BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Legendary former seamer Sir Curtly Ambrose has urged West Indies’ latest fast bowling recruit, Shamar Joseph, to focus on the game’s longer format first to develop his skill set correctly.
In the wake of Joseph’s fireworks in the second Test against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday, Sir Curtly said the 24-year-old needed to establish a “solid foundation” before experimenting with 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 I would love to see him continue playing red-ball cricket for a while to develop his skills. We know sometimes, as a young player, as you gain success, you are wanted in the T20 franchise cricket worldwide.
“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.
“But learn the art first, make sure he’s got a solid foundation, and then he can branch out.”
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 ten 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 painful toe to snatch seven for 68 in 11.5 consecutive hostile overs and send the Aussies tumbling to an eight-run defeat.
Sir Curtly, who managed Joseph at a fast bowling clinic in Guyana two years ago, described the right-armer 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.
“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 six-feet-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 in the mold of Malcolm Marshall, who was quick and skiddy.
“I hope he remains focused and humble, continues to learn his craft, and tries to understand and improve daily. He is the type of person who could become a successful cricketer.
“He is certainly a huge find for West Indies cricket, and as long as he can continue, I think he could be a force to be reckoned with in world cricket.”
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