Curtly Ambrose: 'Aggression can’t be taught, it should flow naturally in pacers'

Aggression can’t be taught to bowlers, says West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose, who tormented batsmen in his glorious career.

Published : May 27, 2020 12:49 IST , Melbourne

Curtly Ambrose said though he was naturally aggressive, it was fellow legendary Antiguan bowler Andy Roberts, who encouraged him to embrace it while bowling.
Curtly Ambrose said though he was naturally aggressive, it was fellow legendary Antiguan bowler Andy Roberts, who encouraged him to embrace it while bowling.
lightbox-info

Curtly Ambrose said though he was naturally aggressive, it was fellow legendary Antiguan bowler Andy Roberts, who encouraged him to embrace it while bowling.

Aggression can’t be taught to bowlers as it’s a trait they ought to be born with, says West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose, who tormented batsmen in his glorious career.

Ambrose said though he was naturally aggressive, it was fellow legendary Antiguan bowler Andy Roberts, who encouraged him to embrace it while bowling.

“One of the things he mentioned to me was to always be aggressive, to always get under the skin of batsmen. That stuck in my mind coming from a great man like him,” Ambrose said on a podcast, hosted by Michael Atherton, for Sky Sports .

READ: Muralitharan on learning from Kumble and Warne

“I don’t think you can teach a bowler to be aggressive - it has to be something within you. You can try but if a bowler doesn’t have it inside of him, it probably won’t work. For me it worked because I am naturally aggressive while I am competing. It naturally flowed for me.”

Ambrose, who took 405 wickets in 98 Tests at an outstanding average of 20.99, said if one can make the ball talk, there is hardly any need to sledge the batsmen.

”...if you are good enough at what you do, you let the five and a half ounces (the cricket ball) do the talking for you.

“If you keep sledging, you probably aren’t any good. That wasn’t the West Indian way. Five and half ounces coming at you at 90mph is more than enough!”

Ambrose also remembered the days when he joined the West Indies, which was full of greats in the late 1980s.

READ: Washington Sundar resumes training in Chennai

Ambrose insisted that though he was new, he never liked to be called second best and that he always wanted to be the best.

“When I first made the West Indies team alongside the late, great Malcolm Marshall, as well as Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson, I never wanted to be second. I am a proud person and wanted to be the best I can be,” said Ambrose.

“I quickly realised for most opposition teams they were probably thinking ‘Curtly is a rookie, so just see off Marshall, Walsh and Patterson’

“I never wanted that and I was forced to learn quickly so I wouldn’t be the weak link in the chain. Because of my pride, that catapulted me to stardom.”

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment