West Indies perform better than you think: Sir Curtly Ambrose

Sir Curtly Ambrose (right), the bowling consultant of West Indies team, talks to a player during a net session in April this year at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua

Hobart (Australia): Curtly Ambrose hit back at the West Indies critics yesterday with a few verbal bouncers of his own, saying they will look silly when the team knock over Australia in this week's opening Test in Hobart.


Sir Curtly Ambrose (right), the bowling consultant of West Indies team, talks to a player during a net session in April this year at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Pic/Getty Images

The under-performing Windies have been written off since arriving Down Under and more so after they were humiliated by a rookie Cricket Australia XI by 10 wickets in their only warm-up game leading into the three-Test series.

Most pundits are expecting Steve Smith's Australians to roll the West Indies in double-quick time after coming off a hard-fought 2-0 Test home series win over New Zealand.

Some commentators and ex-cricketers have even predicted the Caribbean tourists will struggle to take the match at Bellerive Oval, starting on Thursday, past three days.

But Ambrose, the menacing pace great who led the West Indies attack with 405 Test wickets, believes the tourists can beat Australia.

"At the end of the day, when we perform and we beat Australia, the reporters will have to change their tune," the West Indies bowling consultant said, adding that the young and inexperienced squad was up to the task.

"We're here to do a job and we're going to make a good job of it," he said. "Being here alone should be more than enough motivation for the players, but having heard all those comments should be ideal motivation for them."

Ambrose, along with fellow new-ball bowling partner and current team selector Courtney Walsh, is working closely with the bowlers, including the side's pace spearhead Jerome Taylor.