“Whether we win the series, we draw the series or we lose the series, I just want the guys to do well, really, really compete so when they do get back to the Caribbean the selectors will have a tough job of who to select for the next series.” That’s the advice of West Indies legend Sir Curtly Ambrose to an inexperienced crop of West Indies cricketers who are currently in Bangladesh ahead of a five-match series.
Over ten senior players including Test and One Day International (ODI) captains Jason Holder and Kieron Pollard opted out of the tour leaving a huge hole to fill for the young bunch. However, the Antiguan warned against calling the regional side a second-string team. Instead, Ambrose, who only played two ODIs against Bangladesh said, while surprised, he understands why so many cricketers chose not to go on the tour. He added, “We shouldn’t be upset with guys who are concerned about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and their health. We should not be too hard on them. It’s a little bit disappointing that it is so many that are not going but at the same time, everyone has a right to decide if they want to go or not. To add to that, it doesn’t make much sense going to Bangladesh and you are worried every day about your health. It simply means you would not be able to perform to your best.”
While admitting that the Windies are second-favourites in both the three-match ODI series and the two-match Test series, the former West Indies fast-bowler said it could work in the visitors’ favour. Ambrose explained, “They simply will be underdogs and I’ll tell you something, sometimes it’s better that way. When you are underdogs nobody expects you to win so it simply means that my message to the guys who are in Bangladesh is that no one expects you to win so just go out there and play fearless cricket. Don’t worry about anything, play the kind of cricket you know you can play and the results will take care of itself.”
Ambrose, who played 239 first-class matches for the Leeward Islands between 1985 and 2000 also expressed concern that a shortened West Indies Championship season could hamper the regional side’s long home season which will see Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan visiting the Caribbean this year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket West Indies (CWI) is planning to stage two rounds of the four-day competition in Barbados and T&T. “It doesn’t go well for your preparation and we all know the gap between first-class cricket and the international level in the region is a huge gap so preparation is the key and if we’re not prepared enough for the rigours of international cricket we may very well find ourselves falling short of expectation,” Ambrose commented.
His analysis comes as ESPN Cricinfo published a story on January 6 highlighting Ambrose’s application to the England and Wales Cricket Board for the role of elite pace-bowling coach. Ambrose responded to the news by saying, “I’ve always made it known that I’ve learnt a lot during my playing days and I would very much like to give back to cricket whether in Antigua, Leeward Islands the Caribbean, the West Indies or internationally, I’ve always wanted to give back to cricket.”
He says an agent called him two to three weeks ago and encouraged him to apply for the vacant position. He is a level three cricket coach having worked with the Guyana franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), two years with the Combined Campuses and College (CCC) and two years with the senior West Indies team.
Ambrose added, “I’ve still made it known that I’m very passionate about West Indies cricket but nothing has been going on since I was axed from the senior West Indies team in 2016 since we won the T20 World Cup. I haven’t done much since then.”
The West Indies will bowl off the first of three ODIs on Tuesday night against Bangladesh from 11 pm ECT.