Philbert Duncan Blair (born 30 October 1943) is a former Guyanese cricketer who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

from 1968 to 1974. He toured with the

West Indian cricket team in England in 1969 The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1969 season to play a three-match Test series against England. England won the series 2–0 with one match drawn. After this, England would not win another test series against the West Indies fo ...

but did not play

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

. A fast bowler, Philbert Blair made his first-class debut for

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

in 1967–68. When the West Indies Test team were away touring

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in 1968–69 he was the leading wicket-taker in the

Shell Shield The Regional Four Day Competition, formerly known as the Shell Shield, Red Stripe, Busta and Carib Beer Cup, is the West Indies's first-class cricket competition that's run by Cricket West Indies. In the 2013–2014 season the winner of the t ...

, with 23 wickets at an average of 21.26. He took 5 for 60 against

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and 5 for 63 against

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

. Blair was one of the four inexperienced pace bowlers chosen for the 1969 tour, alongside

Vanburn Holder Vanburn Alonzo Holder (born 10 October 1945) is a Barbadian former first-class cricketer who played in 40 Test matches and 12 One Day Internationals for the West Indies cricket team between 1969 and 1979. A fast-medium bowler, he bowled along ...

, John Shepherd and

Grayson Shillingford Grayson Cleophas Shillingford SAH (25 September 1944 – 23 December 2009) was a West Indian cricketer who played in seven Test matches from 1969 to 1972. Early life Grayson Shillingford attended Dominica Grammar School in Roseau. Career H ...

, none of whom had played Test cricket. Blair played only nine of the 19 first-class matches on the tour, taking 14 wickets at 36.35, and the other three pace bowlers were preferred for the Tests. Colin Babb reports that some people considered Blair to be the most promising and quickest of the young pace attack, but says that Basil Butcher suggested that Blair was passed over for selection because of questions about his bowling action. In the one-day match against

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, West Indies were 12 for 9 before Blair joined Shillingford to raise the final total to 25. Blair continued to play for Guyana with moderate success until the end of the 1973–74 season.

References

External links

Philbert Blair at Cricinfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Philbert 1943 births Living people Cricketers from Georgetown, Guyana Guyanese cricketers Guyana cricketers Demerara cricketers