BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson says the presence of legends Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Curtly Ambrose will be an asset to the team’s preparation ahead of the upcoming Test Series against New Zealand.
Sir Garry, the greatest all-rounder in the game’s history and Barbados’ only living National Hero, will work with the regional side’s batsmen during the ongoing preparation camp which bowled off last Friday.
Sir Curtly, one of the finest ever fast bowlers the world has seen, has signed on as the team’s bowling consultant and will be present for the camp along with the three-Test tour and two Twenty20 Internationals.
“Sir Garry is the best of the best and it is great to have him join us. He is still an avid watcher of the game, so he sees a lot of things. He is here to pass on his knowledge over so many years of doing it,” Gibson said.
“The guys like Darren Bravo and young Kieran Powell have been very receptive and his wisdom will not be lost on the experienced guys like Shiv Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels either. All the guys will get the opportunity to speak to Sir Garry about their game, which can only be a good thing for us.
“Hopefully, over the next couple of the days, the guys will really use him as a springboard for where they are in their game and what he thinks they need to do to take their game to the next level,” Gibson added.
Sir Curtly, meanwhile, recently worked as a bowling consultant with Combined Campuses and Colleges and will bring the experience of 98 Tests and 405 wickets with him.
And with West Indies boasting a young fast bowling attack, Gibson believes Ambrose can serve as an inspiration and mentor.
“Sir Curtly is heavily involved in cricket here with the Combined Campuses & Colleges and is making a contribution to West Indies cricket in that way so the feeling is to get him to come in and mentor the good bowlers that we have and try to see if he can inspire them through his experiences to turn themselves into great bowlers,” Gibson pointed out.
“He’s obviously led the West Indies bowling attack and done it very well over his career, so hopefully he will impart some knowledge and pass on some of his experiences onto the guys.”
