Former West Indies fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose rates India's Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah as two among the world's best fast bowlers.
The 60-year old ex-right arm fast bowler, who has 630 international wickets (405 in Tests and 225 in ODIs', he has not played T-20I as he retired from international cricket in 2000) was speaking to an India-born cancer specialist Nilesh Mehta living in the USA.
"He (Ambrose) rated Shami and Bumrah the best fast bowlers India has produced in recent times. According to Ambrose, Bumrah, who has recently recovered from his long injury, is different (in his bowling action). Ambrose believes that he has never seen a bowler like that before, Bumrah is highly effective. There are quite a few other good bowers also".
"Another bowler who has impressed Ambrose is Australia's Pat Cummins. Pat Cummins is a decent bowler. He does not have any extra pace, but he bowls well".
"Ambrose now watches cricket a bit, He does not watch it as much as most people do. Even when he was playing, he didn’t watch it much. He takes a little peek to see what’s happening, and goes to a corner, plays some music in his ears, and just relaxes because he finds watching cricket for an extended period makes him tired".
Ambrose, however, loves to coach and commentate.
"Ambrose's overall assessment of WI cricket on my radio show was primarily focusing around the kind of pitches being made in the West Indies. We cannot make pitches which are "low and slow" - We need to make bouncier pitches which would play to our strengths. He is not against T20 cricket but for him the real deal is Test cricket. His passion for music is unparalleled as he continues to regularly perform at the Sandals Resort in Antigua".
"He is not a big fan of Indian food. As far as coaching is concerned, he feels that "man"management is very important. It is important to understand the player and then guide him or her in cricket", concludes Dr. Mehta.
