How can Amby not be respected?

Curtly talks to no manrdquo It was a quote attributed to the great fast bowler himself that thwarted any attempts made by journalists to interview Ambrose in his playing days Ambrose refrained from obliging journalists with interviews even when one of them approached his captain Viv Richards to coax his reticent pacer to open up in a chat The answer was still a big No as he revealed in his 2015 book Time to TalkAmbrose is an antithesis of his playing career self in terms of talking in the media Hersquos still not easy to lsquogetrsquo nowadays but has agreed to the odd interview and has been heard on Caribbean television channels and radio stations Recently he opined that Chris Gayle is finished something that the batting great took great offence toldquoI can tell you personally and you can let him know that Chris Gayle the Universe Boss has no respect for Curtly Ambrose whatsoeverrdquo Gayle said on radio during the Island Tea Morning Show recentlyCriticism from former players is more painful to deal with than some coming from reporters and columnists who have not played the game at a decent level And thatrsquos why Gayle is probably so blueHersquos not the first cricketer to get slammed by a member of his fraternity and he wonrsquot be the last With so many former stalwarts in the media there will be a row every now and thenCurtly AmbroseAmbrosersquos fellow Antiguan knight Richards of all people was at the receiving end of a player hitback in 2012 After reaching his century against England in Birmingham then West Indies wicketkeeperbatsman Denesh Ramdin displayed a placard which said lsquoYea Viv Talk Narsquo This was in response to Richardsrsquos criticism of Ramdin ldquoWhen he first came into the game I felt he was a huge prospect For some reason he has deteriorated in such a big way Just the way he is walking back he looks like a totally lost guyrdquo opined the batting legendNever short of what constitutes tough talk Richards reacted ldquoIrsquom here to do a job therersquos no sentiment in itrdquoActions like Ramdinrsquos and words that Gayle recently used are distasteful Sure players are not expected to turn the other cheek However there are better ways of giving it back How about saying ldquoI proved to him what Irsquom made up ofrdquo or ldquoHope he got the message nowrdquo or ldquoHope he was watchingrdquoVerbal exchanges are entertaining eyeballattracting but there should be no place for disrespect to the former playerrsquos achievements Gayle did that when he stressed he had ldquono respect for Curtly Ambrose whatsoeverrdquoFor me the more astounding part to Gaylersquos rebuttal to Ambrose was the fact that he used the words Universe Boss which he is called and laps up with glee Sir Garfield Sobers is universally and deservedly known as the greatest cricketer to have walked this earth Yet have you ever heard him even suggesting that he could be the greatest Yes Muhammad Ali called himself the greatest but Gayle is no Muhammad AliWe are not sure how closely Gayle followed Ambrosersquos career but he was a damn fine bowler who could quite literally rip through the opposition Surely the spell in Perth on the 199293 tour of Australia and the one against England at Trinidad in 1994 are not isolated cases of Ambrosersquos brilliance and ferocity but letrsquos spell it out here On Day One of the Test Ambrose claimed seven wickets conceding only one run and his final analysis of 725 turned out to be the best by a West Indian against Australia He bagged two wickets in the second innings while Ian Bishop claimed 640 and with it West Indies clinched the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy A year later England smelt victory when they started their 194run chase at Trinidad but Ambrosersquos 624 saw Michael Atherton amp Co bowled out for 46 Gayle was 14 years of age then and must have heard about it in his native JamaicaWhen Ambrose bid goodbye after 98 Tests he had captured 405 wickets in a 12year career and itrsquos a great shame that Gayle has no respect for him ldquowhatsoeverrdquoAmbrose has pulled no punches while talking about the decline of West Indies cricket Not long ago he remarked that West Indies would never see ldquoglory daysrdquo as witnessed when Clive Lloyd and Richards guided them Not everyone agreed with Ambrose but the man himself stuck to his guns stressing that it will be extremely difficult to produce top quality players of the bygone eraThe fact that Gayle is an international cricketer and not a journalist he stands a greater chance to sit down and chat with Ambrose once the T20 World Cup is overAnd by the way Ambrose has clarified in his book that he wasnrsquot the one who coined ldquoCurtly talks to no manrdquomiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper