HE approaches the table with a languid ease. At 6ft 7ins, Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose is as long as his name.
At 60, though, he is a benign presence. It was not always so. Once viewed from 22 yards down the pitch, he was a fast bowler who could freeze the blood with a justifiable fear.
The West Indian giant took 405 Test wickets in a top-level career that began in Georgetown against Pakistan in 1988 and ended against England at the Oval in 2000.
He was not only a fearsome bowler but a reluctant subject for any interview. His mantra was: ‘Curtly talk to no man’.
Almost a quarter of a century after his fast, accurate bowling reduced the opposition to rubble, he has mellowed. Mail Sport caught up with him in Glasgow where he was promoting his island of Antigua, which is part of the West Indian hosting of the T20 World Cup.
Ambrose, still lithe, sits down and stretches himself gently into a conversation where he touches on what made the West Indies the greatest cricket team in the world for 15 years, how his homeland has subsequently suffered in the sport and the enduring appeal of sporting rivalry.
Curtly Ambrose celebrates the wicket of Scotland captain Alec Salmond in in 1999
Ambrose was in relaxed mood as he toured the UK recently to promote his island of Antigua
He is forgivably vague on his matches against Scotland and of their chances in the World Cup. One suspects that games against the Scots will not feature on Ambrose highlights reels, particularly set against a six for 24 against England in Trinidad in 1993-94 and a seven for 1 (yes, you read that correctly) against Australia in 1992.
In 1999, during the World Cup in England, Scotland faced the might of the West Indies, with Ambrose and Courtney Walsh the devastating double attack.
Scotland reached 68 all out in a chastening defeat. ‘I do remember that,’ says Ambrose. ‘Someone just said I also played against Scotland when I was with Northamptonshire. But I don’t remember that one.’
Of the World Cup meeting, he says softly: ‘Sixty-eight. I knew we won the game but I didn’t remember the scores. So they got a lot of runs…’
Mercifully, Scottish cricket has improved considerably in the 21st Century and Ambrose welcomes the progression.
‘Yes, they’re doing a lot better. And I’m just so pleased as, in the past, teams like Scotland or Ireland — the lesser teams as people put it — were usually a walkover. Nowadays not so.
Ambrose roars his delight after Salmond is caught by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs for one run
Scotland’s Mike Smith takes evasive action to avoid Ambrose’s first bouncer of the day in 1999
‘These teams have improved so much. They are now winning games against the bigger teams. That’s very good for cricket and for me that’s very pleasing.’
Ambrose, of course, was part of one of the greatest teams of all times. The West Indies were a brilliant, aggressive group whose dominance in cricket for 15 years led them to be considered as one of the greatest sides across all sport.
What made them so formidable?
‘First thing. We come from different islands and backgrounds,’ he says. ‘So you have to make a West Indian team of different cultures, different backgrounds and different personalities. People thought that it wouldn’t work because of those factors and different rivalries and things. But once we came together as a West Indies team, we put away all those rivalries between islands for one common cause. So that is why we are so successful.
‘I am from Antigua but I never let my Antiguan roots cause problems for someone from Barbados or Jamaica,’ he says. ‘We knew that we were there to support the West Indies and the five to six million of us. That really kept us going.’
He was, of course, part of a stellar group that not only boasted the greatest fast bowling attack ever but batsmen of the calibre of Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge, all under the peerless leadership of Clive Lloyd.
Ambrose is widely acknowledged as one of the finest fast bowlers in the history of the sport
While not renowned for his batting abilities, Ambrose could occasionally flash some flair shots
‘I have to give Clive Lloyd a lot of credit,’ he says. ‘He moulded so many good players into one unit despite all the egos, as some of those guys were larger than life. Clive did well to mould that all together and then we were able to continue that trend all the way through. As a West Indian nation we were very proud, so we wanted to be the best.
‘Look at the other big nations — we are very small in comparison. We were small but we were the best. So to rule the world for 15 years unbeaten — that, to me, was tremendous. That is something you can never forget.’
The West Indies’ fortunes have slumped in recent years and Ambrose is not shy to apportion blame.
‘We are not playing well. That has been the case for a number of years,’ he says. ‘There are many different reasons why that’s happening. One of the main ones is that Cricket West Indies — and territorial boards as well — didn’t really put anything in place to nurture the talent that we have. There were no academies or that kind of thing.
‘They probably thought we would just continue to produce great cricketers. But other nations have academies in place, are nurturing young talent and have improved. They’ve gone ahead of us now. And we’ve paid a heavy price for not looking into the future.’
He adds: ‘The talent is there but sadly we’re not playing well. That saddens me as we have a rich legacy. We were unbeaten in Test series for 15 years. That was unheard of in any sport. To see where we are now is not a nice feeling. I’m just hoping they can start to put things in place to nurture these young cricketers so we can get back somewhere near the top of the tree, really. It won’t be easy but we can do it as long as the proper structures are in place.’
The West Indies legend kept our man Hugh and an eager Scottish press fully entertained
Scotland captain Richie Berrington lines up with rivals skippers from a daunting T20 Group B
Ambrose even turned his hand to playing guitar as he charmed audiences on his tour of the UK
Ambrose is very proud, however, that West Indies are hosting a World Cup.
‘It’s very exciting,’ he says. ‘I’ve had the privilege of travelling to many parts of the world to play cricket and I can tell you that cricket in the Caribbean — the atmosphere and everything else — is totally different to anywhere else. I’m looking forward to it and the Scotland fans will enjoy it. Believe me.’
The total West Indian population is on a par with Scotland, even if the respective cricketing achievements hardly match up.
‘Who knows? Maybe Scotland will get the chance to rule the world one day, too,’ says Ambrose. ‘Maybe in the T20s or in the one-day games. You never know.’
He held rivalries tightly in his fist as he faced great sides in his career. It energised him to cut a swathe through opposition batsmen.
Scotland open their tournament against England on Tuesday. ‘Oh I know all about that rivalry,’ he says with a smile.
He then stretches his frame and walks towards a stage where he will play bass guitar in a band. It is, though, just possible to imagine he is striding back to begin yet another run-up. This scenario retains the power to excite.
