ODIs
Mat Runs HS BatAvg 100 50 W BB BowAvg 5W Ct St Overall 205 321 30 6.97 0 0 227 5/1 30.47 1 27 0
Test Matches
Mat Run HS BatAvg 100 50 W BB BowAvg 5W Ct St Overall 132 936 30* 7.54 0 0 519 7/37 24.44 22 29 0

As many other cricketers Walsh started his career as a school cricketer. It was 1979 that he became known at the school level for his excellent figures 10 for 43. He made his first class debut for Jamaica in 1982. Walsh made his debut as a promising young man at a time when there were the all time great Holding, Roberts, Garner and Marshall. He toured with them in England in 1982 and got associated with the English league in 1983. He got an opportunity to play for Gloucestershire and made his debut for the same in 1984. It was again in 1984 he made his international debut for West Indies in the first against Australia in Perth. With the great Marshall, Garner and Holding in the side, Walsh was only a secondary bowler.

Walsh, though, got into the very first Test at Perth following his 3-54 & 5-60 against Western Australia. He didn't in the first innings as Marshall 2-35, Garner 2-24 and Holding 6-21 cleaned of the Australian line up. But in the second he took 2-43 in 20 overs, his first victim being Graeme Wood and the second Graeme Yallop. A long journey had started for Courtney Walsh. It was as early as 1987 that he was named Wisden's five cricketers of the year for 1986. In December 1986 he made his career best performances in ODI as he took 5 wickets giving just 1 run against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy. Then he continued as an average One Day bowler and an excellent test bowler for his team.

It was only in 1994 that he captained his team when it toured India and New Zealand. It was in that tour of New Zealand, that he made his career best figure in test matches, 7/37 in the 2nd test. West Indies eventually went on to win the 2 match series 1-0. In 1998 he became the leading wicket taker for West Indies, when he surpassed Malcom Marshall's 436 mark and in 2000 he broke the Kapil Dev's world record of 434 for most wickets in tests, during second test against Zimbabwe. When he retired from international cricket he had 519 test wickets to his credit and it still it remains the world record for the most number of wickets in test cricket history.