'What attitude'

Franklyn Rose is brushing aside suggestions that he is a bad boy in West Indies' cricket.

"I don't think I have an attitude problem. They say I have an attitude problem (but) I don't know what type of problem," the Jamaican fast bowler said yesterday.

His comments came against the background that chief West Indies selector Mike Findlay said last October that Rose and fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle might have missed out on the current tour of Australia because of "attitudinal problems".

"I have put that behind me and focusing on my cricket and hopefully they won't say things like that about me anymore," Rose said after a Jamaica team practice session ahead of their second round Busta match against Barbados starting today at Kensington Oval.

Asked by WEEKENDSPORT if he felt people often interpreted him the wrong way, Rose said: "Definitely.

"They see you on the field and see you walking on the street and they don't know the type of person you are," he said.

"People just say things, especially when you are not performing," added the 28-year-old who has 53 Test wickets at 30.83 in 19 matches since making a successful debut in 1997.

Rose performed impressively during last season's international engagements and won the Man-Of-The-Series award in a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.

He was nowhere near his best during the summer's tour of England in which he took four expensive wickets at 67.50 apiece and was reported to be not on his best behaviour.

"You are going to hear rumours. You can't perform all the time," Rose said.

"When you do good, you are the best and tomorrow when you don't perform, they say all types of things about you. "That's sports in general and you have got to live with it."

Rose admitted that he was disappointed at not going to Australia and reckoned the 2001 season would be important in his quest to regain his Test place.

"I'm fit and I'm working hard. I had a disappointing game against the Windward Islands," he said.

"I didn't really bowl up to expectations, but I'm looking forward to playing against Barbados."

He took just a solitary wicket in either innings against the Windwards and said it was mainly because he "wasn't patient enough and tried too many things".