Ambrose, Richie ask for patience

ST JOHN’S: Antiguan ex-West Indies players Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose have called for patience from fans while they await the resurgence of the West Indies Test team.

Richardson, a former West Indies captain, and Ambrose, regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers ever from the Caribbean, both agreed it will take time for returns in the investment in current young players. “Give it time,” said Ambrose, as both former stars appeared as special guests on CMC’s DHL CricketPlus lunch-time show yesterday. Richardson, who captained the West Indies from 1992 to 1996, said he is encouraged by the promise he sees in the current batting line-up although there is still a long way to go. “I still think we’ve got a lot of work to do, we’ve got to hang in there and support the guys, invest in them and stick with them,” Richardson said. The West Indies ruled world cricket from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s and went 15 years between 1980 and 1995 without losing a Test series. Richardson and Ambrose both featured in the later stages of those dominant years. The West Indies had their unbeaten streak snapped by Australia in 1995 in the Caribbean and since then they have plummeted in the world ratings.

Australia are now undisputed world number one and the West Indies are now seventh-ranked in both Test and One-day International lists, with only Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh below them on the Test list. In the abbreviated game for which the Windies were world champions in 1975 and 1979, England, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh are the only teams beneath the Caribbean side. The 39-year-old Ambrose gave positive views on the current West Indies batting, which he says is coming on “leaps and bounds” and he guarded fans against making comparisons with the all-conquering teams of the past. “Too many times we compare this present crop with the former greats, and that’s unfair,” he said. Ambrose, who took 405 wickets in 98 Test appearances at a superb average of 20.99, expressed worry about the bowling attack, but offered some consolation since they face generally unhelpful conditions in the Caribbean. “The pitches are so slow, it’s difficult for fast-bowling, so we don’t expect to see guys blasting guys out nowadays. “I think with our young fast bowlers now, I think we need (to see them) exercise a little more patience, try to put the ball in one area consistently enough, and if you can do that, you will get wickets,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose, who retired after the 2000 summer tour of England, is currently employed by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Sport where he is “National Fast Bowling Coach.” He enjoys coaching in schools and hopes to discover talent for international cricket. “Because of who I am, it makes my job very easy, I scout around and try to find some talented fast bowlers and work with them. Hopefully in a few years I could produce fast bowlers for the West Indies team,” he said. Richardson, who scored 5,949 runs in 86 Test matches, praised the batting improvement. “It’s nice to see the youngsters in particular are getting some runs, and they are really putting their efforts together and doing really well. We’ve got to try and support the team as much possible, the thing is we always expect instant results, it’s not going to happen, we’ve got to be patient,” Richardson said.