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| Sulieman Benn | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sulieman Benn |
| Country | West Indies |
| Fullname | Sulieman Humberto Otto Benn |
| Birth date | 22 July 1981 |
| Birth place | Saint James, Barbados |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Role | Bowler |
| Testdebutdate | 12 July 2008 |
| Testdebutagainst | South Africa |
| Odi debutdate | 26 November 2007 |
| Odi debutagainst | Zimbabwe |
| Club1 | Barbados |
| Year1 | 2000–2015 |
Sulieman Benn is a Barbadian former cricketer who played as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler for Barbados and the West Indies. Known for his rare height for a spinner, he featured in Test cricket and One Day International fixtures, participating in tours and tournaments across England, South Africa, India, and Australia. Benn combined domestic longevity with intermittent international spells, contributing to major series such as tours of England and squads for ICC events.
Born in Saint James, Barbados, Benn grew up in a cricketing culture influenced by the legacy of Sir Garfield Sobers, Gordon Greenidge, and Desmond Haynes. He emerged through Barbados's youth pathways linked to the Barbados Cricket Association and local clubs that produced contemporaries like Barbados teammates and regional players who later represented West Indies. His physical stature echoed other tall international cricketers such as Joel Garner and Curtly Ambrose from West Indies. Early exposure to regional competitions including the Caribbean Twenty20 and inter-island fixtures helped shape his trajectory toward first-class cricket.
Benn debuted for Barbados in first-class cricket, competing in competitions like the Carib Beer Cup and later the Regional Four Day Competition. He played alongside Barbadian stalwarts including Ryan Hinds, Dwayne Smith, and Tino Best, contributing with left-arm spin against visiting teams from England Lions, Australia A, and South Africa A. In domestic limited-overs formats, Benn featured in tournaments involving franchises and representative sides such as Combined Campuses and Colleges and regional squads in the West Indies domestic circuit. His domestic performances earned selection for larger representative duties including inclusion in selection meetings of the West Indies Cricket Board.
Benn made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe and subsequently featured in series versus New Zealand, India, and Pakistan. He earned his Test cap in 2008 against South Africa and toured with West Indies to destinations such as England, Australia, and the Caribbean. Benn played in bilateral series, ICC tournaments including the ICC Champions Trophy selections and preparatory squads, and contributed in both Tests and ODIs during periods when the West Indies selection emphasized spin options like Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps and pace partnerships with Kieron Pollard in limited-overs squads. His international tenure included matches at iconic venues like Kensington Oval, Lord's, and the WACA Ground.
Benn's slow left-arm orthodox bowling relied on bounce extracted from his 6 ft 7 in frame, allowing him to exploit variable pitches encountered in tours to places like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He employed flight and drift akin to practitioners such as Daniel Vettori and Shane Warne (as stylistic contrast), while often using a flatter trajectory to contain runs in limited-overs fixtures against batsmen from Australia and England. As a left-handed lower-order batsman, he provided tail-end resistance in the company of all-rounders like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and bowlers such as Jason Holder in later West Indies lineups. Fielding at close-catching positions and in the outfield, Benn contributed to team dynamics shaped by captains including Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, and Brian Lara in different eras.
Benn took notable Test wickets including dismissals of prominent batsmen from India and South Africa and recorded significant first-class hauls for Barbados in the Regional Four Day Competition. He achieved career milestones recognized within the West Indies Cricket Board era and appeared in squads for major tours such as the 2009 tour of England. Among achievements, Benn was part of Barbados sides that contended in regional finals and was selected for West Indies squads during transitional phases that included players like Chris Gayle and Brian Lara returning for specific series. His international figures and domestic tallies position him among notable Caribbean left-arm spinners of his generation.
Off the field, Benn has been associated with cricketing communities in Barbados and regional development programs linked to the Cricket West Indies structure. Post-retirement, former teammates and contemporaries such as Tino Best and Jerome Taylor have been involved in coaching and mentoring initiatives similar to roles Benn has undertaken in local academies and club cricket. He has participated in coaching clinics, talent identification events, and commentary or analysis engagements alongside regional media organizations covering West Indies cricket, contributing to the ongoing development pathways that produced players like Shamarh Brooks and Shimron Hetmyer.
Category:Barbadian cricketers Category:West Indies Test cricketers Category:1981 births Category:Living people