All cricketing students attending any campus within the region stand to benefit from the expertise of West Indies legend and International Cricket Council Hall of Famer Curtly Ambrose.
The fast bowling giant has been engaged to provide cricketing direction for the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) squad taking part in the Regional Four-Day competition.
In addition to the 14 members of that squad, players will be sourced from throughout the region to tap into the vast reservoir of knowledge and self-belief of the Antiguan.
In making the announcement yesterday at the 3Ws Oval, Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, said he was extendng a royal welcome to a man who exuded excellence on the field and who he believed would bring that same level of excellence to CCC.
Sir Hilary said that with the adjustment to the regional competition where the territories had first choice of their players, the CCC needed someone of the magnitude of Ambrose to help them through its yearly turbulence.
He added that, even so, he felt proud when CCC players advanced to their regional sides and later the West Indies as that indicated their vision was being realized and West Indies cricket was resurging.
The principal stressed it was critical that for West Indies to reclaim their prominence in world cricket the youngsters must have people of the stature of Ambrose to learn from as well as to avoid developing a culture of losing.
In defending 39-year-old Floyd Reifer’s continued position in the CCC team, Sir Hilary, whose specialty is history, said that traditional history in the Caribbean showed that our best teams contained elder statesmen to guide the youngsters and upcoming stars.
“When Floyd’s passion for the game is no longer there, he and we shall know and he will be replaced by another apt leader,” he said.
Ambrose, whose first game assignment will be against his home side, the Leewards Islands, tomorrow at 3Ws Oval, said he was commissioned by CCC and was fully committed to developing the bowlers and batsmen, as he also knew something about batting.
“This team has some talented players and I know we can win games at the regional level and even go on to win the regional championship.
“I want to help to develop a team of winners. I want to be part of a winning team with a winning culture.
“I also want to help develop players to go on and represent the West Indies with distinction. That is the ultimate goal. It cannot get any higher than that,” he said.
Ambrose represented the West Indies between 1988 and 2000 and is one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game.
He played 98 Test matches and took 405 wickets at 20.99 runs apiece. In 176 One-Day Internationals, he took 225 wickets at an average of 24.12 each with an economy rate of 3.48.
