Praises for two seniors

Jimmy Adams is singing the praises of his durable pair of fast bowlers.

At the same time, the West Indies captain believes Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh will perform outstandingly on the forthcoming tour of England.

Adams was responding to a question which sought to find out if there was some disappointment that the long-serving fast bowlers still appeared to be carrying most of the workload.

During the second Test against Pakistan, which ended in a draw on Monday at Kensington Oval, Ambrose and Walsh shared 107 overs and eight wickets, while the younger Reon King and Nixon McLean combined for 85.4 overs and eight wickets.

'I don't think it is entirely a one-way street, but we had a situation late Sunday and early this (Monday) morning when we needed a specific job to be done,' Adams said.

'In situations like that, if the senior men are up to it, they generally get first bite at the cherry. They took up the challenge and did very well.'

The West Indies captain described the performance of the 37-year-old Walsh on the opening day as 'fantastic' following his cheap five-wicket haul.

Adams also believes the selection of Walsh and the 36-year-old Ambrose for the England tour is in no way a liability.

'I have every confidence that they will make a big impression on the English tour plain and simple,' he said.

Adams was also asked if he reckoned their inclusion was in the best interest of long-term development.

'I look at it differently,' he responded.

'In the same way that I wouldn't discriminate against somebody of (Ramnaresh) Sarwan's age or (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul's age when he started playing Test cricket, I wouldn't discriminate against anybody of their age,' he said.

Adams made mention of the fact that people like Sir Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd played until they were 40 and did so with distinction, even towards the end of their careers.