Andy Roberts, the pace giant of West Indies, believes that Bangladesh should shake off the idea that they would not be able to produce genuine fast bowlers. He thinks that the country is capable of sprouting quick bowlers; therefore, they should evade any sort of negative attitude. A press briefing was arranged in Navana Tower, the newly built office of BCB, where this former pace demon shared his ideas with the journalists present there.

Roberts, who came to guide the bowlers of Bangladesh-A and Under-19, is quite optimistic about Bangladeshi pace bowlers. He came here to run a fifteen-day crush program on fast bowling and he found latent talents among his students who may appear as real fast bowlers if properly groomed.

He believes that Bangladeshi journalists should cut off their rotten idea that the boys here are physically too poor to bowl at 90- miles per hour. Kowshik and Talha, the due of Under-19, are quite fast and they are going to emerge as fearsome bowlers for the country within two or three years. He firmly believes they are going to get the ability to generate pace nearing 90 miles per hour soon.

He spoke from a different angle that real quickies don't need very good height always. Fast bowling has nothing to do with height or the strength of shoulders, a physic does not bowl fast he believes. Attitude should come first and then the power of the legs. Most of the real quickies of the world don't possess a very good height Malcolm Marshall, Lillie or Imran were barely six-footers.

He refuted the journalists saying that fast bowlers could thrive on slow pitches too. It would never be an impediment. The only thing that matters is "aggressive attitude" and it would sound good that he has located such attitudes in some of his students.

After the briefing, Roberts divulged the secret of reverse swing to everyone with a ball having black marks on one side. The way he was conducting the act of reverse swing, enthralled the journalists present there.

Andy, who is prone to give hostile pitchers, is regarded as the most formidable of the famous pace-quadrant of West Indies in the seventies. He has a busy schedule in front at BKSP with the boys before his departure on September 13.

© CricInfo