Former West Indies skipper Courtney Walsh expressed his concern about the team's declining standards in the longest format of the game and feels that it is a "mindset issue". The legendary cricketer, who has played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs, also feels that cricketers now don't have the patience to play five days of the game.
The 53-year-old, who is in Chennai to coach emerging cricketers at the Golden Goose Ultimate Sports, told The Hindu, "I don’t think it is a technical issue. I believe there is enough talent in the West Indies. I feel it is a mindset issue. Cricketers are not showing the patience for five days of cricket. Your attention span has to be good.”
Walsh was one of the most-feared pacers of his era and held the record of being the first bowler to reach 500 wickets in Tests. Speaking about the standards of current crop of Caribbean fast bowlers, he said that the last explosive pacer the team produced was Patrick Patterson in the 90s.
Being one of the selectors of the senior West Indies team, he feels that the differences between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board can be sorted out. “It is best to come up with a solution that has something for everyone. We need to get into a happy ground together," he said.
A number of cricketers, including Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy had lashed out at the board recently, questioning about their squad selection for their tri-series against Australia and South Africa.
Also read: Dwayne Bravo calls West Indies squad selection "a joke"
Walsh also added that the pitches have become too flat these days, particularly in T20s, while the boundaries have become shorter. “The bowlers have to come up with something different like change of pace, swing, and other variations.
“But they should not lose control by trying out too many deliveries. They have to bowl more in first-class matches which is not happening,” he said.
On being asked what his opinion was about a lot of cricketers opting for T20 leagues over Tests, he said, “It’s up to the individual. I would not have done that. I would have wanted to excel in all formats.”
He concluded by saying that Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Michael Atherton and Javed Miandad are a few of the best batsmen he has bowled to, adding that he has learnt a lot from his fellow Caribbean fast bowlers Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner.
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