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The Cricket Interview/ Joel Garner

'Why snarl, glare?'

One can't help looking up to Joel Garner. After all, he was the meanest-ever bowler in one day cricket. His Test record was equally impressive. But most important, he stands six feet, eight and a half inches.

'Big Bird' Garner was an integral part of the great West Indian teams of the late 1970s and 1980s, which, under the captaincy of first, Clive Lloyd and then Viv Richards, thrashed all the opposition, both in Tests and in the one day version of the game.

Garner was in Mumbai this week as manager of the West Indies 'A' team led by Test bowler Ian Bishop. Without hesitation, he agreed to an interview and invited V Gangadhar to his hotel room.

For 45 minutes, he answered questions on the present state of West Indies cricket and his own playing days. Befitting his current status as a bureaucrat, he was a bit guarded in his replies to start with, but opened up towards the end of the interview.

The last time you came to India as a member of the West Indies veterans team, you were working with the Barbados Gleaner as its circulation manager.

Ah, I quit that. I am now a technical officer with the National Sports Council of the ministry of sport, Barbados. I also represent the island on the West Indies Cricket Board.

Former West Indian cricketers used to complain they seldom got opportunities to work in sports organisations. Has that situation changed now?

I don't think that is true. After all, the West Indies Cricket Board cannot absorb all the retired Test players. But a lot of us are working at the local level. I was involved with Barbados cricket soon after I retired. Today, former players like Charlie Griffith and Richard Edwards are doing the same. And this happens at every island in the Caribbean.

The common excuse given for the West Indies' recent poor performances in both Tests and one day cricket was that the team was going through a transition period. How long is that 'transition' going to last? You guys retired seven or eight years back, and those who replaced you must have settled down by now.

(a bit heatedly) Poor performance? In one-day cricket, the team which plays best on a particular day wins. As for Test cricket, we lost only to Australia and more recently Pakistan. We beat every other country. That is not a bad record. Cricket supremacy comes in cycles. Perhaps, our performances from the 1970s to the 1980s, spoilt our supporters. We can't win all the time. I am quite happy at the way we are playing now.

Do the fans back home get disappointed when their teams lost?

I can't speak for all of them. There is bound to be disappointment. But those who followed the game are also realistic. No one expected Sri Lanka to rise so dramatically.

Is cricket still as popular in the Caribbean as it used to be?

Of course, it is. But let us be realistic. Like every other country in the world, the Caribbean nations are changing fast. There are so many diversions for the youngsters -- television, VCR, video games, computer games and so on. Many kids get hooked on to these. The youngster today, has a wide variety of choices before him. In sports, hobbies, and jobs.

What is the kind of infrastructure you have for cricket? Is it able to generate promising players?

Of course, Youngsters have opportunities at all levels. We have tournaments for the Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 and Under-19 groups. The nucleus of our teams comes from these tournaments.

Once known for its pace and bounce, cricket pitches in the West Indies have slowed down over the years. Even the traditionally fast ones at Barbados and Sabina Park, Jamaica. With the West Indian thrust on pace bowling, why did this happen?

The West Indies Board has nothing to do with pitch preparation. That is left to the centres which hosted the matches. Tell me, where in the world does one find pacy and bouncy pitches these days? Possibly Perth in Australia. I retired from the game in 1987 and do not know much about the nature of today's pitches. But then no player is really happy with the nature of the wickets he has to play on.

The West Indies is a candidate to host the 2008 World Cup? Do you think the venues possess the necessary infrastructure for such a major event?

The West Indies Board is fully aware of its responsibilities. We had been staging Test and one-day series for several years, maintaining the ICC standards. So far, no one had complained about the lack of facilities. When we hold the World Cup, we will be ready with all the facilities and conditions laid down by the ICC.

The West Indies have a temperamental skipper in Brian Lara. Do you think he will deliver the goods?

I am not concerned with this issue. This question should be posed to the team manager and the coach.

One-day cricket had changed over the years. Today, batsman go for pinch hitting during the first 15 overs. As the meanest-ever one-day bowler, how would you have bowled to say, Tendulkar or Jayasuriya?

Sorry, I don't think of these issues. Changes take place in all games, and the players have to adjust themselves.

Unlike many fast bowlers, you never exhibited any aggro, I mean, glaring, swearing at the batsmen. Secondly, how was it being part of a fearsome foursome? Was there competition? Did you prefer any particular bowler to operate along with you?

Oh, so many questions! Before every series, I set myself certain targets and worked towards reaching them. Most of the times, this was done. Why snarl, glare? We had different standards. Everyone did what was expected of him. Our aim was to bowl out the other side for the lowest possible total.

It did not matter if X got more wickets than Y. I don't think there was any competition among the pace bowlers and I could bowl well irrespective of who was operating at the other end. Mind you, we were six or eight fast bowlers and there was a lot of mutual respect. Our selection depended solely on our performance.

You missed out on the 1983 Indian tour. As well as the 1987 World Cup on the sub continent.

I had a shoulder problem in 1983 and retired before the 1987 World Cup. I was then 35 and when I started playing, I had told myself I would quit when I reached 35.

Who were your toughest opponents?

I should say, the Australians. We always regarded them as the number one enemy. Tough fighters, but friends once the day's game was over. We always had problems against Pakistan, both at home and in their country. I can't explain why we found it so difficult to beat Pakistan. Then it was England, the cricket headquarters.

How do you explain the Indian shock victory over the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord's?

Very simple. We had to score 183 runs and we could not do it. That was it.

Was it different playing under Viv Richards than Clive Lloyd?

Certainly. Viv was in the habit of judging everyone by his own high standards, both in batting and fielding. Lloyd was like a father figure and had his own way in appreciating the capabilities of his players. Both were important to our cricket.

Photographs: Jewella Miranda

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