Was West Indies' Dominance a Triumph for Intimidation?

[Son Of Coco]

IMO with protective gear the lesser batsmen would have prospered more against them. Can't think SRT, Dravid or Ponting going there without a helmet and getting hit, because they had very quick reflexes. The mortals with lesser ability, as well as dogged players would have benefited more. So would be little bit less effective.

Lesser batsmen would've either gotten themselves owned or hurt. You can be as dogged as you like, but when one swings away and jags back in you need a bit of luck to survive and that's about it.

 

[Senile Sentry]

Did not the likes of Ambrose, Walsh etc play in an era when protective gear had developed sufficiently enough to prevent a Nari Contractor? As fredfertang rightly pointed out, there is no reason to think that someone like Malcolm Marshall or Holding would be less potent had they played today with better protection for the batsmen. They would still find means of penetrating through their defences and reduce many of them to quavering jellies. No pun intended.

 

[Debris]

Did not the likes of Ambrose, Walsh etc play in an era when protective gear had developed sufficiently enough to prevent a Nari Contractor? As fredfertang rightly pointed out, there is no reason to think that someone like Malcolm Marshall or Holding would be less potent had they played today with better protection for the batsmen. They would still find means of penetrating through their defences and reduce many of them to quavering jellies. No pun intended.

They would still be effective, no question, but they would be less effective. At least I think so. Someone has just posted a video of Brian Close facing them and they showed a picture of hiim with about 15 bruises on his torso at day's end. That has got to have an effect, especially for players not as tough as Close, and convert into wickets. The biggest effect is when they bowl to tailenders.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

No.

It was a triumph for having a brilliant attack capable of beating sides game in game out.

As for would they have done ok today? Yes, big emphatic yes. The current England attack is good and has depth but would any of these guys have got near getting into that WI team of the late 70's through to the late 80's? Big emphatic no in my opinion.

 

[kyear2]

+1

Everyone refers to that one incident or the match vs India. But even in that incident Lloyd apologised.and admitted that they bowled badly. Not a model for success

 

[zaremba]

Nastiest bowler of all time: Roy Gilchrist

A genuinely frightening individual. Used to bowl beamers from 18 yards, and used to launch savage bouncer attacks during charity matches.

A reputable source* tells the following story about Gilchrist. Indian batsman AG Kripal Singh had struck three consecutive boundaries and taunted him, Gilchrist deliberately overstepped the bowling mark by six metres and delivered a bouncer which hit the Sikh batsman on the head and dislodged his turban.

* Wikipedia

 

[fredfertang]

Nastiest bowler of all time: Roy Gilchrist

A genuinely frightening individual. Used to bowl beamers from 18 yards, and used to launch savage bouncer attacks during charity matches.

A reputable source* tells the following story about Gilchrist. Indian batsman AG Kripal Singh had struck three consecutive boundaries and taunted him, Gilchrist deliberately overstepped the bowling mark by six metres and delivered a bouncer which hit the Sikh batsman on the head and dislodged his turban.

* Wikipedia

In the days when English law regarded domestic violence as utterly trivial he did get locked up for bowling an iron at Mrs Gilchrist that caught her on the head, although iirc he only got probation for that, but then committed some other offence whilst subject to the probation order and, sadly for him, kopped the same judge

 

[zaremba]

Without her having so much as a turban to protect her bonce? What a rotter. I hope it was from the full 22 yards, but somehow I doubt it.

 

[kyear2]

He was a troubled young man.

 

[nightprowler10]

No.

It was a triumph for having a brilliant attack capable of beating sides game in game out.

As for would they have done ok today? Yes, big emphatic yes. The current England attack is good and has depth but would any of these guys have got near getting into that WI team of the late 70's through to the late 80's? Big emphatic no in my opinion.

A big emphatic AWTA.