Inshan Ali

Who was Inshan Ali?

Inshan Ali was a West Indian cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1971 to 1977.

Born in Preysal, Trinidad and Tobago, of Indian descent, Ali was a left-arm unorthodox spin bowler who made his first-class cricket debut for South Trinidad against North Trinidad on 15 April 1966, aged just 16 years and 202 days. He took three wickets for 89 runs.

In his second match, for Trinidad and Tobago against Windward Islands, Ali took 5/32, and, following further good performances, was selected in the West Indies Board President's team to play the touring Marylebone Cricket Club side.

Ali continued to perform well, if unpredictably, at domestic level and was often a trump card for Trinidad at the spin friendly Port-of-Spain, leading to his Test debut on 1 April 1971 against India at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, where he took 0/60 and 1/65.

During the 1971/72 home series against New Zealand, Inshan was referred to as "astonishingly skilled and mature" for a player in his early twenties", who "is a small, slim man with short fingers; after a brisk little run his left arm flipped through quickly."

Ali had his best bowling performance in this series, taking 5/59 against New Zealand at Port-of-Spain, with the batsmen finding it very difficult to pick his chinaman and wrong 'un, leading one onlooker to write "properly handled, could be a match-winner against the Australians when they tour the Caribbean next summer."