Curtly Ambrose: 'I don't even watch the game'

'I packed up when my body told me to do so. I felt happy to be out of it' © Getty Images

It's hardly surprising to learn that Curtly Ambrose didn't like opposing batsmen, but more so that the game of cricket itself was not exactly close to his heart.

"I didn't like to be friendly with rivals," he told PTI on the eve of the West Indies-India series. "I wanted them to feel the heat. And I didn't like reporters because you people think you know everything."

He was equally dismissive of batsmen. When asked to name those he admired, his response was terse. "I didn't like them anyway. A few of them were worthy but I wouldn't take their names now and make them feel happy. I hated conceding runs."

Ambrose has maintained a low-key presence since his retirement, rarely talking to the press. "Cricket gave me an identity but it wasn't my first love," he explained. "I did it as a job, for me basketball and music were my true passions. I started the game very late, at around 21 years, and didn't enjoy the day-to-day discipline. I packed up when my body told me to do so. I felt happy to be out of it."

He added that he did not miss cricket at all. "Now I don't even watch the game. I have hardly watched a full game since I retired. I sometimes see a few snatches of play on television and that's about it. I might not even come to watch the first Test on Friday."

He is heavily into promoting his music band by the name of Dread and Bald Head and strums guitars in the company of his former captain Richie Richardson.