PakPassion.net is delighted to present an exclusive interview with West Indian fast bowling great, Courtney Walsh.
49 year old Walsh is quite simply a legendary fast bowler who terrorised opposition international batsmen for over 16 years.
Hailing from Jamaica, Walsh was a member of the great West Indian fast bowling quartets that took Caribbean cricket to the top of the cricketing ladder for many years.
Walsh's tremendous levels of fitness and his aptitude for hard work enabled him to take an incredible 519 Test wickets and bowl 30,019 balls in the 5 day format.
Extremely tall, unorthodox, but very effective Walsh formed one of the great opening bowling partnerships with Curtley Ambrose and between them they took 421 wickets from 49 Tests.
Walsh was a true gentleman and well liked by team mates and opponents. His facial expressions whilst bowling always brought great entertainment and his batting was equally entertaining.
Walsh was also a loyal servant for English County side Gloucestershire whom he represented with great dignity for 14 seasons.
By Saj Sadiq (15th February 2012)
PakPassion.net : Courtney it's an absolute pleasure speaking with you and many thanks for your time.
Courtney Walsh : No problems, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
PakPassion.net : When you started your international career in 1984 did you have any idea that you would represent the West Indies with such dignity, success and for such a long time?
Courtney Walsh : No I had no idea. I thought I would just try my best, maintain my form for a few matches and then see how it goes. I certainly did not expect to play for the West Indies for as long as I did.
I wanted to do well and to play a couple of Test matches. Looking back I'm really happy, proud and very pleased that I served the West Indies team for so long.
PakPassion.net : You are the only fast bowler to have ever bowled more than 5000 overs in Test cricket. How did you manage to stay fit for so long and injury free? Was it down to a particular fitness regime or down to luck?
Courtney Walsh : I would say it's a combination of both. I looked after myself very well and I tried to stay as fit as I could and I got a little bit lucky too. But with the love I had for the game, I always wanted to play and that proved to be very helpful. I tried to do everything I could to look after myself and make sure that I was fit enough to play whenever I was needed.
PakPassion.net : A lot of modern day fast bowlers seem to be struggling with injuries and having to restrict the number of matches they play and reduce the formats they play in. Where are they going wrong?
Courtney Walsh : I think it's partly bad luck and also overuse of their muscles down to pushing themselves a bit too hard and playing too much cricket. Of course they want to give a good account of themselves, but with the amount of cricket being played these days you have to look after yourself a lot better and that extra effort can be the downfall for some of these fast bowlers.
PakPassion.net: You formed a formidable bowling partnership with Curtley Ambrose for many years. What was it like to bowl in tandem with Curtley? What were your pre match plans and discussions?
Courtney Walsh : He was the perfect foil for me. He was great to bowl with and we complimented each other in the West Indian bowling line up. Our common goal was always to ensure that the West Indies team did well. There was some healthy competition between us but we always focussed on success for the team and we worked very well in tandem.
We were really good friends off the field too which helped with things on the field.
PakPassion.net : What did the pre match banter between you and Curtley usually revolve around when it came to the opposition batsmen?
Courtney Walsh : Yes there was plenty of discussion around the opposition batsmen and what we were looking to do. We'd think about which one of us stood the best chance of getting who out and work things out between us.
There were always plenty of discussions at the team meetings but away from the team meetings, we fast bowlers always used to like to have our own discussions on particular opposition players. This worked very well for us as we were generally on the same wavelength.
PakPassion.net : You had many wonderful seasons at Gloucestershire where you are still remembered fondly. These days it seems that overseas cricketers just come and go for a season or so and there seems to be very little loyalty?
Courtney Walsh : Yes there seems to be a lot of changes in personnel when it comes to overseas players in County cricket these days. I played at Gloucestershire for 14 years and it was the only County side that I played for. I was one of the very few overseas players who just played with one County. I really enjoyed my time there and I always did my best to get the County moving up. It was a wonderful experience and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I look back at those days with great satisfaction and pride.
PakPassion.net : Over the years fast bowlers have always had a word or two of advice for the opposition batsmen. It would seem that sledging is part of a fast bowler's armoury, but you rarely resorted to sledging, why was that?
Courtney Walsh : My philosophy was simple in that I wanted to let the ball do the talking. I thought that was important and I always backed my skills and I backed myself to get the job done. Once I had the ball in my hand and working for me, then I had enough confidence to get the job done. For me it was always a case of less talking, more action.
PakPassion.net : Which is your most memorable Test match and why was it so memorable?
Courtney Walsh : The most memorable Test match for me personally was the one where I took 13 for 55 against New Zealand in February 1995 at Wellington and we went on to win that Test match. It remains a special match for me as it was the highest number of wickets that I got in one Test match in my career.
Another Test match that was special for the team was the one where we won by 1 run against Australia in 1993 at Adelaide. That was an amazing match that will live long in the memory of everyone who watched it and all the players who took part in it. It was a huge relief when I took the last wicket of Craig McDermott after he and Tim May had added 40 runs. There was some serious celebrating after that win.
PakPassion.net : And which was your most memorable Test wicket and why was that wicket so special?
Courtney Walsh : The wicket that took me past Kapil Dev's Test wickets record. It was my 435th wicket and the batsman was Henry Olonga. It was a special moment as I took the wicket at my home ground Sabina Park, Jamaica. Kapil sent me a congratulatory message after I broke his record which was nice of him.
Also another really memorable wicket was my 500th Test wicket which was a batsman a bit better than Henry Olonga and that was Jacques Kallis in Trinidad. That was an unforgettable moment too and those are moments that I will always cherish for as long as I live.
PakPassion.net : Throughout your career you played in many great cricket stadia. Any ones in particular that you have fond memories of?
Courtney Walsh : Sabina Park in Jamaica which of course is my home ground was always special for me. The home fans always backed me greatly at Sabina Park and gave me a great reception. It always felt good playing there. The Kensington Oval in Barbados is another ground that I enjoyed playing at. The atmosphere was always good and the crowd always gave the home team vociferous support.
Outside of the Caribbean, I always enjoyed playing cricket in Australia, particularly in Perth and Brisbane largely due to the nature of the wickets there, the bounce and the pace which I really liked. I thoroughly enjoyed bowling on those wickets.
Lords always was special for any cricketer and it remains that way. Playing there was a great occasion and I always wanted to do well at Lords.
Another ground that will always hold special memories is Wellington where as mentioned previously I took my career best Test match figures of 13 for 55.
The aforementioned are grounds that stood out for me throughout my career and where I really enjoyed playing my cricket.
PakPassion.net : You came up against plenty of good Pakistani batsmen during your career. Any in particular who you thought were tough adversaries and stand out for you?
Courtney Walsh : Javed Miandad is the first name that springs to mind. He was someone who didn't have the flair of his team mates but he was a master batsman, he was a craftsman and very tough to dismiss.
The other one I would say was later in my career, Inzamam ul Haq who came through into the Test side after Javed, but was an excellent batsman too. Again someone who made you as a bowler really earn his wicket.
PakPassion.net : The West Indies were at the height of their power when you played for them. What was it like coming up against some of the opposition batsmen who knew they would be facing a fearsome pace attack, did you ever sense fear in the eyes of the opposition batsmen?
Courtney Walsh : Yes sometimes it was quite intimidating for them. We were the dominant side and playing a brand of exciting and fearless cricket. Some batsmen were intimidated by us and when we turned up at some grounds we could see the fear in the batsmen's eyes. That was good for us and made our jobs slightly easier.
PakPassion.net : Take us back to the incident in 1987 in Lahore during the World Cup in Pakistan when you could have run Saleem Jaffar out at the non striker's end when he was backing up too far and won the match for the West Indies. Pakistan went onto win the match and qualify for the semi finals, any regrets now?
Courtney Walsh : Well he (Saleem Jaffar) was backing up too far and he was looking to steal a single. If I didn't believe in the spirit of the game I could have run him out, but that wasn't the way I was brought up to play my cricket.
I have absolutely no regrets about what I did. If the same thing happened to me today I would not run the player out without warning him.
PakPassion.net : Let's talk about the current standard of fast bowling. Any guys out there who impress you and what are your general observations regarding modern day fast bowlers?
Courtney Walsh : There are a few quicks out there who look good. But there seems to be a lack of consistency from the modern day fast bowlers. Dale Steyn though is one fast bowler that impresses me. He is a fast bowler who day in, day out bowls well. He is the most consistent out of all the fast bowlers playing at the moment and his strike rate - which is important as a fast bowler - is impressive.
Australia look as if they are starting to produce some good quicks once again. But I don't think the overall quality is there at the moment in cricket when it comes to fast bowling. Looking back, nearly every team had at least a couple of genuine quicks and these days there are just a handful of what I would term genuine fast bowlers of real quality. I don't think it's a great phase for fast bowling at the moment.
PakPassion.net : Any quick bowlers apart from Dale Steyn that impress you?
Courtney Walsh : I liked the look of James Pattinson on debut. He came out and looked as if he meant business. He showed good attitude, bowled with good pace and aggression and I think he has the look of a fast bowler who could make great strides. I was very impressed with his debut and it will be very very interesting to see how he develops. I'm looking forward to seeing him come to the West Indies and see how he does in the Caribbean.
PakPassion.net : Your thoughts on the current crop of West Indian fast bowlers?
Courtney Walsh : Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor have impressed me. They have shown that they have potential but the fitness levels are a major concern. You cannot take wickets if you are not on the field of play. It's down to them to get their fitness levels higher and maintain those levels.
What the West Indies needs is for all of these quick bowlers to be available for selection together and for all three of them to be fit and on the field together for a sustained period of time. We need Fidel, Kemar and Jerome at the top of their game, fit and ready and that is what has been lacking.
We need all of these boys fit and raring to go and it will definitely help the team to perform better and win more games.
PakPassion.net : We hear all the time that world cricket needs a strong West Indies side. However in recent times we haven't seen the West Indies team struggle. Where is it going wrong at the moment in your opinion?
Courtney Walsh : We just have not been playing good and consistent cricket. It's something we are working on and there are signs of improvement. For example the first Test in India is one that I felt we could have done much better. But the key is to improve our levels of consistency and to raise the standards of performance from all of the players. Consistency in performance remains the key for the current West Indies team.
PakPassion.net : It's a travesty that Chris Gayle is not currently featuring for the West Indies. Your thoughts on the Gayle versus WICB affair?
Courtney Walsh : I would love to see Chris Gayle back in West Indies colours. Both parties need to move on, forget what has happened and for the sake of West Indies cricket to move forward and leave what's happened in the past.
Chris is a good friend, he is someone who I have coached a little in the past when he first started playing cricket and he went to the same school as I. We need Chris back on the field for the West Indies. It will be a huge lift for everyone involved in West Indies cricket when Chris takes the field again for the West Indies.
PakPassion.net : A few pundits and fans around the world are saying that Darren Sammy isn't the right man to be leading the West Indies side. Your thoughts on Sammy as skipper?
Courtney Walsh : I fully endorse Darren Sammy as captain. I think he's doing a fantastic job. Yes his form has not been tremendous and has dipped a little of late but I think he is doing a good job as captain. You cannot question his performances in the Test arena. In one day internationals recently he picked up an injury and didn't fully recover from it, but I have no problems at all with Darren Sammy as captain.
PakPassion.net : Shoaib Akhtar was an enigma. A mercurial talent who wasn't seen on the cricket field enough. Your thoughts on Shoaib and his career?
Courtney Walsh : Too many injuries hampered his career and not playing cricket consistently was another problem. He was very exciting to watch with his long run up and he looked like he was going to be someone who was going to trouble batsmen throughout his career, but sadly that wasn't to be. He didn't always focus on cricket and did not do as well as I think he could have for Pakistan.
PakPassion.net : We are seeing Twenty20 cricket becoming hugely popular around the world. It wasn't a format that you played in and some are worried about the future of Test cricket. Your thoughts on the future of Test cricket?
Courtney Walsh : Test cricket is the number one format and I sincerely hope that it remains that way. I'm sorry that I never got the chance to play the Twenty over format as I'm sure I would have enjoyed it. No bowler likes to see the ball flying to the boundary on a regular basis but the challenge would have been a good one. Twenty20 brings the fans to the stadia, it puts people on seats but there has to be some caution here as overkill can put the fans off too.
PakPassion.net : What can the ICC and the Cricket Boards around the world do to ensure that Test cricket retains its status as the number one format?
Courtney Walsh : I think it's important to set up the Test championship so that teams can compete for the number one spot in a play off every 2 or 3 years or however long the ICC want to hold the play off. That battle for the number one spot will add extra interest and more intensity. It will also add more interest from a fan's perspective. The Test championship really needs to be implemented soon by the ICC.
PakPassion.net : Your own future, do tell us all what your plans are?
Courtney Walsh : I'm still involved in West Indies cricket. I worked with the West Indies Under 19s on their last couple of tours. I want to play an active part in helping West Indies cricket in future and I want to help West Indies cricket in any way I can.
I want to put something back into West Indies cricket. From working with the Under 19s if that leads to working with one of the regional teams then that will be great too.
However if things don't work out at home, then I have to go overseas to continue working in cricket and to develop my coaching, then I am prepared to do that also.
PakPassion.net : Many thanks for your time today Courtney.
Courtney Walsh : My pleasure.
