Nanan: WI lack top quality spinners

FORMER West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago spinner Rangy Nanan believes the quality of spinners in the Caribbean at the moment is not that good. Speaking to Newsday, the man who got 256 wickets for Trinidad and Tobago in regional cricket said: ”The spinners of our era were definitely of a higher quality. “When you look back at Lance Gibbs, Inshan Ali and Raphick Jumadeen you saw quality. Now this is sadly lacking in the Caribbean. “If  I were to be playing right now, I would have taken a lot of wickets because spinners of a lesser quality are taking wickets. “Back in our time, we could have taken mountains of wickets, yet it was very difficult to get on a West Indies cricket team. “Now you have guys like Omari Banks who really started off as more of a batsman than a bowler, making the West Indies team with ease. The standard of spin bowling has deteriorated in the Caribbean and we must arrest this decline before it is too late.”

Nanan who once held the regional record for the most wickets before being surpassed by Guyanese Clyde Butts pointed out that there is talent , but attitude seems to be the problem. “I am not saying that we don’t have talented spinners in the Caribbean. I will use our very own Dave Mohammed as an example. “He is a very talented bowler but has fallen off badly. I  think the problem with the spinners now is that they are not working aggressively at their game. “The only way you can gain success is by playing cricket consistently and not making excuses with petty injuries. “You also need to practice a lot and things will fall into place. I remember Jumadeen telling me that I should bowl at one stump when practicing. I took his advice and bowled thousands of deliveries at one stump during practice sessions. This helped me develop as a consistent wicket-taker.” Nanan was unlucky to have played just one Test for West Indies. He played against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1981 and took  four wickets in the match. His victims included Wasim Raja who always got runs against the West Indies and Imran Khan. A spinner getting four wickets in a Test at present will be a fixture on the West Indies team.

Nanan continued: ”The players seem to be waiting for the cricket Board to set up programmes for their development. I waited on  no one, I read books as well as watched videos. “When I observed that spinners were bowling a  different ball that I hadn’t in my armoury, I visited the nets and practiced that delivery over and over until it was perfect.” Nanan also made a call to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) to increase the number of spin bowling sessions at the National Cricket Centre (NCC). “A while ago Deryck Murray arranged a spin bowling clinic and a number of former national and West Indies spinners were called up to tutor. “We were placed in different zones and were told to bring forward the best five spinners for further training at the National Cricket Centre. “We then held some sessions with them and since then they have not been called to the centre to do any work. “I think the Board should have at least had one programme a week for them to continue their education in spin bowling.”