Friday, October 27, 2006

by Gary Smith
Caribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
Email: gary@caribbeannetnews.com

AHMEDABAD, India: West Indies in-form fast bowler Jerome Taylor saluted his father for introducing him to the game of cricket and said that his dad was the biggest influence in him choosing to become a fast bowler.

"My father introduced me to the game as a youngster. He was a cricketer as well, and whenever he went for a game, he took me along with him," Taylor told Cricinfo in an interview on Thursday.

"I'd sit and watch him and his friends, and it became something that I wanted to do. I started playing in primary school and just continued from there."

Taylor, a 22-year-old Jamaican, who made his debut for the West Indies senior team at only 18-years-old in a One Day International game against Sri Lanka at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent in 2003 also said that his dad, who was also a fast bowler, was his bowling hero, but added that he also admired former West Indies pacers Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose as well as Australian Glenn McGrath.

"The first hero was my Dad, as I told you. He was a fast bowler as well. But I've always admired Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Glenn McGrath. Those guys would be the first to get a mention. Wasim Akram was another that I looked up to," he said.

When asked why he made the choice to become a fast bowler rather than a different bowling style, Taylor said: "I always liked to see the 'keeper collecting the ball above his head, and the ball moving around and creating problems for the batsmen. That was the first thing that attracted me."

He is consistently quick and capable of swinging the ball late, but Taylor admitted that he still needs work on controlling his delivers.

"My strength is swinging the ball, and control. To be honest, I can still improve when it comes to control. And as you play more games, you learn how to work with the ball more and do more things," the Jamaican said in Ahmedabad on Thursdays.

Taylor became the first West Indian to perform a hat-trick in one-dayers when he help the West Indies beat Australia by 10 runs in Mumbai, a week ago and many already sees him as being on course to becoming the Caribbean's chief fast bowler.

He has already taken six-wickets in the current ICC Champions Trophy and was another big influence in the Windies' three-wicket victory over the hosts India on Thursday, a win which sealed a semi-final spot for the defending champions, who still have a game against England in hand.

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