Yep.
From the Telegragraph
Roy Fredericks
12:00AM BST 08 Sep 2000
ROY FREDERICKS, who has died in New York aged 57, was an opening batsman of remarkable dash and flair, even by West Indian standards.
A short man, not more than 5 ft 6 in (Wisden put him at a mere 5 ft 4 in), his chief aim in life was to murder fast bowling, if possible from the very first ball of the innings. Colin Croft, one of the most terrifying bowlers of all time, admitted that when he bowled at Fredericks, it was the fielders at gully and point who were scared, so fiercely did the left-handed "Freddo" clout the ball.
But Fredericks's defining shot was the hook. Earlier this year he reflected that recent West Indian batsmen had become less inclined to play that shot, partly because of the deterioration of pitches in the Caribbean, partly because they lacked the necessary instinct. "That is in you, to hook," he believed. "You can't tell nobody to hook. It's about confidence."
No one had more confidence and courage than Fredericks, and his swashbuckling approach produced one of the great Test innings.
In December 1975, the West Indies arrived in Perth for the second Test match against the Australians under heavy criticism for their irresponsible approach to batting in the First Test. Fredericks's response, on a lightning-fast wicket, was to hook Dennis Lillee's second ball for six, albeit off the top edge. The West Indies went into bat 90 minutes before lunch. At the interval, after 14 overs, Fredericks was 81 not out, and the West Indies' score 130.
His century came in 118 minutes off only 73 balls. Lillee and Thomson, two great fast bowlers then at their peak, were helpless, as Fredericks raced on to 169 out of 258 in 217 minutes. He had faced 145 balls. It was a moment of imperishable glory.
Of course, the hook shot sometimes got Fredericks out. In the World Cup final of 1975, he immediately lofted Lillee into the crowd, only to slip and dislodge a bail. (He had not bothered with studs on his boots.) Against England in 1976, he was twice caught at long leg for nought before having scored, giving ample fodder to his critics.
But Fredericks still averaged 57.44 in that series, scoring 138 in the second innings at Lord's, and another century at Headingley. In the second innings at the Oval, he and Gordon Greenidge put England to the sword, allowing the West Indies to declare after 140 minutes, with the total at 180 for no wicket.
The remarkable thing about Fredericks, considering the way he played, was his consistency. From the start of his international career in 1968-69 against Australia, to his last Test, against Pakistan in 1977, he hardly had a bad series, although he looked vulnerable against spin early in his career. In 59 Test matches he scored 4,334 runs at an average of 42.49, with eight centuries and 26 fifties.
He could even, if the mood took him, play at responsibility. His 150 against England at Edgbaston in 1973 took eight and a half hours, one of the most tedious displays ever seen from a West Indian batsman. Happily, such restraint was rare. More often, the jaunty tilt of his cap at the crease proclaimed a cricketer who believed that the manner in which the game was played counted for more than grinding out a victory.
Roy Clifton Fredericks was born on November 11 1942 at Blairmont, Berbice, in what was then British Guiana. He first made his mark as a cricketer in 1967 with innings of 127 and 115 for Guyana against Barbados. In 1971, Glamorgan, impressed by his early Test performances, signed him on. Fredericks made 145 not out in his first match for the county, and also showed his usefulness as a left-arm spinner, taking five wickets in the match. Glamorgan immediately awarded him his county cap.
Despite having his elbow broken on the fiery Sophia Gardens pitch at Cardiff soon afterwards, Fredericks scored 1,377 runs in that first season with Glamorgan, with an average of 45.90. He did not, however, escape the dull censure of English (and Welsh) critics.
"There were some," recorded Wisden, "who even believed that Fredericks's adventurous approach was an embarrassment." But the great almanac rose to generosity: "Let it also be admitted that Fredericks brought a breezier and fresher gust of gaiety to the cricket grounds of South Wales."
In 1972, against New Zealand at Kingston, Jamaica, Fredericks scored his first Test century. "The experience I gained playing on English wickets helped me tremendously," he reflected. "I never really watched the ball until I joined Glamorgan . . . It made me a lot more selfish, if you like."
But after a bad spell in 1972, Fredericks was dropped from the Glamorgan side, though he ended the season in a blaze of glory, making 228 not out against Northamptonshire and sharing with Alan Jones a record opening stand for the county of 330.
He did little for Glamorgan in 1973, however, which was particularly galling as he averaged 50.20 against England after joining the West Indies' touring party halfway through the summer. There was also a superb 105 in the Prudential Trophy one-day International. Glamorgan did not renew his contract.
It was a help to Fredericks when the equally aggressive and perhaps still more gifted Gordon Greenidge joined the West Indies' side against India in 1974-75. Though Greenidge lost form and confidence against Australia in 1975-76, they made a formidable opening pair.
Fredericks left Test cricket to join Kerry Packer's World Series cricket in Australia in 1977-78. Later he became Minister of Sport in Guyana. In the 1982-83 season, while holding that position, he returned to Guyana's side, scoring 103 against Trinidad and 217 against Jamaica. He also served as a selector for the West Indies.
In 1998, Fredericks underwent an operation for throat cancer. He returned to run cricket programmes for Guyana's Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, but recently had to go back to hospital.
