Courtney Walsh backs decision to open with spinner

Former West Indies great Courtney Walsh has attributed most of his 500 plus wickets to sheer pace. A genuine West Indies individual with genuine pace, Walsh sent shivers down the spines of many batsmen during his 16-year spell with cricket. However, with spin taking over and claiming most of the wickets of late, pace bowling has taken somewhat of a backseat.

Speaking exclusively to Cricbuzz, Walsh welcomed the idea of opening the bowling with the likes of Sunil Narine. Although Walsh stated that the sport has changed a lot since he was a player, the strategies require innovations.

“It absolutely doesn’t. I think Sunil is one of best in the world and he has the skills to excel at the highest level. Cricket has changed a lot in past two decades and it’s not that Sunil is the only spinner who has opened the bowling for a team. It all started with Deepak Patel and it is still continuing. I think when a skipper sets his strategy, he looks at his options and if he chooses to offer the new ball to Sunil, he must do it. It all depends on what conditions you are playing in and you must respond to its demand.”

Speaking about Dale Steyn, Walsh agreed with former Aussie pacer Glenn McGrath in stating that Dale Steyn is a complete bowler in the scheme of things at the moment.

“Yes, I also think so. Dale has been unfortunate to be haunted by injuries in the recent past but I think he is a complete fast bowler in the world at the moment.”

With the India-West Indies series back on, Courtney Walsh wasted no time in congratulating both boards on their achievement. He also added that Jasprit Bumrah would have to come up with a lot more variations and much more consistency should he be selected for the Indian Test squad.

“I’m part of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and there can’t be any good news than this. I congratulate both the boards for taking such a remarkable initiative and I welcome the decision. Both the nations have rich cricket history and I think the new series will boost cricket in the Caribbean.”

“He has potential but I don’t think he’ll excel in Test cricket unless he gets variations. You won’t survive in Tests only depending on your yorkers. It’s a good skill to have but in Test cricket, a fast bowler’s success depends on how he puts all the things together.”

Finally, Walsh conceded that the players enjoyed the T20 format and attributed the IPL for giving the Windies players opportunities to revel in this format.

“I think most of the players have been playing in the IPL from the beginning and they enjoy this format very much. They have improved a lot in terms of adapting to conditions, shot innovations and bowling genuine yorkers. We have done well in this format and it has a lot to do with our players’ participation in the IPL.”