{{short description|West Indian Test cricketer}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox cricketer | name = Patrick Patterson | image = | country = West Indies | fullname = Balfour Patrick Patterson | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|9|15|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Williamsfield, Jamaica]] | nickname = | heightft = | heightinch = | heightm = | bowling = Right-arm fast | role = Fast bowler | family = | international = true | internationalspan = 1986–1993 | testdebutdate = 21 February | testdebutyear = 1986 | testdebutagainst = England | testcap = 186 | lasttestdate = 27 November | lasttestyear = 1992 | lasttestagainst = Australia | testshirt = | odidebutdate = 18 February | odidebutyear = 1986 | odidebutagainst = England | odicap = 47 | lastodidate = 25 February | lastodiyear = 1993 | lastodiagainst = Pakistan | club1 = [[Jamaica national cricket team|Jamaica]] | year1 = 1982–1998 | club2 = [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]] | year2 = 1984–1990 | club3 = [[Tasmania cricket team|Tasmania]] | year3 = 1984–85 | columns = 4 | column1 = [[Test cricket|Tests]] | matches1 = 28 | runs1 = 145 | bat avg1 = 6.59 | 100s/50s1 = 0/0 | top score1 = 21* | deliveries1 = 4,829 | wickets1 = 93 | bowl avg1 = 30.90 | fivefor1 = 5 | tenfor1 = 0 | best bowling1 = 5/24 | catches/stumpings1 = 5/– | column2 = [[One Day International|ODIs]] | matches2 = 59 | runs2 = 44 | bat avg2 = 8.80 | 100s/50s2 = 0/0 | top score2 = 13* | deliveries2 = 3,050 | wickets2 = 90 | bowl avg2 = 24.51 | fivefor2 = 1 | tenfor2 = 0 | best bowling2 = 6/29 | catches/stumpings2 = 9/– | column3 = [[First-class cricket|FC]] | matches3 = 161 | runs3 = 618 | bat avg3 = 5.83 | 100s/50s3 = 0/0 | top score3 = 29 | deliveries3 = 24,346 | wickets3 = 493 | bowl avg3 = 27.51 | fivefor3 = 25 | tenfor3 = 2 | best bowling3 = 7/24 | catches/stumpings3 = 32/– | column4 = [[List A cricket|LA]] | matches4 = 100 | runs4 = 106 | bat avg4 = 10.60 | 100s/50s4 = 0/0 | top score4 = 16 | deliveries4 = 5,115 | wickets4 = 144 | bowl avg4 = 24.27 | fivefor4 = 1 | tenfor4 = 0 | best bowling4 = 6/29 | catches/stumpings4 = 15/– | date = 19 October | year = 2010 | source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1798/1798.html Cricket Archive }} '''Balfour Patrick Patterson''' (born 15 September 1961) is a former [[fast bowling|fast bowler]] for the [[West Indies cricket team]] in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. He is remarkable in that, in an era when the West Indies dominated world cricket through strength of fast bowling, and produced a galaxy of fast bowling stars, he is frequently acknowledged as the fastest of those that played. The West Indies wicket keeper [[Jeff Dujon]], who kept wicket to all of them, stated that Patterson was the quickest he had kept wickets to.<ref name="pro">{{cite web|url=http://content.cricinfo.com/statsguru/content/player/52671.html|title=Player Profile: Patrick Patterson|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref>
==Early life== Born in [[Portland, Jamaica]] to Maurice and Emelda, Patterson attended Happy Grove High School and [[Wolmer's School]], receiving his Jamaica School Certificate.<ref name=Sproat>Sproat, I. (1988) ''The Cricketers' Who's Who 1988 '', Willow Books, London.</ref>
Patterson's father and grandfather played parish level cricket in Jamaica<ref name=Sproat/> and Patterson showed ability from an early age and made his debut for [[Jamaican cricket team|Jamaica]] in 1983. He also played for [[Lancashire CCC|Lancashire]] in the English [[County Championship]], between 1984 and 1990, and [[Tasmania Tigers|Tasmania]] in the [[Sheffield Shield]] in the 1984–85 season.
==Career==
Patterson arrived on the international scene in the absence of [[Michael Holding]] for the 1986 [[Sabina Park]] [[Test cricket|Test]] against England, and was labeled as one of the fastest bowlers in the international game. Broadly built, aggressive and quick, Patterson took seven wickets on debut. He kept his place and became a regular new ball bowler for the West Indies.<ref name="pro" /> [[Graham Gooch]], the experienced England opener, remarked that Patterson frightened him with his fast bowling.<ref name="pro" />
Patterson returned figures of 5/24 in the first Test of the 1987/8 series against [[India national cricket team|India]], bowling them out in 30.3 overs, or little over one session of play on the first day.<ref>[http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1987-88/WI_IN_IND/WI_IND_T1_25-29NOV1987.html 1st TEST: India v West Indies at Delhi, 25–29 Nov 1987<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In a Test Match in [[Melbourne]], 1988–89, during Christmas, just before second last day's play, [[Steve Waugh]] decided to bounce Patterson. At the end of the day's play, Patterson stormed into the Australian dressing room and threatened to kill all the opposition batsmen on the pitch on the fifth and final day of play. Australia were then dismissed for 114 chasing 400. Patterson finished with five wickets in the innings and nine wickets for the match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63498.html|title=Australia v West Indies, Third Test, 1988/89 – Scorecard |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=5 August 2009}}</ref>
He was dropped for disciplinary reasons after the [[West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1992–93|1992/93 tour of Australia]], the last time the West Indies won a series in Australia. Patterson's career strike rate of 51.9 is amongst the best of all time, although his 93 Test wickets came at a slightly high average of 30.9 owing to his attacking nature and subsequent field settings, which always provided opportunity for runs as well as wickets.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
==Post-retirement== In 2016, Andrew Miller wrote of Patterson, "[T]he utter anonymity of his post-cricket life merely adds to the legend. No one seems entirely sure what has become of him, lost back to the streets from whence he came."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Andrew|title=They came, they conquered, they vanished|url=http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1061960/veni--vidi--vamoose|access-date=14 November 2016|work=[[The Cricket Monthly]]}}</ref> In 2017, after a number of years of trying to track him down, Indian journalist [[Bharat Sundaresan]] found Patterson in [[Kingston, Jamaica]], where he has lived since he finished playing. Mental health issues have subdued him and separated him from his family, though lucid memories of his cricketing career remain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/patrick-patterson-an-unquiet-mind-4762590/|title=Patrick Patterson: An Unquiet Mind|date=2017-07-23|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2017-07-23|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Finding Patrick Patterson: Bowler Who Disappeared 25 Years Ago | date=22 July 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpT5TPUmeCQ |language=en |access-date=2022-05-13}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Jamaican Sportsman of the Year}} {{Navboxes |title= West Indies squads |bg=#79001F |fg=#FCED00 |bordercolor=#FCED00 |list1= {{West Indies Squad 1987 Cricket World Cup}} {{West Indies Squad 1992 Cricket World Cup}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Patrick}} [[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Jamaican cricketers]] [[Category:Lancashire cricketers]] [[Category:Expatriate cricketers in England]] [[Category:Tasmania cricketers]] [[Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers]] [[Category:West Indies Test cricketers]] [[Category:Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in England]] [[Category:Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup]] [[Category:Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup]] [[Category:Jamaica cricketers]] [[Category:Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in Australia]] [[Category:Cricketers from Manchester Parish]] [[Category:Wolmer's Schools alumni]] [[Category:20th-century Jamaican sportsmen]]