His 400th wicket happened as follows.
Venue- Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Ist Test of 1999 series against Australia.
It was the 79.1st over of the match, and Courtney's 19.1st over of the day. His 400th victim:-
Ian Healey, LBW b Walsh, 12
His match figures when it happened were 19.1-7-28-3 and the score in Australia's first innings was 153/6.
Courtney's career figures at the time the wicket fell
Wickets- 400
Runs- 10113
Strike Rate- 57.75
Average- 25.28
Best bowling 7/37 vw New Zealand, Wellington, 1994/5
Courtney made his test debut against Australia at Perth in Nov 1984. He was very much the fourth bowler in the West Indies pace quartet at that time. West Indies were still in their hayday then, the undisputed world champions of Test cricket. In that first Test he bowled along side Holding Garner and Marshall. In fact in the first innings, so effective were the other three that Courtney didn't even get a bowl. He took his first test wicket in the second innings.
15 years later, and 107 tests later, Courtney has taken wicket 400. How different his role is now to what it was then. He has spearheaded the West Indies attack with Curtly Ambrose since the retirement of Malcolm Marshall in 1991. He had to adjust to that position, after spending the first half of his test career as one of the back up bowlers. He had to make the change from bowling to defend, to all out attack as an opening bowler, yet typical of Courtney, he adjusted. He said when he made his debut that he had dreamed of playing for WI all his life, but he didn't think it would really happen. Even today he says he hopes he will get selected, even though his position in the side, barring injury, is not in any doubt.
He seems to be naturally fit and strong, and has only missed two tests through injury in his whole career. He may be 37 now, but he is bowling as well as ever, still getting top class batsmen out, and he still loves the game. I just hope he will know when the time comes and bow out gracefully, not have to be pushed.
When he got wicket 300 at The Oval in 1995, he said that 200 Test wickets had been his aim. It took him 60 tests to get 200 wickets. It has taken him 107 to get 400. He may just be the first ever bowler to 450 Test wickets. Although I think Shane Warne, if he carries on, will eventually become the highest wicket taker ever.
Jackie Hewitt, 5th March 1999.
Updated 20th Mar 2000- some of the sentimental gush taken out!