Andy Roberts talks about flawed coaching methods, the problems with the domestic game in the Caribbean, and mentoring St Lucia Zouks

Subash Jayaraman: You once said that fast bowling takes total commitment to the craft. Do you believe the bowlers coming out of the Caribbean lack that commitment and that's why there haven't been many genuinely quick, fearsome fast bowlers in the last 10-15 years?

Andy Roberts: The majority of the fast bowlers in the Caribbean are afraid of the hard work that's ahead of them. Nothing comes easy in life. Fast bowling is like the marathon. You have to be prepared to put in the hard work. That's what makes someone a top-quality fast bowler.

You need to do a lot of running, because that's what you do on a cricket field - running. You need to strengthen your core, which is a lot of hard work. I think the majority of our fast bowlers spend more time in the gym than they do on the track. When I say track, it is on the field, in the beaches, in the hills, trying to strengthen their legs and their whole core. There is a lot of laziness.

Read the full interview at ESPNcricinfo

Damn! 10-15 years we have not produced a genuine, quick, fearsome fast bowler. smh

Beaton is one of them...

In reply to anthonyp

Beaton? Could he bowl 10 overs on the trot? Or are you saying he's afraid of hard work?

In reply to Larr Pullo

10? Might struggle with 6

One de laziest player in Jaguars squad...

he is right, the cricketers are lazy. When you are lazy you are mentally slow.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Andy BANG on correct... We have a bunch of lazy wanna get rich quick players. If you playing Saturday and Sunday cricket you should bowl Tuesday to Thursday. Lift weights on Monday and stretch on Friday. In addition run 3 miles a day on Tuesday and Wednesday... Do nuff leg & core work...

These jokers we have a lazy

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Is Andy a coach?

In reply to Chally1


I said this years ago.

In any sport, if you want to be the best you have to put in hard work.

Elite athletes readying themselves for competition will put in hours of training. Fast bowlers should be running 3-5 miles most mornings, and bowling 5 days per week, 4 hours per day minimum.

Shiv had the right idea, go in front of the bowling machine and bat for 6 to 8 hours.

In reply to Real-cricket

Andy was one of our most successful fastbowler.

He lived it.

Remember reading Mikey Holding's book and he wrote about flying all night and arriving at the hotel early morning and Lloyd and Waite told everyone to go change into their sweats as they were going for a run.

He told of Waite having them run up and down flights of stairs at one of the cricketing venues. He said it was brutal and they were so mad about it that they took it out on the opposition batsmen.

Our boys are LAZY, complaining thst they are being over trained.

I once heard an Interview with Michael Holding ; and like Andy Roberts , he stressed running .

I will have no problem , if all Bowlers prior to matches demonstrate their fitness .

Batsmen representing the Region , must not only buy Bowling machines ; but must also use them to better their abilities at the crease .

However the brunt of the burden to make our Players very competitive , in the International Cricket Arena .
I don't think that anyone can seriously dispute this fact ; especially when Players on Teams ranked above our Team are playing more matches than our Players in all Formats of the Game .

This problem must be seriously addressed , because the disparity in the number of matches they play & our Players play is great .

My take is that this is why the outcome of matches in the longer versions of the game is seldom in doubt when our Players play against their Counterparts on Teams ranked above our Team .

This is precisely why I take a very dim view of the Windward Islands Tournament Matches being played over 2 days , when it used to be played over 4 days .

Cramming 4 innings into 2 days . This is crass Stupidity ; yet the
Windward Islands Cricket Board persist in this asinine Policy .

The truth is that sooner rather than later , there will not be any players from the Windward Islands representing the Regional Internationally in the longer versions of the game .

I feel sorry for young Emmanuel Stewart & others . Worse yet , it seems that the WICB , condones this
B.S .

In reply to Real-cricket

I sincerely hope that you are not implying that only Coaches know what bowling is about .

FYI Andy Roberts was a highly respected bowler , in the Cricket World , so he knows a hell of a lot about Bowling .

In reply to POINT

He knows so much so why has he not produced at least one bowler in the last 15 years?

Passion, love for the game. Only one WI player of late showed such zeal, unfortunately he ran afoul (pun intended) of the establishment and as such was sent to the pen.

Laziness has afflicted our people, not only cricketers.

Look how big and fat our politicians get once they get political power!

In reply to XDFIX

you seeing things the way I see it too, its not just our cricketers, its the modern lifestyle of caribbean people. We all want the easy life now, no hard work, want everything fast. It's why crime on the rise here, nobody wah work and want all the latest electronic device. Tell me how people with US$400 a month wuk can have US$800 iphone yet them never ha money fo nothing else? That alone tells the mindset of our people.

In reply to Real-cricket

It is quite possible that what he told promising young Bowlers to do they do not want to do what he proposed .

If you followed the History of Cricket when there was only one format of the game you would readily understand that prior to England limiting the number of Overseas Players playing Cricket in England ; most of our Players played County Cricket .

This is what built up the Mental & Physical Stamina of all Players in all aspects of the game . The fact is that in that Era , when our Players toured England , they played many before & between the Test Matches , and more than half the English Counties .

I guess it is lost on you & others who think like you , that in that Era :

ALL OUR PACE BOWLERS HAD THE ABILITY

TO BOWL UNCHANGED FOR OVER AN HOUR .

NONE OF OUR CURRENT BOWLERS HAVE THE

STAMINA & ABILITY TO DUPLICATE THAT

FEAT .

You need to reflect on that before
writing nonsense here .

In reply to XDFIX

bingo, its the people my freiend

In reply to POINT

all past wi bowler spoke about training on the beach , Charlie Griff talk about it

Michael Phelps

In reply to tc1

That is true , I have seen pictures
of Viv Richards training on the beach .

The point I am making is that in the Golden Eras of West Indies Cricket our Players were very , very fit and
fully competitive ; in all aspects of the game .

As I have continuously stated in this Forum , the truth is that our current Players are playing less Cricket in all versions of the game than their counterparts on Teams ranked above our Team .

In the shortest format of the game ,
most of the deficiencies of our Players are not exposed . However in the longer versions of the game , they are cruelly exposed .

It is in my opinion the Duty of those in the governance of Cricket in the Region to do what needs to be done to make our Players fully competitive Regionally & Internationally .

I believe that Players must train &
hard in all facets of the game . Currently the Standard of Cricket at the Regional & International Levels
because there is absolutely no doubt that the standard of Cricket in the Region is also not only PISS POOR ; but below the level of Teams ranked above our Team .

WE MUST STRIVE FOR CONSISTENCY , it
makes no sense , winning one freaking match and then jump up &
down as If we won the Series . Winning a match here & there , and not a Series is a hollow Victory .

In reply to Acid

I definitely agree with the comments made . In Tennis , very early in their Professional Careers ,the Williams Sisters had Mentors , who helped them .

So having some Senior Players rooming with Rookies should be encouraged .

In reply to tc1

In reply to Real-cricketHe and his wife had to produce a fast bowling son for WI? Which former fast bowler produced Roberts? He was a "product" of his own hard work! It is really silly to hear people who at their best could not reach that level criticize those who reached that level and sustained production successfully at that level.

Other views say the average Joe knows that all types of athletes have daily running in their regimen. Serena says she does more running with footballer friends and stretching and dance exercises and very little gym compared to most because stamina for long periods is key. You can bulk up in a gym and still not be able to run for 5 minutes and weight training for track, cricket, tennis, soccer is not about body building but muscle health toning and flexibility.

Fazeer noted how Gabriel is very bulky from gym work but not very athletic and slow as a fielder and compared him to the flexible likes of Ambie, Walsh etc who broke down less and

In reply to Acid

Under the anti match fixing laws of the ICC it is now forbidden to have players rooming together. If the WI could have done it and saved a dollar doing it, it would have been done....

Ah wonder if Starc and Johnson dem does train on de beach?

Is not like dem nuh have sand in Australia

In reply to imusic

What Andy is saying, bowlers need to do more road or track work, than gym.
We are hearing it said about Tiger Woods, his gym work got him so bulky, that he cannot find his swing.

In reply to openning

In reply to imusic


I agreed, maybe other factors may be the root cause for lack of excellence.

Russell, the soldier boy and Tino are fit players, but the performances are sub-par.

In reply to POINT

I asked two questions

1) IS HE A COACH?
2)WHY HASNT HE PRODUCED AT LEAST ONE GREAT FAST BOWLER

THAT IS NONSENSE?

WHY ARE YOU SO DEFENSIVE OVER THIS ISSUE

In reply to Scar

In reply to Real-cricket
Are any of the former fast bowlers hired as a bowling coach?
Should he pass on his knowledge for free?

In reply to openning

back to my question. Is he a coach? Noone answering a simple question

In reply to Real-cricket
He worked with Stanford and is on the Zouck's bench.

What is a coach? A piece if paper? Or is it some one with knowledge and prior experience of how to do things who passes it along to the next generation. Aborigines pass on hunting skills by coaching their kids, carpenters do the same etc, parents who have prior scholastic experiences coach their kids in homework etc those who dont hire outside help. What is a coach of not some one who passes on information on how to best approach paths to success.
However the question should be is the pupil wiling to do the study time and hours needed to be as near perfect as possible.

Serena has a so calked coach but at this stage does she really need one to know how to win? What can he teach her or what did Lendl teach Murray that he didnt already know?

Yeah Roberts knows nothing about coaching he may not have papers. He has never helped before so he knows nothing about the effort players put in. Mock him you great past WI players posting on this MB.

All top sports personnel and trainers will tell you gum work only will never substitute for actual mobility training that simulates the sport you are competing in. Go train in a gym only and watch guys who run all day playing soccer run rings around you and make u suck wind.
Per Michael Clark after surgery nothing preps you more for the cricket than running and getting out in the field. Per Walsh - I run a few miles to train during and off season and even today in retirement. Yep Andy is wrong because he never coached, lacks knowledge, and we must never blame players for laziness. Those same players will run to kingdom come while training with a Pommie County though, without griping.

In reply to Scar

WE need to ignore these brainwashed People who populate this Forum . It is ludicrous that any Player who has
played at the highest level of the game , and was Successful , is
ignorant what it takes to be successful .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
I think the West Indies fast bowlers of current days are too small. For some reason the West Indies seems not to be able to produce big, strong fast bowlers as they did in the past. I don't know if it's the food or it's just that big strong guys are no longer interested in cricket, but we are only able to produce one or two guys who are able to do long spells of fast bowling without breaking down.
When you are a small fast bowler, you are required to put out too much to be really fast and effective. Therefore these little guys tend to get injured very frequently.
The solution is for the West Indies to go on a recruitment drive. Visit high schools and colleges to find the big, strong kids who have potential and offer them incentives to get into cricket. That's the only way.

In reply to rhatid

you are one of the few that's making sense on this thread. During the world cup in the West Indies I was amazed atn how small our cricketers were as compared to the aussies and New Zealanders.

In reply to Scar

It makes no sense sitting on the outside with ALL the knowledge and then lambaste the younger generation. You are telling me that West Indian youths are lazy compared to all test playing nations in the world? Why are Australia and New Zealand producing fast bowlers at will? They are running more than us? Laziness is a very small part of the reason why we are so poor. So if you think running and sleeping in the same room will fix our cricket then something wrong with your head.