West Indies Cricket Fans Forum
SA coach appointment an insult to Windies pace bowling legacy – Roberts
WEST INDIES bowling great Andy Roberts has taken exception to the appointment of South African bowling coach Alfonso Thomas, branding the move as a show of ‘contempt’ towards former players.
Thomas was appointed to the post last week on the heels of the dismissal of former Barbadian bowling coach Roddy Estwick.
Estwick had previously replaced another bowling legend Curtly Ambrose, but upon his dismissal Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dave Cameron indicated that the new coach would be from abroad.
Roberts, who took 202 Test wickets for the West Indies, seems to be of the opinion that CWI had plenty of former regional players to choose from – the team once known for its fearsome fast bowling.
“The hurtful part is that our nation dominated Test cricket for 15 consecutive years (1980 to 1995 when West Indies did not lose a single Test series) and this decision (of selecting a South African bowling coach with no Test experience) shows that there is some contempt towards West Indies players by the Board,” Garner told mid-day.com.
“Nothing about West Indies’ cricket administration surprises me anymore – it’s only the players’ performance on the field.”
Another former fast bowler Joel Garner is a member of the board and several past players have previously served in varied capacities for several years. Roberts was a member of the selection panel in 2008.
(Sportsmax)
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