Caribbean-born quick bowler Joey Benjamin was 27 when Warwickshire gave him his break in professional cricket.
And according to Bears great Gladstone Small, Benjamin had the potential to have made a big impact at Edgbaston had his talent been spotted at an early age.
Benjamin arrived in the West Midlands aged 15 with his family.
But it would be another decade before he caught the attention with his performances in the Birmingham League and for Staffordshire.
He went on to play played 25 First Class and 26 List A matches for Warwickshire, taking 87 wickets across both formats, before moving to Surrey in 1992.
Benjamin – the only player from St Kitts & Nevis to represent England – was part of a Bears seam attack featuring Allan Donald, Tim Munton and Gladstone Small.
“We had a strong bowling line-up,” said Small, “so Joey was unlucky really with the timing of his arrival. Had he joined a few years earlier, if his talent had been spotted as a child, then I’ve no doubt he would have played many more games for Warwickshire.
“He was late to the game but he kept plugging away and got his reward. Joey had an unusual action, not the most athletic in his run-up, he kissed the surface rather than banging it. But he had a brilliant wrist position when delivering the ball, he always got movement.
“He had great skill and when I saw him for the first time in the nets you were like ‘wow, why’s this guy not in the system already?’
“He never let the team down. It was no surprise that other counties started sniffing around when you had a bowler like that on the sidelines.”
Benjamin achieved near cult hero status at Surrey and made an immediate impact.
He was named Surrey’s Player of the Season in 1993 as he claimed 64 wickets, including career best figures of 6/19 against Nottinghamshire.
And he bettered those numbers the following season, with 80 wickets and received his first international call-up that same year.
Benjamin’s single England appearance came in 1994 when he was selected for the final Test of the series against South Africa at his home ground The Oval.
He took four wickets in the first innings – but his effort was overshadowed by Devon Malcolm’s spectacular nine-fer in the second innings.
“It was kind of the story of his career,” added Small. “He was unlucky with timing. Taking four wickets on England debut is something that should be talked about…but then Devon grabbed the headlines!
“He didn’t get another Test chance for England which was a shame.
“But he was a lovely fella, a chilled character. He didn’t say a lot but what he said was always poignant and with lot of comedy to it. He was a favourite in the dressing room.
“It’s a great shame Joey is no longer with us.”
During his career, Benjamin took 387 wickets between 1988 and 1999.
Joey Benjamin: 1961 – 2021
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