Sir Curtly urges Joseph to focus on red-ball first
LEGENDARY FORMER seamer Sir Curtly Ambrose has urged West Indies’ latest fast-bowling recruit, Shamar Joseph, to focus on the longer format of the game first in order to properly develop his skill set.
Speaking in the wake of Joseph’s fireworks in the second Test against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday, Sir Curtly said it was critical that the 24-year-old establish a “solid foundation” before experimenting in the shorter versions.
“I believe that he loves cricket in general, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Test, ODI, or T20 cricket. I believe he is just passionate about cricket,” Sir Curtly told the Daily Star in Dhaka.
“But for me, I would love to see him continue playing red-ball cricket for a while so that he can develop his skills. Because we know sometimes as a young player, as you gain success, you are wanted in the T20 franchise cricket around the world.
“I would like to see Shamar Joseph play a lot of red-ball cricket. He has just started his career, so he needs to learn and understand what it takes to become a world-class fast bowler and then you can always branch out to ODIs or T20 cricket.”
Joseph arrived in Australia as one of seven uncapped players in an inexperienced West Indies squad but quickly made an impact with a five-wicket haul on debut in Adelaide as the tourists went down by 10 wickets in the opening Test.
And West Indies appeared headed for another defeat on Sunday, the penultimate day of the final Test at the Gabba, with Australia cruising to 113 for two inside the first hour in pursuit of 216 for victory.
However, Joseph’s introduction turned the game on its head, the speedster defying a painful toe to snatch seven for 68 in 11.5 consecutive hostile overs and send the Aussies tumbling to an eightrun defeat.
Sir Curtly, who managed Joseph at a fast-bowling clinic in Guyana two years ago, described the rightarmer as a “huge find” and said he had the potential to be very successful in the global game.
“The thing with Shamar, he is not the tallest fast bowler,” said Sir Curtly, who has ventured into coaching and television punditry since taking 405 wickets in 98 Tests during a stellar career.
“You know, when you talk about West Indian fast bowlers, most tend to think of great fast bowlers who were [six feet, 10 inches] or 6-8, like myself, Courtney Walsh, and Joel Garner, who were well over six feet.
“But Shamar Joseph is not a sixfeet-tall guy. He is a bit of a skidder as he’s got raw pace and bowls at a pace of 140 [kph]-plus consistently, which is high pace. He is a skiddy customer more in the mould of Malcolm Marshall, who was quick and skiddy.”