New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) West Indies’players are wearing black armbands during day one of the second and final Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as a mark of respect for Bernard Julien, the former all-rounder who passed away at the age of 75 on October 4.

“West Indies players are wearing black armbands on day one of the second Test against India as a tribute to former player Bernard Julien who passed away last week. All-rounder Julien was a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team,” said Cricket West Indies (CWI) in a statement on Friday.

Julien, a key figure in the West Indies’ rise during the 1970s, played 24 Tests and amassed 866 runs while picking 50 wickets. In 12 ODIs, he made 86 runs and picked 18 scalps. He was a part of the West Indies’ side that won the inaugural Men’s ODI World Cup in 1975. In that competition, Julien picked figures of 4-20 in the group stage game against Sri Lanka before taking 4-27 against New Zealand in the semi-final.

He also scored a quick 26 off 37 balls in the final against Australia as his side lifted the trophy under Clive Lloyd’s leadership at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. His cricketing career came to an end when he joined a rebel West Indies side that toured South Africa during the apartheid era in 1982/83.

Julien also made 179 appearances for the English county side Kent from 1970 to 1977 – taking 336 wickets and scoring 3,296 runs. The West Indies will be hoping to channel in some of the fearlessness Julien showed in his playing days by putting in a fighting show against India in the Test getting underway in New Delhi, where they are 1-0 behind in the two-match series.

–IANS

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