PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Fast bowling legend, Sir Curtly Ambrose, has blasted Caribbean pitches as “terrible” and believes they were behind the regional side's poor showing on the recent tour of New Zealand.
The Antiguan said the region needed to resort to the type of pitches which produced the outstanding players of the past and propelled West Indies to the pinnacle of world cricket.
“We need to get back to the days when we were the best team in the world where we had good cricket pitches, where there is a little bit in it for the fast-bowlers, a bit for the spinners and if you're a good enough batsman, you can score runs,” Sir Curtly told Guardian Media here.
“The pitches in the Caribbean are terrible and that's why when we go overseas and the pitches are bouncing, the players are all at sea. We need to get back quick, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean. It will make better players and fast-bowlers.”
Windies batsmen struggled against the short ball on the bouncy pitches in New Zealand and failed to win a single match in the series.
They were whitewashed in the two-match Test series and the subsequent three-match one-day series, before losing two of the three Twenty20s. The second match was washed out.
“I didn't watch much of it (tour). It is too painful to watch,” said Sir Curtly, who served as West Indies bowling coach until being replaced 19 months ago.
“It's been a disastrous tour and nothing really went well. I'm just hoping that the players and the coaching staff can go back to the drawing board, do some soul searching and figure out a way to start winning.”
He added: “It is not so much about coaching, in my opinion, because the guys have got the skills. We just need the coaching staff to instil certain discipline, and passion and pride and commitment in order to get results.”
Sir Curtly grabbed 405 wickets in 98 Tests before quitting international cricket 18 years ago.
