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Full name Robert William Barber
Born September 26, 1935, Withington, Manchester, Lancashire
Current age 73 years 18 days
Major teams England,Cambridge University,Lancashire,Warwickshire
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak googly
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
100
50
6s
Ct
St
Tests
28
45
3
1495
185
35.59
1
9
3
21
0
First-class
386
651
52
17631
185
29.43
17
90
210
0
List A
37
36
1
977
114
27.91
2
4
7
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
28
42
3426
1806
42
4/132
6/139
43.00
3.16
81.5
1
0
0
First-class
386
31798
16176
549
7/35
29.46
3.05
57.9
12
0
List A
37
213
117
5
2/11
2/11
23.40
3.29
42.6
0
0
0
Career statistics
Test debut
England v South Africa at Birmingham, Jun 9-14, 1960 scorecard
Last Test
England v Australia at Manchester, Jun 6-11, 1968 scorecard
Test statistics
First-class span
1954 - 1969
List A span
1963 - 1971
Profile
At the end of 1962, the distinction between amateurs and professionals was abolished, and everyone just became a cricketer. At the same time Bob Barber, a cautious amateur with Lancashire, changed counties and became a carefree cricketer with Warwickshire. At Edgbaston Barber blossomed into a feisty attacking left-hander, strong on the drive and pull. He enjoyed a good tour of South Africa in 1964-65, and a tremendous trip to Australia the following year. The highlight was a stroke-filled 185 on the first day of the third Test at Sydney, which set up a thumping win. Sadly for England, that was almost the end of the story. Business claimed Barber increasingly afterwards - he made lots of money out of those blue tablets you put in your loo cistern to cleanse the water - and he faded out of first-class cricket in 1969. Barber was also a big-turning if somewhat erratic legspinner who averaged one and a half wickets per Test - but his 42 victims is still in the most by any England wrist-spinner since the Second World War apart from Doug Wright (81). Steven Lynch
