THE Caribbean has a long and proud history of producing great fast bowlers.
“Smell the leather,” they like to say as another bouncer whistles past a batsman’s nose.
There was Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith in the 1960s and the Windies ruled the world in the 1980s with a battery of pacemen unmatched by any country in any era.
Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Colin Croft brought terror to opposing teams with a mixture of bruised bodies and splintered stumps.
So what about the current generation?
Can the Windies fast bowlers of 2019 inflict punishment on Joe Root and his team in the three-Test series, which starts in Barbados today?
Here is a look at what the Windies have to offer…
Kemar Roach
AT 30-years-old and with 50 Tests behind him, Roach is the most experienced of the Windies quicks and the leader of their attack.
When he first played, Roach was explosively quick and forced Aussie legend Ricky Ponting to retire hurt in one of his early Tests.
He is not tall – 5ft 10ins – but was skiddy and batsmen struggled to avoid his short deliveries.
But shoulder surgery caused a reduction in speed and he struggled so badly at one stage that he took just nine wickets in a run of eight Tests. He was dropped.
He is back now – wiser, slower but with more skill and control.
Shannon Gabriel
GABRIEL is a big bruiser of a fast bowler with a muscular physique that wouldn’t look out of place in the heavyweight boxing ring.
He made his Test debut against England at Lord’s in 2012 and always had plenty of speed. But now Gabriel has added fitness and accuracy – so he can bowl at top speed for longer.
He has played 40 Tests with an average under 30 and is a bowler whose improvement remains on an upward curve.
Gabriel will fancy his chances with the new ball against England’s still unproven opening pair of Rory Burns and Keaton Jennings.
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Alzarri Joseph
WHILE still a teenager, Joseph helped West Indies win a World Cup. OK, not the main World Cup but the Under-19 version.
He was a star of their triumph in that tournament in 2016.
Joseph impressed many people including his fellow islander Sir Curtly Ambrose, who said: “You are from Antigua, I am from Antigua and I am proud.”
Joseph has found the transition into senior international cricket not without a few bumps but his promise is undeniable. Aged 22, he is still learning.
Joseph suffered a stress fracture of the back last year which must be managed carefully. Uncapped fast bowler Oshane Thomas is in the squad as cover.
Oshane Thomas
SIMILAR in build to the powerful Gabriel, Thomas made a big impression in his debut white ball matches for West Indies in India late last year.
Even on those slow pitches, he hurried several of the Indian batsmen.
Now it will surely not be long before he plays Test cricket.
In fact, if the Windies medics are sufficiently worried about Alzarri Joseph’s back to rule him out, Thomas will make his debut in Barbados this week.
He is aged 21, from Jamaica and has genuine pace.
Jason Holder
HOLDER is a quick bowling all-rounder but it is his role as captain in which he most impresses.
He is a calm, articulate figure in West Indies cricket, which is sometimes beset by inter-island rivalries and near-civil war.
Holder is universally respected and has chosen to stick with the Windies while many others have joined the lucrative global T20 circuit.
As a bowler, Holder is not as quick as the rest but he possesses skill, guile and a big heart.
At 6ft 7ins, he can extract steepling bounce, too. As a batsman, he is good enough to have scored two centuries in 35 Tests.
Oh, and the Windies have spinners, too
JOMEL WARRICAN is a left-arm spinner with decent control and 21 wickets in his fledgling seven-Test career.
Royston Chase bowls off-spinners and gets in the Windies Test team for his batting, which has brought four centuries in 26 Tests.
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/how-the-west-indies-pace-bowlers-of-today-compares-to-their-fearsome-counterparts-from-yesteryear-ahead-of-england-tests/
News Photo How the West Indies pace bowlers of today compares to their fearsome counterparts from yesteryear ahead of England Tests
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