One of cricket’s most deadly bowlers is Curtly Ambrose. Standing at six feet seven inches, the West Indies star was a formidable opponent when it came to handling leather. During his 98 Test matches for the Caribbean nation, he claimed 405 wickets at an incredible average of 20.99. Other nations respected him and the entire breed of players surrounding him when they entered the sacred pitch.
On one occasion, Curtly Ambrose was asked to select the West Indies’ all-time starting eleven. In order to make the team appear as awful as his shrewd bouncers, the 61-year-old made sure of it. Among his eleven were people like Malcolm Marshall, Garfield Sobers, and Vivian Richards. In the greats of West Indies cricket, there was no position for any player from the present generation, but Brian Lara was the closest.
Curtly Ambrose’s all-time West Indies XI:
Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Everton Weekes, Garfield Sobers, Jeffrey Dujon (wk), Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs, Clyde Walcott (12th man and backup wicketkeeper).
Here’s the video of Ambrose picking his team:
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Curtly Ambrose enjoying his time as a bowling coach in the CPL
In relation to Ambrose, the veteran became the bowling coach for Jamaica Tallawah prior to the 2022 Caribbean Premier League, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a former West Indies batsman, was named the team’s head coach. In October of 2024, the University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus awarded Ambrose an Honorary Doctor of Laws.
The legend did not name a single hitter who caused him to have sleepless nights when he was asked about his playing days. He last appeared in the CPL 2024 while serving as bowling coach for the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
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