Gudakesh Motie

One of many Guyanese cricketers of Indian heritage, Gudakesh Motie is a tall left-arm spinner who, despite a short international career so far, has become West Indies' primary spinner across formats. Outside his home country of Guyana, Motie's name first came up during the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. He didn't set the stage alight, returning six wickets in six bowling innings at 34.83, but has built steadily since, as his numbers across formats show. First came a T20I debut, against Pakistan in Karachi in late 2021, and the Test and ODI debuts followed, at home against Bangladesh in mid-2022.

It started for him in Berbice, at a time when he was noticeably small, but not long after the Under-19 World Cup, by which time he had shot up to his current six-foot frame, Motie got himself a ten-for (11 for 105) in only his second first-class match, playing for Guyana against Leeward Islands. He has topped it since, in a Test match in fact. The 13 for 99 he returned against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in February 2023 remains his career-best in first-class cricket, and is also the best by a West Indies spinner in Test cricket overall, topping a record that stood for over 70 years - Sonny Ramadhin's 11 for 152 against England in 1950.