Everton Weekes: Five Consecutive Test Centuries and a 58.61 Average
Everton Weekes scored five consecutive Test centuries in 1948–49 — a record that still stands — and finished with a Test average of 58.61 across 48 matches. He was part of the famous 'Three Ws' of West Indies batting alongside Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott.
The Three Ws: Caribbean Batting's Golden Triangle
Everton de Courcy Weekes (1925–2020, Barbados) was one of the 'Three Ws' — Worrell, Weekes, and Walcott — three Barbadian batters who formed the spine of West Indies batting throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. They were contemporaries, neighbours in Barbados, and at various times each held the record for the highest individual Test average. Together they represented the arrival of West Indies cricket as a serious global force.
Five Consecutive Centuries: The Unique Record
In 1948–49 Weekes scored centuries in five consecutive Test innings — 141 vs England, then 128, 194, 162, and 101 vs India — before being run out for 90 in his sixth innings (which he believed would have been a sixth century). The run-out at 90 denied him a sixth consecutive century, which would have seemed impossible to match. The five-in-a-row record remains unequalled in Test cricket history. Don Bradman scored four consecutive centuries (1936-37); nobody has reached six.
Batting Style: Power and Elegance
Weekes was not tall (5'5") but drove with tremendous power, particularly through the off side. He was a fearless hooker of fast bowling — in an era before helmets — and his footwork against spin was exceptional. He was considered the most aggressive of the Three Ws, more likely to dominate a bowling attack than to build a cautious platform. His average of 58.61 across 81 innings reflects consistent scoring rather than one or two huge scores propping up the average.
Career Numbers: 58.61 Average
Weekes scored 4,455 Test runs at 58.61 in 48 Tests (1948–1958). He scored 15 centuries and a highest of 207 against India at Port of Spain (1953). His average of 58.61 is seventh-highest in Test history among batters with 20+ innings — above Wally Hammond (58.45), above Len Hutton (56.67), and behind only Bradman (99.94), Graeme Pollock (60.97), George Headley (60.83), Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73), Adam Voges (61.87), and Steve Smith (approximately 60).
The 1950 England Tour: West Indies' First Win
The 1950 England tour was West Indies' first series win in England — a landmark in their cricketing history. Weekes scored 338 runs in four Tests at 56.33. The spinners 'Those Two Little Pals of Mine' — Ramadhin and Valentine — bowled England out repeatedly, but the batting of the Three Ws ensured West Indies scored enough. It was proof that West Indies could compete at the highest level.
Legacy
Weekes was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995 for his services to cricket and public life in Barbados. He became Sir Everton Weekes — one of three cricketers in the Three Ws to be knighted. He died in July 2020 at age 95, the last of the Three Ws. The Kensington Oval gates in Bridgetown are named for the Three Ws, and all three appear on Barbadian banknotes.
Career Numbers
Tests: 48 | Runs: 4,455 | Average: 58.61 | Centuries: 15 | Highest: 207 | Record: 5 consecutive Test centuries (unique in history).