"There is Darren Bravo, a Brian Lara look alike, who is ready to take the bull by the horns," Gus says.

In the course of an exclusive interview with Gus Logie, who was in Pune recently for a practice match between his U-19 Bermuda and Maharashtra Cricket Association at Hindu Gymkhana Grounds, he said all is not lost for West Indies cricket, it would soon be world beaters. Excerpts:

Q: What is the future of West Indies cricket?

A: Nothing is lost as of yet. West Indies cricket is not impoverished. We have some good players in the side. They are young and inexperienced. We have to give them at least some time for winning. Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarawan, John Taylor, Dwayne Bravo and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul have been on the scene for quite sometime and they had been doing exceptionally well. I am confident West Indies would soon bounce back to No. 1 position which their predecessors had held for more than 18 years.

Q: We have known all these players. Can you speak about youngsters whom the world hardly knows?

A: There are lots of them. There is Jacobs, who has adapted Sarawan’s style. We have left-handed Kieron Powell. Trinidadian Adrian Barret is a real star. Darren Bravo, brother of Dwayne Bravo and Lara look alike, is another star in the making. So we have a good crop of youngsters emerging.


Q: Many attribute the West Indies’ dismal performance in cricket to the advent of basketball. Would you buy this theory?

A: I don’t buy this theory at all. Cricket is still the most sought-after and popular game in West Indies. Since we get to see a lot of basketball games on television, people believe that the sport is catching youngsters’ imagination. However, I do believe passion for cricket has been on the wane a bit because of the West Indies’ dismal performance.

Q: We don’t see the likes of Malcom Marshall, Andy Roberts and Michel Holding anymore. Why is West Indies not producing fast bowlers?

A: We have had a legacy of fast bowlers. Except Marshall, all our fast bowlers were huge and well-built (Michel Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh to name a few). We, presently have short-statured bowlers. And there is a huge difference when they deliver the ball. More than anything else, pitches have played a spoilsport for not producing quick bowlers. There are similar pitches all over West Indies which assists spinners and batsmen. In my days, there were different pitches. Barbados and Jamaica wickets were famous for bounce and Trinidad for spin. There was variety that encouraged fast and slow bowlers. Moreover, our fast bowlers hardly get any chance to play county cricket in England. Nevertheless, we have some good young fast bowlers coming up. Lionel Baker is a promising lad.

Q: Going by your team’s record of the last three years, one gets the feeling that there is something terribly wrong with West Indian cricket. How would you respond?

A: We have forgotten the art of winning. We are just competing. And that is not enough. We have been telling our players to set higher standards and work hard for improved results. Anyway, we have not been beaten at home in the past 21 years, except once.

Q: Has ICC helped to improve cricket in West Indies?

A: We have certainly gained from the ICC. It allowed us to conduct the World Cup. This has borne us good results. I believe the West Indies Cricket Board has enough money to improve the sport. And I believe they can do it.

Q: What about the sponsorship? Has it been satisfactory?

A: Yes, when you compare with the Indian cricket team. We don’t have wealth like India, but we get fairly good sponsorship. It is up to the different governments in the West Indies to improve cricket by providing state-of-the-art facilities like floodlights, bouncy pitches and indoor amenities.