.56	17.26
100s/50s	-/1	-/4
Top score	54	98
Balls bowled	5,631	15,509
Wickets	94	332
Bowling average	28.54	21.60
5 wickets in innings	5	17
10 wickets in match	-	1
Best bowling	6/36	8/23
Catches/stumpings	16/-	39/-
Test debut: 25 March 1960 Last Test: 13 March 1969 Source: [1]

Charles Christopher Griffith (born December 14, 1938, Pie Corner, St Lucy, Barbados) is a former West Indian cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a lethal fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s but his career is often remembered for his delivery which cracked Indian batsman Nari Contractor's skull, prematurely ending Contractor's international career.

When Griffith started playing club cricket in Barbados at a young age it was as a right arm spinner. During one game he decided to bowl right arm fast and finished with figures of 7 for 1. He remained a fast bowler and soon after was chosen to represent Barbados. His first class debut was made against the Marylebone Cricket Club who were touring the Caribbean in 1959/60 and in the space of 2 overs he dismissed England internationals Colin Cowdrey, Mike Smith and Peter May.

The most significant match of his career came during a match for Barbados against the touring Indians in 1961/62. Nari Contractor ducked into a Griffith bouncer and was knocked unconscious, suffering a fractured skull and requiring two emergency operations to removes clots on the brain.[2] Although he recovered from his injury he never played Test cricket again. Later in the match Griffith was no balled by the umpire for throwing, the first of two times that we was called during his career with the other occurring in 1966.

Griffith had a successful tour of England in 1963, finishing the summer with 119 wickets at 12.3, 32 of them coming in the Test series. In the first innings of the Headingley Test he took 6 for 36 and finished the match with 9 wickets. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964.