Curtly Ambrose
'He demolished batting line-ups when it mattered'
Part seven: Allan Donald picks the most intimidating bowlers he has watched. This week: Curtly Ambrose
Produced by: Gokul Chakravarthy; Interviewer: Nagraj Gollapudi
Related:
- Players/Officials : Curtly Ambrose
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I love Allan Donald. Legendary pacer, committed team man and generous coach. But his memory could be playing tricks here. He says Ambrose "hit him square on the head and get him out and then telling him where to go and stick the sweat band was brilliant… brilliant footage". I am not sure if all this happened. In that game he is talking about, Curtly did take 5-32 after Deano fired him up unintentionally. But Jones was not one of the five victims. Also, I don't recall Ambrose speaking anything rudely, actually anything at all, to any opposition cricketer ever. I don't think Donald was intentionally embellishing an already great anecdote. It is just probably what he would have done to Deano if he were the bowler.
In my all time world XI - stupendously good bowler and proud man. Respect.
He's my fav out of all fast bowlers ever. In 92-93 the Windies were playing awful, save from some Brian Lara magic in Sydney, and Allan Border thought he had the series won. Then Curtly said no. He suddenly became completely unplayable in the finals of the one-dayers and took I think 17 wickets in the final two test matches, including a spell in Perth of 7 wickets for 1 run. When experts pick their finest sides of all time and they pick their bowling line-ups of Lillee, Warne, Barnes or whoever, and pair them with a Bradman lead batting line-up, I just stop and think of the names of Holding, Marshall, Garner and Ambrose and wonder, do you think you've still got the best bowling line-up and how sure are you that Bradman is still going to be invincible? I would take an all-time West Indies team over an all-time best of the rest (I know that's ridiculous so just forgive me and think of some names)
Resembled a computerized bowling machine like few other paceman.What he lacked in pure pace or variety he compensated with phenomenal accuracy and consistency.No paceman of his ear was as relentless.Above all Ambrose bore the brunt of a weak batting team.
It was a photo-finish between Glen Mcgrath,Wasim Akram and Curtly Ambroes.However Ambrose was the ultimate match-winner particularly when defending low targets.He was the best bad wicket paceman of all time as he showed on deteriorating tracks in 4th innings.
Arguably he was more lethal than even Malcolm Marshall on Australian tracks.What may have gone against him is that he lacked the variety for sub -continent pitches.Neverthless he posessed a trajectory of his own.It was really sad that we never saw him on a test tour of India like his partner Courtney Walsh.
One of the most competitive and hostile cricketers ever who resembled a shark pouncing on his prey in full cry .
Curtly Ambrose was the most accurate and relentless pace bowler of his era.No paceman of his time could produce such steep bounce or bowl as well in 4th innings on deteriorating tracks.He was a connoction of the qualities of Holding,Roberts and Garner combining pace with agression,variety and lethal accuracy.Above all he was the best match-winner amongst great paceman of his era which he proved in his devastating match-winning spells in test matches like at Barbados versus England in 1990, at Perth in 1992-93 ,in Barbados in 1992 against South Africa against England in 1994 at Trinidad and in Melbourne in the 3rd test in 1996-97.His 7-1 at Perth in 1992-93 is arguably the best bowling spell ever displayed in Australia.He was a genius in defending low 4th innings targets and could run through a batting line up like rolling nine pins.
Unfortunately never proved himself like partner Walsh on the sub-continent tracks.The best paceman I have seen on bad wickets.
My favourite cricketer of all time, bar none. With King Curt, unplayable was everyday.
What Hayden said about Curtly Ambrose sums it up for me: "Curtly was the best opposition bowler I ever faced by far. You were always under pressure with him. Did he bowl a bad over ... ever? A bad ball? A full toss? I'm sure he did, but it never seemed that way when you were facing him". LEGEND!
One of the most mightiest fast bowler of the world cricket.He is the batsman nightmare.Do not know the world cricket can see this kind of fast bowler.You can say he is a true complete fast bowler.
Just watched all seven episodes in one sitting. Great stuff. Enjoying it immensely.
I remember all too well the spell that triggered England's 46 all out in the 94 series. Me and my old man watching and hoping that we'd knock off a reasonably small target, but when Curtly was in the mood there really wasn't much you could do.
It's worth remembering for all those who thought the Aussie dominance of the late 90s and early 2000's made them the best team of all time - it took them until 1995 to knock the Windies off their perch, and that was 10 years past their peak. The reason they held on to top spot for so long? Curtly and Courtney - what a great pair of bowlers