Cricket is now a ‘sissy’s game’, no aggression left: Andy Roberts | Cricket - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Cricket is now a ‘sissy’s game’, no aggression left: Andy Roberts

Hindustan Times, Antigua | By
Jun 30, 2017 08:41 PM IST

Andy Roberts, the Antigua’s leader of the lethal West Indies bowling quartet in the 1970s and 80s, says cricket is becoming a ‘sissy’s game’ as the administrators are doing their best to weed out aggression.

While the entire Caribbean is going gaga over Alzarri Joseph, who appears a rare positive emerging from the region, fellow Antiguan and former West Indies fast bowling great Andy Roberts refuses to even consider him an out and out fast bowler.

Andy Roberts took 202 wickets in 47 Tests for the West Indies.(Popperfoto/Getty Images)
Andy Roberts took 202 wickets in 47 Tests for the West Indies.(Popperfoto/Getty Images)

“He is not fast. No, he is not fast. He bowls medium pace at 85 and 86 miles. What some of these guys need to do is speak to people, especially those from the past, and learn about their methods of training which made them bowl quick,” says Roberts.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

(Read | Cricket Australia says it’s too late to sign new MOU with players’ body)

Joseph, 20, was a member of the squad which beat India in the final of the 2016 U-19 World Cup and graduated to the senior side soon after.

Killing aggression

Roberts, the Antigua’s leader of the lethal West Indies bowling quartet in the 1970s and 80s, says cricket is becoming a ‘sissy’s game’ as the administrators are doing their best to weed out aggression.

(Read | Rahul Dravid to continue as India A and Under-19 coach)

“We don’t have enough pacers in the world. No one’s bowling fast because rules for short-pitched bowling have changed, batsmen are fully protected. The rules of the game are cutting aggression. You cannot even stare hard at the batsmen else they would fine you. They are taking all the aggression out of the game.

“What part of cricket is gentle? Let me ask you, women are playing, is it a female’s game? No. People who make all these rules make them sissy’s game,” he adds.

(Read | Joe Root says ready to lead England after being Alastair Cook’s understudy)

“As a spectator what do you like to see, aggression between batsman and a fast bowler. Cricket, when I played, wasn’t for the chicken-hearted, it was for people with a lion’s heart. Not anymore.”

The pace leader

Roberts, 66, took 202 wickets in a nine-year Test career from 1974, the spearhead of Clive Lloyd’s ploy to win matches with an all-out pace attack.

Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Winston Davis and Colin Croft all spread fear among the finest batsmen of the time.

(Read | Bishan Singh Bedi slams Sourav Ganguly over Anil Kumble incident. This is why)

The game has undergone transformation over the years and training methods of the bowlers too have changed. Gym work has become an integral part of the game. There are trainers who lay emphasis on that during off-season.

However, Roberts, a longtime critic of this method, reiterates the need to pay attention to the basics. “I have been asking all along, why do you need the gym? To build muscles? But is fast bowling about muscles, or is it about strength? You build strength only through running and speaking about the West Indies pacers, I think they are not doing enough running.

Not connected to the game

“Who are the ones bringing in all these types of training? Someone who has not played the game.”

(Read | Barry Richards calls on AB De Villiers to quit captaincy)

Roberts says they are making a big issue out of burnout, but the fact is they don’t have enough strength.

“They may be playing more matches but they are spending less time on the field. T20 is four overs, ODIs are less and less now, it is 10 overs. In a Test match, you could bowl as many as 20-25 overs a day. Yeah, there are too many matches but (bowlers are) not spending time on field. They are bowling as much. We would play back-to-back ODIs, sometimes they’d fit in an ODI on the rest day. But now there is a gap.”

Stay updated with the latest Cricket News, IPL Live Scores, and get exclusive insights with the RR vs DC Live Score, IPL 2024 Schedule, match highlights, and more. Explore a comprehensive Cricket Schedule, track the race for the Purple Cap and Orange Cap in IPL 2024, check Virat Kohli performance and stay ahead with all the cricket-related updates on the Hindustan Times website and app.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On