Happy Birthday Devendra Bishoo: Best Spells Bowled by the Caribbean Leg Spinner

West Indies' leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo celebrates his birthday on Wednesday (November 6, 2019). The cricketer turns 34 this year. Hailing from Guyana, Bishoo is a veteran and has represented West Indies in all forms of the game. The bowler can turn the ball at a lot and is the side's prime spinner in the longest format of the game. Having lost his father at a young age, the leggie faced a lot of obstacles to get a national call up. However, through sheer determination and hard-work, Bishoo donned the West Indies and is regarded as one of the top spinners to have come from the Caribbean Islands. West Indies Announce Squads for Afghanistan Tour 2019, Kieron Pollard to Lead Side in ODIs and T20Is While Jason Holder Remains Test Captain.

The spinner made his international debut in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and immediately burst into the scene with his sharp leg-breaks. The bowler delivered some brilliant spells throughout the tournament and played a crucial role in guiding his side to the quarter-finals of the showpiece tournament. In the same year, he bagged the ICC Emerging player of the year award. To date, Bishoo has represented West Indies in 36 Tests, 41 ODIs and 7 T20Is in which he scalped 117, 38 and 11 wickets respectively. Talking about his ability with the ball, let's look at some of his best spells.

3/34 Against Pakistan in Chennai

In his maiden outing in ODIs, Bishoo bowled a terrific spell and made a great start to his career. On a dry wicket, the bowler spun his web around the Englishmen and took three crucial wickets. Courtesy his effort, England were bundled out for 243 in the first innings. However, the Caribbean batting line-up collapsed while chasing and lost the match by 18 runs.

4/17 Against Pakistan in Gros Islet

The only T20I of Pakistan's 2011 Tour of West Indies saw Bishoo making his debut and the spinner announced himself in style. While defending an average total of 150 runs, Bishoo dented the opposition's batting line up and took wickets at regular intervals. He finished his spell with four wickets and guided his side to a seven-run victory.

4/77 and 3/46 Against Pakistan in Sharjah

After losing the first two matches of the three-match Test series in 2016, West Indies were on the verge of a whitewash. However, Bishoo put a terrific bowling performance and guided his team to victory. In Pakistan's first innings, Bishoo took the important wickets of Sami Aslam and captain Misbah-ul-Haq and restricted the hosts to 281 runs. He followed his four-wicket haul by another brilliant spell and dismissed three batsmen in the third innings of the match. His performance proved to be crucial in the context of the match as West Indies won the clash by five wickets.

8/49 Against Pakistan

Bishoo bowled a spectacular spell in the first Test of 2016 Pakistan vs West Indies series and gave life to what seemed to be a one-sided contest. The Calypso Kings were trailing by 222 runs in the first innings and their defeat looked just a matter of time. However, Bishoo produced a magical spell in Pakistan's second innings and registered his best figures in Tests. Pakistan were packed for 123 and West Indies needed 345 to win. They put on a good effort in the last innings of the match but fell short of the target by 56 runs.

The leg-spinner is not enjoying a good run in recent times and will aim to gain his form again. Bishoo has been a regular member of the West Indies' Test side and will play a crucial role in the team's stint in the ICC World Test Championships.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).