Courtney Browne Unplugged

If after a conversation with Courtney Browne, you walk away not understanding that in the Barbados team, 'the team comes first', then you could not have been paying close attention. That theme dominated the conversation I had with Browne, on the day that West Indies rolled over and died on day three of the Kensington test match against England.

It's a simple formula, says Browne, about the secret to the winning ways of the Barbados team: adequate preparation, clearly defined roles for all and, most importantly, putting team goals above individual goals.

Browne, who started playing for Barbados at the age of 20, has had two stints as Captain and has been successful in both. His skills must therefore play an important role in leading the team to the many victories they have enjoyed, especially in recent times.

Barbados blew away the competition in this year's Carib Beer tournament. They went on to trounce Jamaica in the finals of the International Challenge Shield. His statement during the post-match interview with Ian Bishop should be patented. "We don't play draw cricket" resounded through the microphone for all who were at the St Lucy ground, and all those watching on television, to hear.

Courtney Browne spoke about the way Barbados played their cricket in that match, about his early years playing for his country, his short-lived stint in West Indies colours and how he sees his role in the development of West Indies cricket.

MM: Courtney, you've played for Barbados now for many years. Take us through how you have seen Barbados cricket develop in the time you have been involved.

I started playing for Barbados in 1991. Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Malcolm Marshall were still playing. That was one of my best years because I was looking at a number of icons in the team. Desmond as captain did a tremendous job. Things that he and some of the other greats have taught me over the years have never left me.

One of the things that Desmond Haynes spoke about was bringing on the young cricketers, and it's something that he did with us in terms of trying to pass on all his knowledge. My role today is to pass on knowledge to the young cricketers in the Barbados team and by extension the West Indies team. Carlisle Best was instrumental to my development. These were the guys who really grounded me. Back then I could see why those guys did so well at international level because it was about the TEAM, and not about an individual.

When you look at West Indies cricket now, we are lacking in experience and for lack of a better word, 'cricket commonsense' - knowing situations and seeing things before they come. I thought that those guys had that down pat. When I see what's happening now in our regional tournament, we have so many young players, most of the teams are made up of young players and that's where we're falling down. One of the things we did as a people in the Caribbean is that we tried to get rid of the old players, and in turn we never had anyone to really help in the transition of the young players.

We now have players who have played a few test matches and all of a sudden they go back to their territories and they're the senior guys. I remember in my second first class game I played against Sir Vivian Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson. At the end of the day, it's very difficult for me as a cricketer to see a lot of the players in the West Indies as senior guys. They are still fairly young and they still need grooming and we don't have the senior players around anymore to groom them.

Have you taken on that role for Barbados?

Yes, I have and that's one of the reasons that Sherwin Campbell and Floyd Reifer are still playing. We're trying to mould the youngsters in our team so that when we're finished, then they in turn can teach the young players coming up. That's how Barbados cricket is going to keep growing, remain competitive and, in turn, help West Indies cricket.

My role as a cricketer now is not about me, but about helping my team and about helping young cricketers.

The team has enjoyed phenomenal success. You just touched on some aspects of why, but is there anything else would you attribute that to?

Discipline. About five years ago, those involved with Barbados cricket decided to improve our cricket discipline. The understanding of what it means to bat, bowl or field for a whole day, and understanding what it means to play for Barbados.

Nowadays when a youngster comes into the team he understands what is expected of him and he falls into line. It's a matter of making sure our cricket keeps going in that direction.

Describe the preparation that takes place in the months prior to the four-day regional tournament.

Over the last two years we implemented some four-day cricket and we now have the Arawak Cement tournament for which the country is split into North, South, East and West, and it seems that we're going in the right direction. I remember the days when we would pick 22 guys for national trials and they would just turn up and a guy would bat to make runs or bowl to get wickets. They are playing real matches now, for money, so the teams are playing the to win.

After that we go to the Barbados Defence Force to do physical training and then we do some technical stuff. We also have lectures. We have a psychologist, nutritionist and people like Sir Everton Weekes, Seymour Nurse, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge in to talk about cricket; that has been well received by the cricketers.

Reflect on your stint so far as the leader of this team. What in particular have you enjoyed?

I was captain first in 1995 as well as one game in 1996, and I took over again in 2003. I do enjoy captaining because I get a chance to do the things that I want to do. I have a very good manager and coach. Tony Howard is more like a father figure to me and a lot of the players. He allows me to do the things I want to do as captain. He looks to support me and not really try to dictate how the cricket should go. Same thing goes with our coach Hendy Springer, who sticks to the technical side of things.

As a management team, we have a very good relationship and at the end of the day we all stick to our roles. Tony is very much a 'behind the scenes' guy but he gets everything done. Whatever problem I have, I talk to him and he could always sort it out. He's a little different because I've been with a lot of managers over the years, both in West Indies cricket and Barbados cricket, and I find Tony Howard to be different. He is not there for the glamour of it, he is just there to help cricketers and it's not only about cricket, it's your life he is interested in.

No job of leadership is a bed of roses. What are some of the things you find difficult as captain?

It is always difficult for a leader to get all the players on the same page or wavelength. However, because of that discipline we already had in our team when I took over, it was not that difficult. Players understood that it was team - that was one of the things that Philo Wallace as captain instilled. We had a motto about 'what the team requires', and a lot of players had already bought into that so when I took over. It was tactics and so on that made the difference, and these were already set up over a number of years, so it was just running with it and putting in my ideas.

As Captain, what strategies do you use to get the respect of players?

First I like to understand a player. There were so many players that people had difficulties with and I never had this problem, because they knew what I stand for and I knew what they stood for. I would always respect them and in turn they respect me. One of the things I always do is try to respect them first and let them understand what the team requires. I always believe in team. I don't believe in selfishness.

There is always 'what the team requires'. It is something that must happen in cricket, and sport in general, for a team to be successful. So if it means that you are on 80 and you need to push on and get out for your team, you do that. If it means that you've got to sacrifice your hand for another batsman, you must do that and that is the principle we stand for. Once you remember that the TEAM comes first, I find that everybody fits in.

The team seems to be a cohesive unit. What is it about your personality that might play a role in that?

My personality is a very jovial one. I like to enjoy life in general. I like to find out what makes a guy tick. I can sit down with a peasant or I can sit down with a king and that is the sort of attitude I take towards my players. So it is fairly easy for a player to come and speak to me. It doesn't have to be about cricket, and that is what we do. If I have to say something to a player today it doesn't mean that I am going to see him tomorrow and not speak to him. I'm not like that.

When you were all out for 142 after day one of the Carib International Challenge finals, what did you say to the guys?

I said, "you know, we didn't turn up today, we could have stayed home. It didn't make any sense for us to come to cricket because we didn't play any cricket today". But at the end of the day, there were three days left. One of the things I was saying to the guys is that there is so much time left in this match that it could still go either way.

You came back and won. How did that make you feel?

It was my best cricketing moment because everything worked to plan. We always wanted to limit them to as little as possible. They were 135/2; we had to get the last eight wickets for as little as possible and we got them for 253. We had to bat in the second innings. I always knew that the senior guys would make runs. I knew that we had to be the cornerstone of it all and that's what happened for us. After the second day the guys said to me "go home and think of a plan, captain".

On my way home, I said to myself, well, there is only really one plan; it's not rocket science. It's just a matter of Reifer, Ian Bradshaw and myself making the runs because we were the last three recognized batsmen. On the third morning everyone was looking at me, looking to see what I would come with. I said, "Fellows, it's not difficult. We have to make all the runs. Floyd Reifer has to bat all day, I have to make some runs, Ian Bradshaw has to make some runs and the other guys have to make sure they bat as long as possible" and that is what happened.

We always remained positive. From the first day Reifer was saying, "we're not going to lose this game". Sherwin Campbell and Ian Bradshaw said the same thing so as long as I had those guys backing me, I never felt that I was going to go wrong.

We always believe we can win a game. When I went out to bat we had a few runs on, I think we had 50 or so, and Chris Gayle said out loud "don't worry boys, whatever happens we're not going to lose this game". I thought it was a very negative statement and it clicked "these guys are not as confident as you think. You're still in with a shot; it just means we've got to bat through". When we got to a 100 run lead I felt very confident of winning.

Some people believe that the West Indies could use some of the fight and determination that you and your Barbadian team mates generally show. What's the secret?

The West Indian team is obviously lacking in confidence and it's a matter of each and every player knowing what he has to do and committing himself to doing it. Our batsmen have to understand not how to make runs, but the reason for making runs, the commitment they must have to the team and a guy must walk out to bat knowing he has the confidence of the team to bat.

With the way they get out our batsmen are not putting it together and showing commitment as a team. We have to think more 'team' and not 'individual' to get some good scores. A guy must say if I am going to get out, I am going to get out with a good ball and not play shots to get myself out, and again that comes with experience.

You've mentioned commitment a couple of times. Compare what you see today with when you were a player.

When I played we still had people who would show some sort of commitment. At that stage, we really started a decline and I think it had a lot to do with the transition period. A lot of the older players, such as Haynes, finished too early, when we needed them to mould the other guys in understanding batsmanship. This resulted in people being sent out there to learn on their own. And you know, if you go out there and learn on your own, it is going to take at least four or five times as long as it would if you had someone to shepherd you.

Of your days as a West Indies player, what are some of the highlights? What are some of the things you enjoyed about representing the West Indies?

As a player I always felt good about West Indies cricket, about Walsh and especially Ambrose. Curtly Ambrose was one of the finest bowlers that I ever kept wicket to. One of the things about Courtney Walsh was that in the dressing room, he was so comical he could crack a joke a minute before you go out to play a test match, but from the time you crossed the rope he was the most serious man you would ever play cricket with. When it comes to anybody else, I would put Malcolm Marshall up there.

What about personal highlights? Are there any performances or any innings that you can look back on fondly?

I always remember I took nine catches in a game in England. I always thought my cricket was scattered so I never really had a time to settle, and that my batting back then was never really up to scratch. I never really concentrated that much on batting like I do now. When I look back on my cricket career, I say it could not compare to if I had to play again. So many situations I have been in, if I had to play now I would get out of them easily. I'm older, wiser and more experienced.

Similarly, what things would you most like to forget?

I wouldn't like to forget any of my performances. Cricket is a game where you need to have bad experiences and good experiences in order to learn, improve your game and help others. West Indian cricketers must understand that it's about players helping others. We must have a cycle of West Indies players because if we all keep the knowledge in our heads and don't pass it on, we will lose.

After you left West Indies cricket, what did you do?

I always worked at Cable & Wireless. They were great to me over the years. They always gave me the time to play cricket and then come back to work, so I was always one who had a job. I work in business administration; I am more into provisioning services, like 800 numbers and video conferencing. It is pretty interesting because I get to meet a lot of people, to talk to a lot of people over the phone in the region and around the world.

Tony Howard told me that he stresses personal development for each individual. What have you done for your personal development?

I have studied at tertiary level. He always stressed that we all should try to develop ourselves. He believes in development, studying, improving, reading and trying to go beyond what you've done.

What are the positive things about him that he will bring to the West Indies team?

He could bring that unity which seems to be lacking from West Indies cricket. As I said before, he is not one to be in the spotlight so I think that fellows would more be associated with him. He could talk with players one-on-one, see what their problems are, see how he could help them and he is a very knowledgeable cricketer.

He can also help in bridging that gap between management (WICB) and players and he keeps thing so simple. And he believes that what you can't fix, you shouldn't worry about. It might sound like a very simple thing but with some of the things I have seen him deal with over the years, I think it's amazing. I think that he is really different from the average person.

Your name has been suggested as one of the answers to improving the performance of the West Indies team, judging by the way that you have captained the Barbados team. Do you think you can still make a contribution to West Indies cricket?

Of course I feel I can make a contribution to West Indies cricket. One of the things I always mention is helping the other cricketers and I think that would be my role, not only to help West Indies cricketers, but to help people to understand what it means to play cricket, help them to mature faster, help them to understand situations and that is what all the experienced cricketers in the Caribbean should be doing.

You've heard about Desmond Haynes and other past players who have decided to come together and stake a claim for their involvement. What do you think about that?

It's great because in Barbados we have such a wealth of cricketing knowledge. When you go to the boardroom, you can see a guy like Sir Everton. At his age it is amazing to see what he can remember about cricketers. He can tell you about every cricketer in Barbados and is very motivational. He is a positive person, always telling you the ways you should try and improve. I had some very good teachers over the years when it comes to leadership and that is why today I can sit down and say for me it's about giving back to the players and giving back to cricket.

Brian Lara is a close friend of yours?

Yes he is.

Has he sought your advice on using the Barbadian fast bowlers in this test series?

We speak often. I think that Brian is a good captain.

This is different from what many others say.

Well people say a lot of things, but at the end of the day I have met a lot of people in life and the only other person that knows as much cricket as Brian is Sir Garfield Sobers. I remember Sir Garfield managed me on a club tour to England and it was so amazing the way he got what was like a village team to do so well.

I have not found a person more passionate about West Indies cricket than Brian. A lot of people don't see him in that way but I have never met another that loves West Indies cricket the way Brian Lara does.

Getting back to the question. You work with the Barbadian fast bowlers. Have you discussed strategies for using them?,/p>

Yes, he calls, he asks about them. We communicate and all that stuff is always involved in our conversations.

If you were captain of the West Indies team, what would you do to improve the performance of the team?

The first thing we need to improve is the confidence of our batsmen. We have to make a fellow believe in himself and you have to make a fellow buy in to what you are saying.

Are you saying then it's more off the field things?

Yes it's more off the field things, because all cricketers have the talent. All of them have scored runs before so it is just a matter of getting them focused and getting them on the right path.

How would you help their confidence?

I would keep cricket very simple, play session-by-session cricket. Not only that, we have to look at the opposition. We need to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of their bowling. Where they are strong, we have to look to be more defensive and where they're weak we have to be more attacking or take those periods to really settle down and get into a rhythm.

Do you think that one of the problems is that we are not doing sufficient analysis, preparation etc beforehand?

I don't know what the West Indies team does at present, but from watching the cricket they need to do more preparation. We have to put more thought into how we analyze the opposition.

Do you do that for the regional competition?

Of course, we always do. The thing about experience too is that you know all of your players and you know all of the pitches so you know how they're going to play. I can sit after the first day of a match, or after the first hour of a regional match, and tell the guys how the game is going to go, because I have that wealth of experience. I have been through it time and time again and that is one of the plusses that I have going for me. In the West Indies team, we just need to get the players to understand the importance of taking the batting or bowling session-by-session, ball-by-ball. We have to break it down right to the bone, because what we are seeing are cricketers getting out the same way each and every time. If you are a cricketer and you are getting out one way all the time something's got to be wrong and you have to put things in place to help that.

Looking towards the future when you won't play cricket any more, do you plan to get involved in cricket administration?

I said before that I wouldn't want to get involved in cricket, but I think that I have to. I have to give something back because cricket has done so much for me. I have met so many influential people. I have benefited so much that I have to get involved in coaching or in administration or some part of cricket because it's what unites the Caribbean, the one thing that really unites each and every territory.