Devon Malcolm
A raw, fast-bowling force of nature whose sheer pace terrified batting lineups and briefly electrified English cricket in the 1990s.
Born 1963 (age 63)·English cricketer·Birthday: February 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Devon Malcolm arrived on the English cricket scene like a thunderclap. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he brought a Caribbean gift for sheer, unadulterated speed to the sometimes-staid world of English county cricket. His run-up was a gathering storm, and his delivery, while not always the model of textbook control, unleashed some of the fastest balls England had seen in a generation. His career is defined by moments of explosive, match-altering violence. The most famous came in 1994 against South Africa, after being struck by a bouncer; he famously told the opposition, 'You guys are history,' and then took 9 for 57 in a devastating spell. While inconsistency and a late start to his international career limited his Test tally to 40 matches, his presence was an event. He represented a thrilling, if unpredictable, possibility—that on his day, pure pace could dismantle any plan and rewrite any script.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Devon was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Devon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Devon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Took 128 Test wickets for England, with his express pace making him a constant threat.
- Delivered one of the great bowling performances in Test history, taking 9 for 57 against South Africa at The Oval in 1994.
- Played a key role in England's 1992-93 Test series win in India, exploiting variable bounce with his pace.
- Enjoyed a long and successful county career primarily with Derbyshire, taking over 1,000 first-class wickets.
Did You Know?
He only began playing serious cricket after moving to England at the age of 20.
Before his cricket career, he worked as a sheet metal worker in Sheffield.
His batting was notoriously poor; he holds the record for the most Test ducks (23) for a specialist bowler.
He was known for wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses while bowling, which he needed for severe myopia.
“You guys are history.”
