Sydney Barnes

Sydney Barnes

Sydney Francis Barnes (19 April 1873 – 26 December 1967) was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history. He was right-handed and bowled at a pace that varied from medium to fast-medium with the ability to make the ball both swing and break from off or leg.

Barnes was unusual in that, despite a very long playing career, he spent little more than two seasons in first-class cricket, preferring instead to play league cricket and represent his native county club Staffordshire in the Minor Counties Championship. He took 1,432 wickets for Staffordshire at less than 9 runs each and played for the county until he was 61. In Test cricket, Barnes played for England on 27 occasions from 1901 to 1914, taking 189 wickets at an average of 16.43 runs each. He is ranked first in the ICC Best-Ever Test Championship Rating for bowlers. In 1911–12, Barnes enabled England to win The Ashes when he took 34 wickets in the series against Australia. In 1913–14, playing his final Test series, he took a world record 49 wickets against South Africa.

In 1963, Barnes was named by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in its hundredth edition as one of its "Six Giants of the Wisden Century" and, in 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.