'Get Some Muscles on Those Bones'
Thu, Jul 31, '03
Young West Indies fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor should sit out this year's Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs tournament and concentrate on "putting some muscles on those bones."
That's the advice from WICB-certified fast bowling coach Kenny Benjamin who believes it is not in the long-term interest of the West Indies team for the two hotshot fast bowling prospects to interrupt their strength and conditioning program to play in a limited overs tournament.
"If it was up to me, I'd keep them both out of Red Stripe Bowl. I'm looking at the big picture. Taylor and Edwards are not trying to make the West Indies team anymore. They're certainties for the tour of Zimbabwe. Why interrupt their conditioning to play in a one-day tournament? We don't need one-day bowlers. We need to develop bowlers for Test cricket," Benjamin said in an exclusive interview with CaribbeanCricket.com.
The former Antigua and West Indies fast bowler called on the authorities in Jamaica (Taylor) and Barbados (Edwards) to select their teams "with the interest of West Indies cricket first and foremost."
"The selectors (in those countries) should concentrate on providing quality players for West Indies to win. It should be West Indies first, then territory. That's how the entire region should be thinking. You can't sacrifice the future of our fast bowling to win the Red Stripe Bowl," Benjamin argued.
Benjamin, who took 92 wickets in 26 Tests for the Caribbean side between 1992 and 1998, described Taylor and Edwards as "exciting youngsters" who need to get stronger to cope with the demands of Test cricket.
"They have to concentrate on putting some muscles on those bones. They're two fine bowlers but, you can see they're just boys. We need to turn them into men. Get them in the gym to hit the weights. They have to get strong or they'll break down," he added.
As a WICB coach, Benjamin worked with both Taylor and Edwards at a recent fast bowling camp in Antigua and he said a decision was taken then not to meddle with the slinging action of Edwards. "That is Fidel's style. He bowls fast with it and is very accurate. It's too late to be tinkering and changing anything. But, he needs to get stronger to compensate for the areas of his body that will be carrying an extra load."
He said that if the two youngsters are picked to play in the Red Stripe Bowl, which begins in the first week of October, it would mean they would have to stop the rigid training program to go practice with their regional teams. "What is more important? A Red Stripe Bowl competition or them getting strong? They are automatic picks for the senior team at this point so there is no need to be looking at them."
"I don't think Fidel is going to be a real specialist ODI bowler anyway. I'd want him to be my Test strike bowler. Yes, maybe later he can develop as an ODI bowler but that's not the priority right now. The priority is to get bowlers who can hit 90 miles per hour for sustained periods," Benjamin added.
"We have the bowlers with the potential to do that but they're very, very weak. We have to get them strong. When they start to tour with the West Indies team, they won't have time to train. That's why this time between tours is important."
Benjamin, who is being whispered as a candidate for the assistant coach's job, said West Indies captain Brian Lara will be leaning heavily on the two youngsters on the gruelling tour of South Africa where Taylor and Edwards would be called upon to bowl 35 overs each in an innings in hot, brutal conditions.
"The captain won't want them to be cutting down on pace because they are weak. He won't want them bowling at 80 miles per hour to save on energy. He will want to use them in short spells at 90 miles per hour. Then, they'll get a break and come back to do the same thing. But, they won't do that without some muscles and strict conditioning," Benjamin said firmly.
The outspoken Antiguan said it was the responsibility of the WICB to ensure the fast bowlers were properly prepared for the rigours of Test cricket. And, he said the talent pool should be widened to ensure youngsters aren't discarded without an extended run in the senior team.
"I would have liked to see Darren Powell get another opportunity. I have worked with him and I can tell you he can develop into a real good one. He comes at you aggressively. It's a bit unfair that they (the selectors) called him back for the ODI against Sri Lanka but didn't give him a look in the Tests...When we have bowlers like him around, we need to work with them, encourage them," Benjamin said matter-of-factly.
Benjamin also pleaded with the selectors to keep the name of Tino Best in the back of their heads. "Tino was at the (fast bowling) camp and I liked him too. He is very strong and runs in aggressively. He has to stick around and work on his weaknesses but we can't discard him after one Test on an unhelpful wicket...If we are calling Fidel a success on a helpful track, how do you justify saying Best was a failure on that Barbados track? Makes no sense."
The 36-year-old Benjamin said the chatter about Best's "mixed action" was not something to worry about. "That's just his bowling style. If he can consistently get the ball in the right area at that pace, I don't care if he's bowling with his back in the sky. It's all about results. You want a guy who's effective and who can get the job done.
Instead of worrying about Best's bowling action, Benjamin recommended that a special fitness program be implemented to strengthen the area in his body that takes the extra strain.