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Benn Has
Got Work To Do Says Lance Gibbs - Stumps For Jaggernauth To
Play In Second Digicel Test
Date Posted: April 01, 2008.
PORT
OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Former world record
holder for the most Test wickets Lance Gibbs is of the view
that rookie West Indian spinner Sulieman Benn has got to add
variety to his bowling armoury in order to be successful at
the international level.
“He has got to bowl six different balls because on that type
of track (Providence in Guyana) batsman could get accustomed
to you,” Gibbs said while endorsing the inclusion of the 26
year old left arm spinner in the West Indies squad after he
made his debut in the First Digicel Test against Sri Lanka
in Guyana and was retained in the squad for the Second
Digicel Test in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I would say he has got the ability but he’s got work to do,
he could become a success story but it is all in his hands,
he’s got to learn the strengths and weaknesses as far as
batsmen are concerned and use that effectively,” Gibbs said
in an exclusive interview with DigicelCricket.com.
“In Guyana (during the First Digicel Test) Benn fought the
wicket too much, as a spinner you’ve got to vary your pace,
he was particularly flat and this is why he didn’t get any
wickets in the first innings,” the former off spinner said
on Tuesday afternoon just after a visit to the Digicel
Scotiabank Cricket Experience in Port of Spain.
The 73 year old Gibbs also feels that the second slow bowler
in the West Indies squad, off spinner Amit Jaggernauth,
should be in the final eleven for the Second Digicel Test
match at the Queen’s Park Oval in front his home crowd.
“I told him in Guyana not to be too disappointed, it is best
to start your Test career on wickets that you know and I’m
sure he will be given a chance here (at the Queen’s Park
Oval),” Gibbs asserted.
He also said that Benn, who went wicketless in the Sri Lanka
first innings but picked up three wickets in the second
innings, and Jaggernauth and the other West Indian players
should seek the advice and guidance of the former players in
order to improve as it is a formula which worked for him
during his 18 year international career.
“It is critical that the current players seek the advice of
the former players, that is how I learned and these players
have got to start doing that,” said Gibbs who captured 309
Test wickets in his career from 79 matches.
He said that on the field the bowlers must also assess
batsmen quickly and be able to work out and exploit their
weaknesses.
“Our bowlers have to learn to bowl to the weaknesses of the
batsmen, I found that our bowlers would run up and bowl to a
man who is strong on his pads and that is where they are
bowling. When you look at the Sri Lankan bowlers and how
they bowled to our batsmen, they didn’t give them much
room,” Gibbs said.
For latest images, news reports, competitions and
information on the Digicel Home Series 2008, log on to
www.digicelcricket.com.
PORT
OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Former world record
holder for the most Test wickets Lance Gibbs is of the view
that rookie West Indian spinner Sulieman Benn has got to add
variety to his bowling armoury in order to be successful at
the international level.