Fidel Edwards: Stuff of Dreams

What is a dream? Just ask Fidel Henderson Edwards because for this 22-year-old Bajan, they keep coming true over and over again. He had played only one first-class game when in mid-2003, Brian Lara saw something very special about this slight in stature round-arm yet pacey youngster when he was bowling to the West Indies batsmen during a practice session in Barbados. A call-up followed and the rest as they say, is history.

Rabeed Imam of Bangladesh's Daily Star Sport interviewed Edwards, 'Castro' to his mates, at the Queen's Park Stadium in Grenada...

I was at the academy for three months then I was with the Barbados team but never got a game, mostly through injury. Then while I was at the practice with the West Indies team in Barbados, Brian (Lara) saw me and I got the call up.

Did you bowl to him?

I just bowled about three balls to him. But I had bowled to the other guys before him.

Those three balls to Lara must have been pretty quick?

They were at a good pace I guess. I can't tell you they were pretty quick. Just about at the normal pace I bowl.

What was your reaction when you first heard that you have been called up for the second Test?

I felt very happy. Being called up was such a surprise for me. At first I thought it was a dream.

Five wickets on home debut, five wickets in first away Test and six wickets on one-day international debut. You must be running out of dreams.

Yeah, the dreams are real. I just hope I can carry on from where I'd left off, get a lot fitter and do whatever I have to do. Every time I go out to bowl now, I try to get a fiver. But my next ambition is to grab ten wickets in a match which I haven't managed so far.

You could have been a batsman, a spinner whatever. What attracted you to fast bowling?

From my primary school days I wanted to become a fast bowler. I always enjoyed bowling fast especially when I started playing for my club Boscobel. I loved getting guys caught, hitting guys (grins) and stuff.

People say you have a slinging action that reminds of Australian great Jeff Thomson. Has the round-arm style a natural thing or did you imitate somebody?

It came naturally. I just grew into it. It has never given me any problems.

Barbados is a land of fast bowlers so you obviously didn't have any problems with role models. Who influenced you most?

We don't have too many spinners in Barbados so everyone wants to bowl fast. It's a Caribbean thing. But to be honest I don't idolise any particular bowler. However Corey (Collymore) has been a big help to me.

And Pedro Collins, your brother?

He had a big influence. He made it to the West Indies team and tasted success. He made me feel that I could do the same.

Speaking of Collins, he seems to be a different bowler these days. He has cut down his pace but is more effective.

Yes. He's moving the ball both ways and it's working for him. I think he is a better bowler now than when he started off.

Do you feel the absence of a fast bowler with iconic status in the side who could have played the role of a guardian for newcomers like yourself and Tino Best?

It's kind of hard at times. But then again I get to understand my game a lot more. I won't say that I'm a senior person in the team and the others are helping me understand my role as a bowler. But Corey is still here and I look up to him. He helps me all the way.>/p>

What are you doing now to better yourself?

I'm working hard to strengthen my back as I have suffered strains in the past. A strong back is very important for a fast bowler. My physiotherapist is doing a great job on me.

The West Indies have been in a slump for quite some time now. Do you notice any changes that could suggest they are on the way up?

When I started off, it was a wonderful experience. We beat Sri Lanka and then won against Zimbabwe. After that, it was pretty hard in South Africa and against England. I won't say we're going down but the boys are coming off some testing times. We should get up there eventually.

Along with Tino Best, you are regarded as the two fastest bowlers in the West Indies. When both of you are playing in a match, is there a competition to see who can bowl faster?

As far as I'm concerned, there's no competition. If he bowls fast, it takes the load off my bowling and I can concentrate on pitching the ball in the right areas.

So you are not concerned about pace?

I like to look at myself as a bowler who has many other arsenals in his repertoire. I can swing the ball, I can reverse swing. I try to work with that. I don't go for out and out pace. I value the control more.

But you are still an express quick?

It (the pace) just comes around naturally. So I must thank God for that.

Do you take your batting seriously?

Most of the times, I try to think like a batsman but the results don't always show that (laughs).

How do you assess the Bangladesh side?

I have a lot of respect for them. They are a very hard-working team and they showed that in the one-day series. They are getting better all the time.

Ten years from now, where do you see Fidel Edwards in terms of status and wickets?

As one of the best fast bowlers in the world. I can't put a number on the wickets but I'd like to get as many as I can. And I want to play both forms of the game simultaneously because I enjoy both Tests and ODIs.

* Republished with permission from The Daily Star.