Matty01
14 Nov 2003, 11:55
Something went wrong along the way. Why can't the Windies breed good fast bowlers anymore?
'cos they now days chase fame and fortune in basketball and soccer.
The politics and fragmented structure of cricket in the Caribbean doesn't help (no centralised junior program), plus they are raised on ESPN (hence the rise in popularity of basketball and soccer)
ViperV10
14 Nov 2003, 12:04
They will have some coming through the ranks, maybe the fans over there have been more excited about following in the footsteps of Lara and have forgotten about the recent fast bowling legends like Walsh and Ambrose. Who knows.
Ask SpecialBruce if you want to know about the windies though.
If Jermaine Lawson fixes up his action, he could be anything. He's the sort of bowler they can build an attack around.
SpecialBruce
14 Nov 2003, 21:52
Originally posted by Stevo
If Jermaine Lawson fixes up his action, he could be anything. He's the sort of bowler they can build an attack around.
I find nothing wrong with his action.
Originally posted by Matty01
Something went wrong along the way. Why can't the Windies breed good fast bowlers anymore?
On the Windies fast bowlers. It's clear that we've been lacking fast bowlers since Walsh and Ambrose retired. However, we have some up and coming young fast bowlers. To name a few.
Tino Best - Made his test debut against Australia. 0/99 were his figures. He is currently 22 years of age. As only playing the one test, hard to tell.
David Bernard - 22 years of age. Made his test debut against Australia earlier in the year as you know. Has only played the 1 game. Hasn't shown anything worthwhile. 0/61 off 11 were his best figures, however he was coming up against the best batting attack in the world.
Jermaine Lawson - Extremely fast bowler. Was firing 150 kp/h deliveries in his debut match. 21 years of age.
The really young blokes.
Jerome Taylor - Could turn out to be anything. Has only played 3 test matches and has only got 3 wickets, however he displayed good figures against Zimbabwe A - Okay, so that isn't that good of opposition, but he was getting excellent reverse swing. Give him another year and he'll be a good player. He's only 19 years old. He was 18 years old, with a solitary one-day match for Jamaica under his belt, when he was called into the West Indies squad for the final match of the series against Sri Lanka in June 2003. He was named as the most promising fast bowler in the 2003 Carib Beer Series, after picking up 21 wickets at 20.14 in six first-class matches. That haul included a second-innings spell of 8 for 59 in Jamaica’s five-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago, a match in which he took ten wickets for the first time.
Ravindranath Rampaul (Commonly called Ravi Rampaul) - The youngest of the lot. Hasn't made his debut yet, but was selected on the Zimbabwe tour. We might see him make his debut in the ODI's over the next few weeks. He has only played 10 first class games however has 24 wickets and best bowling figures of 5/53. He is 19 aswell, a few months younger than Taylor.
I've saved the best to last. The next guy is the guy I rate as potential. He's going to be a gun. I'm willing to make this assessment now. He's the next Courtney Walsh.
Fidel Edwards
After 2 matches, he has 12 wickets. Has another 2 wickets earlier in his third match thus far.
He has got 2 five wicket hauls already. His best bowling figures are 5/36 and believe it or not, got it in his debut match against Sri Lanka.
Has yet to make a one day international apperance.
21 years of age.
Here's the Wisden Overview of him.
Fidel Edwards, a fiery fast bowler in the Waqar Younis mould, was a surprise inclusion for West Indies's second Test against Sri Lanka in June 2003, and immediately justified his presence with five wickets in his maiden innings. Born in Barbados and the younger half-brother of another Test paceman in Pedro Collins, Edwards had played only one first-class match before his call-up, against the Windward Islands in 2002-03, but has built himself a good reputation with deceptively fast inswinging yorkers from a slinging round-arm action. He took the most wickets in the Barbados trials for the 2002 season, when he regularly got the better of former Test opener Sherwin Campbell. Later he impressed Brian Lara in the nets, which seems to have led to his early summons to the Test squad. Slimly built and only 5ft 8ins tall, Edwards plays for the YMPC club in Barbados, and was among the batch of young hopefuls who graduated from the Shell Cricket Academy in Grenada in 2002.
Everyone was shocked when he was selected in that test.
To quote Viv Richards
"I was very very impressed when I first saw him at the Academy in Grenada, and there are a few people who did say a few things about him. There are a few scouts around who did say their little bits about that individual. This is what selection is all about if we are looking to rebuild and maybe to move forward in future."
"That, I think gives you the sort of inspiration for us to do what we are doing at present. This is what it is all about. We had made some enquiries about him this season, not having played for Barbados with his injury or whatever. Certainly, I saw him as being a product that we could work with in the future."
Richards added that he appreciated Edwards's attacking approach and round-arm action.
"It is an unusual action, and I felt that we need people like him at this stage if we are looking to improve further in the future. We felt that he does attack the crease with pace."
Watch out for him.
With all that said, these blokes are fighting for places in the team. We have Dillon, Drakes and Collymore as more experienced bowlers. So that leaves a place for one more bowler.
In future series, I'd like these players to be part of the 15/16 man squad.
Dillon, Collymore, Drakes, Edwards, Rampaul and Taylor. The same as we have touring Zimbabwe at the moment. I can see Edwards being the only definate young bowler out of Rampaul, Taylor, Lawson, Bernard and Best in the near future to be guaranteed a place in our squad.
Personally, I'd like to see Edwards, Collymore, Drakes and Dillon in the starting 11. Edwards and Dillon both opening the bowling or Edwards and Collymore. Then have players like Taylor, Rampaul, Lawson, Best and Bernard as backups. If we are to be a powerhouse in the next few years, we need to develop these fast bowlers whilst having 3 experienced pace bowlers in the side.
If I could choose our test side, these are the players I would choose.
Chris Gayle
Wavell Hinds
Daren Ganga
Brian Lara
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ridley Jacobs
Vasbert Drakes
Mervyn Dillon
Fidel Edwards
Corey Collymore
12th Man - Jerome Taylor.
I'd have Jerome Taylor first in the team if any of the 4 fast bowlers were injured or were out of form.
Originally posted by SpecialBruce
I find nothing wrong with his action.
He was reported for a dodgey action following his seven wickets against the Aussies. Double standards?
However, the West Indies Cricket Board hired a biomechanics specialist to analyse Lawson's action, and he concluded that work would need to be done to satisfy the laws of the game.
I don't think there's too much wrong with it either, at least, it's really not much different from Lee and Akhtar.
My WI Test side:
Gayle
Ganga
Lara
Sarwan
Chanderpaul
Banks
Jacobs
Drakes
Dillon
Edwards
Lawson
I was quite impressed by Banks' efforts against Australia. I think he'll become a genuine all rounder.
Jim Boy
30 Nov 2003, 06:29
Originally posted by SpecialBruce
I've saved the best to last. The next guy is the guy I rate as potential. He's going to be a gun. I'm willing to make this assessment now. He's the next Courtney Walsh.
Fidel Edwards
You were certainly on the money there. Just taken 6 for 22 on debut and a wicket on his first ball in international cricket. Outstanding. http://www-uk.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/NOV/015528_ZIMWI2003-04_29NOV2003.html
SpecialBruce
30 Nov 2003, 11:23
Originally posted by Jim Boy
You were certainly on the money there. Just taken 6 for 22 on debut and a wicket on his first ball in international cricket. Outstanding. http://www-uk.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/NOV/015528_ZIMWI2003-04_29NOV2003.html
Yep, was watching live commentary. Had figures of 5 for 6 at one stage during his 4th over, which was around the 7th of the match. Was on a hat-trick too in his second over. Pity he didn't get it.
It's no coincidence that our bowling attack does something when he's in the team. Got injured in the last test match and missed the first 3 ODI's. Those 3 matches, our bowling attack wasn't getting wickets. Fidel Edwards comes into the squad and look what happens.
Thunderstruck
3 Dec 2003, 13:11
Hell thats scarey! Good to see something coming out of the windies again...thank god he aint 6ft6 :eek:
What about Samuels for that team perhaps?