Former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies all-rounder Bernard Julien has died at the age of 75.
His cause of his death is not known at this time.
Julien was a member of the victorious West Indies 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup squad, and was often referred to as a stylish, versatile, and dependable allrounder.
Julien claimed 4 for 20 in a Man of the Match performance against Sri Lanka and 4 for 27 against New Zealand as the West Indies stormed into the final.
After making his First Class debut for T&T aged 18, Julien burst onto the international scene in 1973 by scoring 121 in just his third test match from 127 deliveries, and shared in a 150-run partnership with Garry Sobers against England at Lord’s.
He played 24 Tests and amassed 866 runs at an average of 30.92 and scalped 50 wickets at 37.36 for the West Indies. He appeared in 12 One-Day Internationals and scored just 86 runs at 14.33 to go along with 18 wickets at an average of 25.72.
However, Julien’s career at the top of West Indies cricket was curtailed by his appearance in the 1977 Kerry Packer World Series tournament, followed by the 1982-83 and 1983-84 tours ‘rebel’ tours to then apartheid South Africa.
In 2005, aged 54, Julien was diagnosed with throat cancer and given a 90 percent chance of beating the disease; however, he subsequently recovered.
Former national football coach, Everald ‘Gally’ Cummings, referred to Julien as a childhood friend with whom he attended and played cricket together at Tranquility Intermediate School.
Cummings said, “We have lost an outstanding sportsman who gave his life to sport and to Trinidad and Tobago. Goodbye, my friend, and thanks for sharing part of your life together.”
Bernard Julien, the outstanding all-rounder and member of the West Indies team which won the 1975 Men’s Cricket World Cup, passed away on Saturday night in Trinidad and Tobago.
A family member confirmed that he died at Valsayn in north-west Trinidad at the age of 75.
Sir Clive Lloyd, the legendary West Indies captain, hailed Julien as a vital member of the 1975 team which won the inaugural World Cup.
“He always gave you ‘over 100 percent’. He never shirked his duties, and I could always rely on him with bat and ball. He gave his all every time … what a fine cricketer,” Lloyd said on Sunday.
“We all had total respect for him. He enjoyed himself and was loved by everyone around. I remember we won the Test match at Lords and stood there and signed autographs for a long time, He was good for us and was held in high regard everywhere we went.”
A left-arm seam bowler and classy right-handed batsman, Julien made his first-class debut at age 18 and his Test debut for West Indies at age 23 on the 1973 tour of England.
During that series he made an immediate impression with a century at Lords, a superb 121 off 127 balls. He added a record partnership with Garfield Sobers who made 150 not out.
During the famous 1975 World Cup in England, Julien claimed 4-20 in a Man-of-the-Match performance against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford and then 4-27 against New Zealand in the semi-finals at the Oval as West Indies reached the final against Australia.
He went wicket-less in the final but scored a crucial 26 not out as West Indies won by 17 runs.
