Glamorgan Cricket is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Ezra Moseley, the former West Indies pace bowler, who played for the Welsh county between 1980 and 1986.
Ezra first joined Glamorgan for the 1980 season as a raw 22-year old having impressed in club cricket in his native Barbados and yet to play in any first-class. He made an immediate impact and, had it not been for a serious back injury, Ezra could have become the club`s most successful overseas bowler. As testified by his career record of 279 wickets at just 23 runs apiece in all first-class cricket, Ezra might also have been one of the best overseas fast bowlers in county cricket.
The feisty right-arm bowler burst onto the county scene in 1980, taking seven wickets on his Championship debut against Essex at Swansea, with the young Bajan ending the season with 51 victims to his name. He consolidated on this headway in 1981 with a further 52 wickets at just 18 runs apiece, besides claiming a hat-trick against Kent in their Benson and Hedges Cup game. However, Ezra’s finest performance in 1981 came again at Swansea, where he took 6/23 against the Australian tourists, and despite the sluggish pitch, he confirmed his ability to trouble Test class batsmen with his speed and swing through the air.
But just when critics were predicting a bright future for the West Indian, Ezra broke down in 1982 with a stress fracture in his back. It required surgery and a long spell on the sidelines, and with uncertain medical reports over his long-term future, Glamorgan hired Winston Davis, another West Indian quickie, as Ezra`s replacement.
After plenty of rest, Ezra modified his action and run-up, and returned to the UK as a professional in the Lancashire Leagues for Littleborough and Oldham. He also went on the unofficial West Indian tours to South Africa in 1982/83 and 1983/84, besides appearing for Eastern Province in domestic cricket in South Africa, where his skidding pace off a short run made him a hostile bowler. In 1986 Ezra re-appeared in six further matches for Glamorgan following an injury to Pakistan Test batsman Javed Miandad.
In 1989/90 Ezra made his West Indies debut as he appeared in 2 Tests against England on their tour of the Caribbean. He formed a potent pace attack alongside Curtley Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh, with Ezra also breaking the hand of Graham Gooch, the tourist’s captain on his Test debut at Port-of-Spain. Ezra also appeared in 9 One-Day Internationals before retiring from professional cricket at the end of the 1991/92 season after another stint in South Africa with Northern Transvaal. In all, Ezra claimed 114 first-class wickets at a cost of 24 runs in 35 appearances for Glamorgan besides posting four half-centuries including an unbeaten 70 against Kent at Canterbury in 1980.
On hearing of Ezra’s death in a road traffic accident in Barbados, Hugh Morris, Glamorgan Chief Executive said: “Everyone at Glamorgan County Cricket Club is shocked and saddened by the dreadful news of Ezra’s tragic death. He was a fantastic bowler, and had it not been for a serious back injury in his early career, would have challenged the great West Indian fast bowlers of the 1980’s and 1990’s for a regular place in their team. Ezra was a hugely popular member of our dressing room as he was in many other dressing rooms around the cricketing world. He will be sadly missed by all of us and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this most difficult time.”