In the game of cricket, back in the 1990s, there was no sight more fearsome than Curtly Ambrose running in to bowl. His gigantic physique, 6 feet 7 inches tall, long arms and legs, white teeth flashing against his dark visage and his ability to send down thunderbolts, gave goosebumps to the batsmen who had to face him. The bowler who struck terror into many hearts will become a senior citizen on Sep 21, 2023.
He was widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. When he brought his career to an end in the year 2000, he finished with 405 Test wickets and 225 ODI wickets. His immense height enabled him to generate bounce even on placid tracks. That bounce combined with his pinpoint accuracy made batting a nightmare for all rival batsmen.
Like most West Indians he did not usually sledge the batters. He allowed the ball to do the talking. Even off the field he was a man of few words. Years after he had retired, a journalist spotted him sitting in the stands and watching a match. The journo pestered him for a few comments but Ambrose kept quiet.
Curtly’s curt reply
Then the journalist asked: “Tell me Sir Curtly, what would you do if you were playing in this match today?” Unable to contain himself any longer, Ambrose retorted: “If I was playing in this match, I would have bowled out everyone yesterday. There would have been no today. Now go away. I have answered your question.”
Sidhu’s recollection
Navjot Sidhu once related a story about Ambrose and Sachin Tendulkar when the latter was a 16 year old boy and the Indian team was on a tour of the West Indies. Sidhu said: “They had towering fast bowlers who were all ferocious looking giants like Patrick Patterson, Curtly Ambrose and others.”
“In one match the pitch was wet. I was petrified. If you bat on that wet pitch against these fearsome bowlers, your life is in danger. When we walked out to bat, I told Tendulkar – Tendlya (that’s what I used to call him) what shall we do? He was unconcerned and replied — We will play, what else?”
“Then I got ready to face Ambrose. To me he looked like a skyscraper. When he bowled, every ball bounced high and hit me on the body. By the end of the over I was covered in bruises. I told Sachin that the ball becomes unplayable after pitching. Be very careful. The next over had to be faced by Tendulkar. The bowler was Ian Bishop – another mountain of a man. I was very worried about our lad.”
Only Sachin could tackle Ambrose
“But to my complete amazement, Tendulkar was not at all troubled. He charged out and hit the ball for a six. Since I had told him that the ball is unplayable after pitching, he decided to hit the ball before it pitched. He jumped out of the crease and banged the ball out of the ground. But all of us do not have the ability to do that. Only Sachin could tackle Ambrose and the rest.”
Ambrose and Walsh were deadly combo
Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh formed one of the world’s most lethal combinations in the 1990s. Walsh played 132 Tests and 205 ODIs for the West Indies and took 519 and 227 wickets in Tests and ODIs respectively. When these two went hunting for wickets, the batters seemed like helpless prey.
Ambrose once described his own bowling: “I was never a big swinger of the ball. I depended on accuracy. If I could make the opening batters commit a few errors then I used to get really motivated.” Unfortunately during the later stages of his career Ambrose’s shoulder injury prevented him from doing well.
Bumrah is the best says Ambrose
In one interview, while talking about the Indian fast bowlers of the present days he singled out Jasprit Bumrah as the one he liked most. “Bumrah is different from most other fast bowlers. He has a shorter run up and he is able to do many different things with the ball. It is good to see that India has so many fast bowlers these days. There was a time when India had only spinners but now I am glad to see that a bunch of fast bowlers are taking wickets for India. If they work hard they will have a great future.”
Bumrah is different from most other fast bowlers. He has a shorter run up and he is able to do many different things with the ball. It is good to see that India has so many fast bowlers these days, says Ambrose
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