Jimmy Adams was Nottinghamshire’s overseas player for the 1994 season.
He was engaged as a single season replacement for Chris Cairns; the New Zealander was Notts’ overseas professional for much of the early 1990s but was unavailable in 1994 as his country were touring England.
Born on 9 January 1968 in Port Maria, Jamaica, James Clive Adams was a left handed batsman, slow left arm bowler and occasional wicket keeper. He first appeared for Jamaica as a teenager in the 1984/85 season in a Shell Shield fixture against Barbados. Adams made his Test debut for West Indies against South Africa at Bridgetown, Barbados, in April 1992 and at the end of that year appeared in his first One Day International during the West Indies tour of Australia.
By the time he joined Nottinghamshire, Jimmy Adams had played nine Tests and 28 ODIs for West Indies. Much was expected of him, especially as he had just enjoyed a successful Test series against England in the Caribbean, when he averaged 62 across the five Tests.
He made an immediate impact with Notts – joining a small group of players who have hit a century on their debut for the County – when he scored 117 not out against Oxford University in The Parks. He scored his maiden hundred in the County Championship with 121 against Sussex at Trent Bridge in May.
His form dipped a little in June but in July he hit his highest score for Notts. His 144 not out was in the match against Somerset at Taunton and with Kevin Evans he recorded a new record 9th wicket partnership for Nottinghamshire when the pair added 170 together.
In First-Class cricket, Adams totalled 950 runs in the season and helped Notts to a third place finish in the Championship table. His bowling was also regularly called upon by captain Tim Robinson and he sent down more than 300 overs in Championship cricket, claiming 23 wickets with his left arm spin.
Jimmy Adams put in some impressive performances for Nottinghamshire in Sunday League cricket. He averaged over 60 with the bat in the competition, with a top score of 93 not out against Surrey. He bowled frequently in limited-overs matches and kept wicket on a couple of occasions. In summing up his single summer with Nottinghamshire, the County’s Yearbook concluded that he had made ‘a very worthwhile contribution to the side.’
Adams continued his International career with West Indies and ultimately played in 54 Tests and 127 One Day Internationals. He was appointed Captain of the West Indies in 2000, leading the side on the tour of England that summer and on the trip to Australia during the following winter. His tenure in the role coincided with a decline in the strength of the team and Adams played his last Test and ODI matches for West Indies on that Australian tour.
After playing, Adams managed the West Indies Under 19 team for a time and had a period as technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme. He returned to County Cricket to coach Kent between 2012 and 2016 but his season with Nottinghamshire in 1994 was the only time he played on the County circuit.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 525