“We won the T20 World Cup… and then I was sacked.” Those were the words of former West Indies bowling great and bowling coach Curtly Ambrose speaking on a recent podcast. “Maybe I shouldn’t have won it,” he then joked. Sir Curtly was referring, of course, to the 2016 T20 World Cup triumph of the West Indies, captained by current head coach Darren Sammy.
Ambrose recalled his sacking in suggesting that the Caribbean cricket authorities are not keen to utilize his skills in developing fast bowling talent in the Caribbean. I’m sure the tall Antiguan thinks he is well qualified for that purpose. But he might well be mistaken.
In the history of the game, I doubt there have been a dozen pacers as good as Ambrose. Insofar as it’s possible in a team sport, he had the ability to win a match almost by himself.
He was born to bowl fast. He was tall, highly athletic, and possessed the knack of landing a cricket ball almost wherever he chose. He was blessed with the endurance of a long-distance runner and developed an easily repeatable action that generated foreboding pace.
Taking him at his word, the Antiguan never dreamed of becoming a great cricketer as a youth; nor did he possess an all-consuming passion for the game. By his own account, he played largely because friends persuaded him to join village games and because cricket filled long afternoons on the beach.
https://garfieldrobinson1.substack.com/p/curtly-ambrose-and-the-curse-of-expertise
