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The Barbados Nation Young guns `not firing'
Haydn Gill - 4 February 2002

Philo Wallace is not happy with the performance of the young Barbados fast bowlers who have failed to make an impression in the second round Busta Cup match against the Windward Islands.

As Barbados battle to avoid defeat against opponents who have not beaten them in a first-class match since 1983, the skipper could not hide his feelings over the inconsistency and a lack of support for spearhead Ian Bradshaw.

I am very disappointed in the support bowlers. They are just not coming up to scratch, Wallace said after yesterday's third day in which Barbados closed on 89 for five in pursuit of 314 for victory.

It seems that once `Braddie' is off, the younger bowlers are not stepping up and taking up responsibility.

We always have to go back to Bradshaw all the time. He is tired. I can't seem to understand why the younger bowlers would not recognise that they have an important part to play in bowling the ball in the right areas.

In the absence of West Indies selectees Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore and following the decision to discard the experienced Hendy Bryan, Barbados have entrusted their fast bowling duties to Bradshaw, along with the previously uncapped trio of Tino Best, 20, Fidel Edwards, 19, and Antonio Thomas, 19.

Best bowled impressively in his debut innings when raw pace earned him four wickets against Guyana, but could not match the performance in the other three innings.

As the Windwards tried to build their advantage yesterday, Wallace gave him only two overs that cost 16, while Edwards was used for four overs in which he conceded 22 runs.

In the end, Barbados dismissed the Windwards for 295 following their first innings effort of 327.

We are all about excitement, yes, but at the end of the day, you could only be exciting if you do the right things, Wallace said.

If you don't do the right things,excitement just leaves you. It only goes to show that the guys will hopefully learn from their mistakes in this game and will improve in the next couple of games.

The Barbados captain said, however, it was important that the young fast bowlers learn quickly.

We are fast-tracking young people into this cricket. If we get rid of senior players, the younger players who we think are going to carry us into the future must learn quickly, he said.

You can't keep saying they are inexperienced and they are young. How long are they going to stay young?

In another five years, are you still going to tell me they are young? At the end of the day, they have to learn fast. At the end of the day, Barbados is a winning nation. They have walked into a winning side. We are defending the Busta Cup and they have to come up to mark.

© The Barbados Nation


Players/Umpires Philo Wallace, Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore.
Internal Links Busta Cup.

Source: The Barbados Nation
Editorial comments can be sent to The Barbados Nation at nationnews@sunbeach.net