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The Cricket Interview/Courtney Walsh
'The future of Windies cricket is in good hands'
A cool head and a high action enabled Courtney Walsh to mature and rise quickly through the ranks of the finest fast bowlers in world cricket. His remarkable consistency
and durability have now been rewarded with the captaincy
of Jamaica, Gloucestershire and the West Indies respectively, challenges to
which he has risen effectively and manfully.
But the 0-3 rout in Pakistan -- the first time in 67 years that the West Indies have been so thrashed -- has raised serious doubts about his captaincy. In this encounter with Anant Gaundalkar during the Champions Trophy in Sharjah, the great fast bowler was candid and straightforward.
What happened in Pakistan? Why did your team fare so badly?
The Pakistan tour is behind us, it is history now. Of course,
we had a bad tour of Pakistan. Nothing went right for
us. We were beaten in all departments of the game. We had a lot of
problems on the tour. Our batting, even after a good start, collapsed
at regular intervals. We dropped some crucial catches at the vital
stages of the game and our bowling just failed to click. But that
is part and parcel of the game.
Like any player who suffers
a bad patch in his career, an international team also goes through
such a phase.
As I said, that is history now and we are
determined to come back in this tournament.
What are your prospects in the Champions Trophy?
We are going into the tournament with a new approach. We
know Pakistan well and we know what a winning combination
it takes to overcome Pakistan.
Cricket is a funny game. Today's victory (over Pakistan) is
a great turnaround of fortunes for the team in general and for
cricket in the Caribbean in general. It's a nice feeling. We have
done it at last.
I am impressed by the performance of the boys,
especially Brian Lara who played a spectacular knock when it was
needed the most. The young
leg-spinner, Rawl Lewis, bowled very well within his limitations
and rose splendidly to the big occasion in grand style. It is
heartening to see a spinner doing well in the West Indies team.
Why do we see many more spinners in the West Indies today? Have the quality fast bowlers declined?
I am impressed with the spinners, Lewis in particular
and Carl Hooper in general. Lewis turned the ball very viciously.
Hooper is an intelligent off-spinner who has the ability to
deceive any batsmen in the world. Lewis has a bright future ahead
of him and will serve the Windies team in the years to come. This
is a good transformation in the squad which had a battery of pace
bowlers doing fine duty over the last decade or so.
I agree that the quality of fast bowlers in the Windies is
on a decline. Curtney Ambrose and myself have spearheaded
the attack for a long time. We will continue to do so as long as our
services are needed by the cricket board in the
West Indies.
One hears of a rift in the team...
That is rubbish!. Made-up stories. All this
starts coming in when a team begins to lose. There is absolutely
no truth in these rumours. There are no camps. There are no group
leaders. We are a well-knit side and play as one unit,
not as separate squads!
How long will you continue as captain?
I am not worried about my own future. I am happy about the
fact that the team, although being beaten badly on the tour of
Pakistan, won the opening game of the Champions Trophy in grand
fashion.
As far as I am concerned I will keep on playing until
my body tells me otherwise. I have no plans to quit the captaincy
and as long as the board needs my services, I will hang on.
All this talk of a change in leadership arises when a team fails to produce the
desired result. If a team fails, then the captain is
blamed. And if it wins then it is hailed as a wonderful team effort.
Every leader has to go through such a phase. Your own Sachin Tendulkar
is under tremendous pressure not only to do well with his
batting but also to raise his side to the zenith
in world cricket. That is a hard task indeed.
I am not bothered
about what the media says about my tenure
as captain of the West Indies. I am enjoying my cricket, every bit of it.
Who will be the next skipper of the West Indies?
Without any doubt, Brian Lara, who is now
my deputy. With his batting he has set very high standards
for himself and all members of the team give him utmost respect.
He can turn the course of the game with his batting.
At this very venue against Pakistan
during the Pepsi Champions Trophy in 1993-94 he hit a hurricane
knock of 153 in the final. He also hit 169 against Sri Lanka a couple of
years back. The future of Windies cricket is in good hands.
I wish him all success.
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