Former West Indian bowler Lance Gibbs has advised current West Indian players to play more county cricket in England in order to revive their Test cricket fortunes.
Published: Jun 11, 2012, 05:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 11, 2012, 05:16 PM (IST)
Darren Bravo and Tino Best are the only players in the present West Indian Test team to have played for a county side © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Edgbaston: Jun 11, 2012
Former West Indian bowler Lance Gibbs has advised current West Indian players to play more county cricket in England in order to revive their Test cricket fortunes.
Gibbs said that the West Indian teams of 1970’s and 1980’s had a lot of players who played full summers for English County sides.
“All of our great players have had exposure in English cricket, whether it is league or county, where the ball swings and swerves,” Gibbs, was quoted as telling BBC Sport.
“They put their games together in foreign conditions and became successful,” he added.
Darren Bravo and Tino Best are the only players in the current West Indian Test setup to have played for a county side.
Darren Bravo has played four matches for Nottinghamshire while Best has played nine times for Yorkshire.
Gibbs had played for Warwickshire between 1967 and 1973, taking 131 first-class wickets at an average of 18.89 in 1971. His performance that year got him the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award.
“These young players have never had that. In English conditions, anybody could pick up a ball and make something happen with it and our playes need to learn how to deal with that,” Gibbs said.
Inspite of West Indies’ decline in cricket, Gibbs is optimistic about their future.
“Every cricketing nation has ups and downs. If you check the number of Test matches played between England and the West Indies you will see that we are ahead”
He also added that West Indies was enjoying a honeymoon period in cricket.
“You (England) are doing particularly well now but we will return,” he concluded.
