Young, Gifted & Windian: Tamar Lambert

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That, says Tamar Lambert, is his secret weapon for getting the Jamaica team to where it is after five rounds of the 2005 Carib Beer tournament. Sitting pretty atop the tables with 60 points from five outright wins, Lambert has handed over the team to Wavell Hinds, himself a first time captain in regional First Class cricket.

Hinds was the selector's pick after last season's captain Gareth Breese was ruled out with an injury, but Hinds was unavailable as he formed part of the West Indies team that played in Australia in the VB series.

Tamar Lambert was entrusted with the captaincy for the first three matches after which the selectors would do a review. But it was blatantly obvious after the first match that he would be there for as long as Hinds was unavailable. In fact, some were of the opinion that he should continue on, given his astute leadership especially in tight match situations.

He has been rewarded with the vice captaincy, a position that is not normally filled in a Jamaica team. That is testament to his performance in captaining the team, a team which by contrast did so poorly in the regional one day tournament in October last year. Wavell Hinds has said he is not under any pressure, but onlookers know that Lambert's act will be a tough one to follow.

Born in St Catherine west of Jamaica's capital, Lambert grew up in the Heartlands district with his mother and two sisters. According to Lambert, he grew up the hard way. What does that mean? "You know, do the regulars that boys normally do." This was in response to my suggestion that being the only boy, he was spoilt as a child. So what if he can't iron and doesn't like to do it? He can lead a cricket team pretty darn well.

From U-15 to U-19 and now to the senior Jamaica team, Lambert has distinguished himself. Where did he get his start? Who are his role models in cricket? Lambert talked about this along with his captaincy experience and cricket in general as well as what he says changed his life, the night before the team departed for St Maarten to take on the Leeward Islands.

As a student at the Spanish Town Primary school, did you know what cricket was then?

Yes. I started from grade 5 and 6, those times we used to use the tennis ball. The coach was Mr Chester.

There are many other sports you could have played. What made you start playing cricket? Was it a part of Physical Education?

No. I always loved cricket because with my friends back in my neighbourhood, it was just cricket. So from I was a little boy I started loving cricket. I travelled with them all bout, all over Jamaica. They worked at an estate [sugar] called Innswood so I normally followed them around.

Did you play in any competitions at primary school and how did your school perform?

Yes, Carib Cement competition. We lost in the semi finals to a school in Westmoreland ? I don't remember the name ? by spinning a coin. That day, rain interrupted so we had to spin it with a coin. I was the vice captain.

Did you like any particular one of the cricketing skills?

Well I normally did everything, but I always had a special love for batting. At primary school I usually bowled medium pace as well, but that didn't work out so it was back to the short run.

Why did you start with medium pace in the first place?

As a youngster watching cricket, seeing a person like Curtly Ambrose running up from far, everybody want to be a Curtly Ambrose or a Courtney Walsh.

Did you start going to Test matches from when you were in primary school or you only watched on television?

On television at first. I believe my first Test match was 1996 when I was at the U-15 camp for Jamaica.

When you were watching television, apart from Curtly Ambrose, was there any other cricket that really caught your eye, you know you always wanted to watch that person?

Brian Lara, but my role model will always be Carl Hooper.

Why is that?

Because he's just humble and cool on the cricket field. Nothing seems to bother him, so he's my role model.

In everything as well? Some people say that he didn't fulfil his potential as a batsman when you look at his average over his career.

Well, I think that was a little bit disappointing but in life is not everybody going to fulfil his dreams, and I guess Carl was one of those persons, but life goes on from there.

At that young age, what were your dreams in terms of cricket?

My dream was always to play for the West Indies and just to wear the West Indies colours by my own sweat.

Ok, so then you moved on to Jonathan Grant High. Why that school?

When I was at primary school, the coach for Jonathan Grant, Devon Buchanan, was passing by ? the schools were close by ? and he always said that I will always go to Jonathan Grant, I don't know why. I passed for Jonathan Grant.

When did you first make the Colts team?

I think I was 13, in First Form. As I went in I started to play Colts and at that age I could play U-14 as well. I started to lead the Colts side from the first year straight on.

How did you come to be chosen to lead the side?

The coach at that time thought I was the best person to lead the side. When I was over at the primary school as I said before I was the Vice Captain and he felt that I had that leadership ability so he passed it on to me.

How did he groom you to lead the side?

Just the basics. Normally told me as a captain I have to lead by example, I have to lead from the front, and I always tried to do that. I give the players respect and them give me respect so I don't have a problem there.

And you've carried that over in how you captained the Jamaica team, but I want to continue with school now. Before you got to high school, was Jonathan Grant a school that used to make the semi-finals or finals of any cricket competition?

Well no. I think that me and some other guys that were there put the school on a map. I think that is one of the reasons why during that time, everybody wanted to play sports, to come to Jonathan Grant, and I think it was the same time they won Walker Cup football, so sports at the school was on the rise.

Because of the cricket team, largely because of Tamar Lambert?

Well I wouldn't say Tamar Lambert, but all the guys who were contributing at that time.

Ok, so you weren't the star of the team then.

Well people would say that, but I always say the team comes first.

Did you score the most runs for the team?

Mostly. Everybody always look up to me to go out there and bat for long periods and I find that once I do that then everybody catch on pretty well.

What number did you bat at?

Normally three or four.

You made it to the finals of a couple competitions. Tell us more.

We made it to the Tappin Cup and played St George's College in the finals and we won there. We made it to the finals of the Sunlight Cup competition three years straight but unfortunately that is the only cup Jonathan Grant hasn't won yet. We won the Colts, the U-15 and the one day competition.

Ok, you're progressing through school nicely in your cricket career. How easy or difficult was it to balance school work with cricket?

As a youngster at that age playing cricket, and the fame that comes with cricket, sometimes I was not even thinking of schoolwork. Sometimes when you go home your mother tell you that schoolwork come first and then sports come second. But being a young person you don't want to hear that, you just want the fame and so. I guess I didn't take school work that seriously until I left Jonathan Grant and went to the College [GC Foster College of Sports and Physical Education]. When I left Jonathan Grant I didn't have any subjects. I said to myself 'what if I don't make it in cricket?'

I played the U-19 that year, 1999, and when I came back my mum told me that the Principal from GC Foster wanted me to come to the college, he's going to give me a scholarship for two years. I had no choice but to take up the offer.

Didn't the school put things in place, for example, you would get notes for the people who had to travel to play cricket? Didn't the school support you in terms of getting you the lessons, setting you work for the classes you would have missed?

The school normally set aside a teacher and we would get extra work.

It's just that you didn't do it.

Simple.

Do you regret that?

Sometimes, but as I said I kind of set my life in a way so that if I don't make it in cricket, I can fall back on something.

Ok, tell us about playing U-15 for Jamaica. It's just one year you would have played in?

Yes, that was in 1996.

How were you called up to trials?

It was one day we were down at Lime Tree Oval, we were playing a Colts match. A selector named Len Chambers came down to the match and asked me what I can do. I said I bat and I can 'keep and bowl and he said 'how can one person do so much things'. I tell him I can do all three things, so he say I must show him. So I went out and bat, then when we were in the field I bowled and then I came to 'keep and I get called to trials in 1996. I went into the trials and I performed well.

Did you make any centuries in the trials?

No, but they saw my leadership abilities and were impressed and I got the captaincy and won the first U-15 in 1996.

You then now had to captain people who you didn't know so well, people from other schools. How did you approach that task?

As I always approach any given situation; show respect for each and every one and I find once I do that then persons tend to give me the respect. That's one of my attributes in life where I always show people respect, so it wasn't difficult.

Were you a captain in name only or were you allowed to go out there and read the game and make your own decisions, because I hear that for the little boys the coach tells them what to do.

At that stage, the coach had that confidence in me. From that stage the coach gave me that option where I can go out there and do what I had to do.

How many years did you play U-19?

Three years, from 1997 to 1999.

How did you do?

The first year I didn't do too badly. I scored, I think, 305 runs at an average of around 35. My highest score was 82 against Guyana. It wasn't a bad series for me but after then I kind of faded away a little bit in the next two years. I didn't perform to the best of my abilities. We won in 1999, the one day competition. In the three day tournament we went to the semi-finals and we lost against Barbados. Overall it was a pretty good competition for Jamaica where we won the one day competition but personally for myself, I didn't perform to the best of my abilities.

Do you think the burden of captaincy might have affected that?

No, I don't think so because even if I am not given the responsibility of captaining a team, I always have ideas where I will go up to the captain, I always find myself involved, thinking like a captain, in the game. So it wasn't any burden; it's just me not performing.

After playing U-19 you didn't straight away make the Jamaica team. Why was that?

As I said before, I went to college and when you are in college, college take away a lot of your time because you go to the classes and all the lecturers give you assignments and you have to give it back in by 4pm the next day and you have to go through the nights and you didn't have time to train. But that is school work and you have to do it, so I have no regrets.

So you made a sacrifice. You decided to put education first for those two years. You continued playing club cricket?

Yes, and I didn't do too badly there but as I said, I went to the trials and I didn't perform because I didn't put in the necessary work because I didn't have the time.

Did fitness have anything to do with that as well?

Most definitely. If you don't have the time to put in the necessary training then you will suffer and I guess I paid the price for that.

You came out with a certificate after two years?

Yes. It qualifies me to teach Physical Education at high school and so on.

Did it have a course that specifically taught you how to conduct a class?

Yes.

Do you think that something like that has benefited you in terms of captaincy?

Most definitely but I think what changed my life was in 2003 when I went to the Academy back in Grenada. For the three months, the coach put in place a system where you couldn't be late for a session and for three months I wasn't late, not even once and I was very impressed with myself and coming back home since then I haven't been late for a training session and I really feel proud of myself.

You were in the batch with Jerome [Taylor], Andrew [Richardson] and Shawn [Findlay] and others. When you first told you were selected to go to the Academy, what was your reaction?

I was pretty happy because at that stage, my name wasn't being called around the Caribbean because I was out of cricket for? well I was in cricket but didn't perform to the best of my ability, so I decided I had to take the trip and see what I could come up with. I went down there and everything went well. I got the Best Cricketer prize and came back and played for Jamaica that same season and scored the most runs for Jamaica then my name start to circulate around the Caribbean which is a good thing so I just want to continue.

What would you say was the best thing about the Academy for you?

It was the discipline because in life anything you want in life you have to be disciplined and you have to want it. That is what helped me the most.

How did you feel about winning the Best Cricketer award?

I felt pleased about myself knowing that I was a person who normally was late most times and not being late for three months was a good thing.

You had a fitness programme there with Chris Parke?

Yes, that was kind of rough, that was kind of rough. Getting up at six o'clock in the morning but we had to do it. It was good, but I think I am in a better shape now than before.

You would have been there when they came and told Jerome Taylor that he was selected. How did you feel when that happened?

The whole set of Jamaicans, the seven of us who were there felt good that another Jamaican person got selected for the West Indies and we wished him well and I think he went out there and did Jamaicans and himself and his community and his family proud.

Did you not say in the back of your mind 'bwoy I wish that was me'?

No. I always believe that I want to do something to get picked. I don't want a person to just pick me because them feel say mi can bat. I always want to score runs so that at the end of the day a person cannot look at me and ask why them pick you, you never do nothing, so I always have to keep myself on the safe side scoring runs.

Last year at the Academy they concentrated a lot on mental and concentration exercises? Was that the same when you were there? Did they spend a lot of time on the mental aspects of the game?

Yes, most definitely.

Is there anything that you have taken from that aspect of the programme and applied it to how you play your cricket now?

Yes. There was a thing where you write notes that you can put up in your room and read, about what you are going to do in the match, how to prepare yourself for a cricket game and I think that has helped me tremendously.

Ok, you get called up to Jamaica trials for the 2004 Carib Beer season, you've just come from the Academy where you won the Best Cricket award, what are you saying to yourself in terms of your goals and what you want to accomplish?

Well I said that is a start, getting the Best Cricketer award at the Academy I just want to come to the trials and make runs and make a hundred and show the selectors I'm ready for First Class cricket. You have to make runs to get in and I always want to make runs as a batsman.

So you got in and you ended up being the highest run scorer of the Jamaican batsmen, but no centuries. You were very close to one at Alpart, 82.

Scoring a century at a First Class match is always a privilege for anyone but I am not putting myself under any pressure. I know that one is just around the corner because I've been batting well, it's just a matter of time. When I reach those scores in the 70's and 80's maybe I need to concentrate some more so I am putting in the necessary work in the nets and with the coach, talking with the coach a lot. The coach has shown me where I have gone wrong and I want to put those things right.

How has the sports psychologist, Miss Richards, helped you?

She has been good, she has taught me some new things and I've put it in practice and it has worked.

During the trials for this season you were not one of the captains and then for the last two matches you were selected. The selectors approached you about captaining the trial match, how did that go?

I think it was a Sunday where we were playing a trial match at Chedwin Park and the Chairman of selectors, Mr Williams, told me I was going to captain a team the following day and I said 'no problem'. I didn't know he was thinking of giving me the captain or anything.

Who you thought was going to be the captain of the Jamaica team?

I thought it was going to be between Bernard and Baugh but it wasn't on my mind. What was on my mind was to just go out there and perform.

So you captained the [trial] team, the team didn't do particularly well, but they've come now to select the team and they have to talk to you about being interim captain. Let's hear about that.

When they had already selected the 16, they approached me and said that they wanted me to captain the first three matches and I said 'no problem'. They asked me how I felt and I said that I felt good, it has been a privilege to captain the country and I would try and lead the team to the best of my ability and I guess I have done that so far.

Yes you have. How did you lead the team to five wins in five matches, apart from the respect factor you mentioned before?

It's just to get the team to play together. Just respect each other.

That's it?

Yeah, I always believe that once I have respect for you and you have respect for me, then the two of us can work together. The job will become easier and once you put in the necessary work in training, once you come in training you know that it's cricket time. After cricket you can have your fun time but once it is cricket, you come here to play cricket, you come to represent your country so you have to put in the necessary work in training.

So are you strict?

I can be.

Were you strict in these five matches?

I didn't have any reason to be.

I was listening to the commentary during the first match against the Leewards. The commentators said that Daren Powell appeared to have told you he wanted a fielder moved and you appeared to say 'you're not having a fielder there, just bowl the ball in the right place'. At least that's what the commentators thought was happening because they said 'Powell, oh he's not happy, he's not happy'.

Well normally when I give a person the ball to bowl, I will ask him what kind of field he wants so I will set his field, give him his chance but if I'm seeing it's not working then I will go to my plan and if he can't work with my plan, then so be it.

Change bowlers.

Simple.

But it can't just be a matter of everybody working together, I respect you and you respect me. It must be that you have some sort of cricketing brain that lets you know ok, it's time to bring on Nikita now because I see that the batsman is doing this and I think that the left arm orthodox spinner going to give him problems.

Normally when I go out there I normally see how a batsman sets up. I feel I can tell how a batsman can be out, by just bowling a couple of balls at him, see his stance, see where he is strong, where he is weak. I think I have that ability where I can just look at a batsman and feel this is the best plan, this is the best ploy to him. Me and Nikita have been working very well on that, and the other rest of the bowlers. They have all the confidence in me. As I said before, I captained most of them at U-15 and U-19, they know what I can do, I know what they can do. I guess it's just putting both things together and it seems to work.

And I guess getting the commitment as well, which you have got. So there were no problems when it was first announced that Tamar 'Piggy' Lambert was going to captain the Jamaica team?

No problem?. unless the media had a problem with it, but no problem.

Has your success surprised you?

No. I think I can do much more in terms of getting batsmen to understand what they can do, what we can do as a team. I think we let down ourselves in the fielding department but I think that every game that we play we've been improving and once you keep on improving then we're going to be a difficult team to beat and the next six matches we'll see how that goes.

The next six? Is not five?

The Shield. Remember the Shield.

So Jamaica is going to be there?

Yes, most definitely.

What role are you going to be playing now that Wavell has come and taken over?

Today [Tuesday] the Chairman announced that I am the Vice Captain.

Normally the team doesn't have a Vice Captain.

No but I'm the Vice Captain.

Any memorable moments so far this season for you as a captain?

Yes, back in Barbados when we were seeing a partnership between Patrick Browne and Ryan Hurley and I told Nikita to come round the wicket and try and get it into the rough and the first ball Nikita bowled there we got a wicket. I have several moments in that match. Again where I called for the helmet, just put a man at short leg and the next ball Powell bowled we got a wicket. I think that match was the highlight for me.

And of course there is always this rivalry between Jamaica and Barbados.

Most definitely. Every time it comes on to Barbados and Jamaica it's always going to be a competitive match, a good match. People around the Caribbean believe that Barbados and Jamaica are the two strongest teams in the Caribbean so once you can make runs against Barbados or Jamaica or pick up wickets, they always believe they are closer to Test cricket.

Jamaica is going to play Barbados at your home ground, Chedwin Park.

I think that Barbados is a good team and will be coming for 12 points. But as I've said we've been training hard, we've been putting in the hard work so we will be ready.

Leeward Islands match Jamaica was three wickets down for very few runs. You came in and made 70, a captain's knock. Is it because you were captain why you put your head down and batted so well to give your team a total for the bowlers to bowl at?

Definitely not. Playing as a batsman you always want to score runs because if you're not scoring runs you're not leading from the front and if you're a batsman playing on the team and you're not scoring any runs you're gonna get dropped!

Even if you're the captain? Captain can't get dropped man.

Well you might play for one season and they say 'you're no longer the captain, we no longer need your service', but once you're performing, they can even take away the captaincy, but once you're performing you'll still be there as a batsman, and you'll still have a chance.

How many runs you have so far?

Three hundred and sixty so far.

And what's your target?

Seven hundred and fifty, anything over that at an average of over 40.

So you have some set goals. Do you normally do that when you go into a competition?

I didn't normally set goals before but I find myself that when I set goals then it gets me to concentrate a little bit harder, to put down my head and see if I can reach my target. Seven hundred and fifty runs in 10 games, some people say it's too easy but I always like to set my goals where I feel I can reach it.

Last year Devon Smith scored over 800 runs in six matches.

Yes. I feel if I can score 750 with last year where I scored near to 500, if I can score 1,200 to 1,300 runs for two seasons in First Class cricket with an average of over 40, that is a fair performance.

So you're trying to measure yourself and see the improvements. You said from you were small you would dream of playing for the West Indies. What do you think you need to do for you to get a pick?

Well maybe you can tell me how to score hundreds! [He's got to be joking?.Doesn't he know that I don't even know where mid-wicket is?!] I will definitely have to score some hundreds. I've played fourteen First Class matches and I don't have any hundreds. I have seven First Class half centuries but no First Class hundreds. That has been a disappointment.

But you say that you're not putting yourself under any pressure.

No I'm not putting myself under any pressure. I know that one day it will come. I know that it's very close, it's just me to go out there and apply myself even more and very soon?

Would you be able to say what is holding you back?

Not really, but I think that when I reach that stage I sort of have a lapse in concentration, so I believe once I can put that right, then?.

Do you think that has anything do with physical fitness? People say that if you're very fit, your brain will last longer and you're able to concentrate better. How did you do on your fitness tests?

I always come through. Everybody has to do a fitness test and once you fail that fitness test you have to do it over. So I always try to do my best and I always come through. I even do better than some persons on the team so I don't believe I have any problems there.

Is just that people looking at you might think you might have a fitness problem.

Yes, but you have been to the games. You can tell me what you think. [chuckling] Sometimes it don't really matter what people say. I always try to look on the positives. Sometimes what people say don't really bother me. Is just for me to go out there and do what I have to do.

Are you giving yourself any time limits? Are you saying for example that in two years you want to be at least named in a West Indies squad?

No, I'm not giving myself any time limits. I'm just continuing to enjoy cricket, continuing to play to the best of my ability and I know it won't be very long before you will see me in West Indies colours. It's just me have to decide and try and get the things right that I have to do to reach to the top.

If not cricket, what else would you do?

It would always be something to do with cricket. I always want to do something that me love to do. If me nuh love the thing, me can't do it.

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