Wesley Hall

Bridgetown: Wesley Hall’s CV makes for terrific reading. Among the most feared of fast bowlers ever, he has taken to “serving God,” from 1996, and is now addressed as “Rev. Wes.”

At 72, Hall is still very active and his interview with The Telegraph, in the conference room of the Cricket Legends of Barbados House, adjacent to the Kensington Oval, was interrupted by calls from members of his community who either wanted to get married or wanted a commitment that he’d conduct the funeral service of a loved one about to die.

Sitting with him in that room was quite an experience.

Hall, it may be recalled, is also a former Barbados minister and a one-time Senator. Besides, he has headed the West Indies Cricket Board. Clearly, Hall has been a speed merchant with a real difference.

Despite being pressed for time, Hall, among other things, spoke about his favourites.

The following are excerpts

What goes into the making of a fast bowler...

Fifty per cent perspiration, the rest is inspiration.

The bowlers he’d love to watch

I enjoyed bowling with Roy Gilchrist and Charlie Griffith... Both were truly great... Outside teammates, I’d pick the following (alphabetically)...

SHANE BOND (NZ): Has the pace and speed is something I like... Is aggressive and seems to have the stamina.

ALAN DAVIDSON (Aus): For me, the finest left-arm fast bowler... He’d be awesome.

MICHAEL HOLDING (WI): It was with good reasons that ‘Whispering Death’ was associated with him... Very smooth and quick.

DENNIS LILLEE (Aus): He was aggressive, but still was poetry in motion.

MALCOLM MARSHALL (WI): The best of all time, according to me... He wasn’t built big, but could generate such pace and be innovative. He was smart.

GLENN McGRATH (Aus): What consistency! The batsmen should thank God that he wasn’t quicker.

FRED TRUEMAN (Eng): Would be very effective... A naturally gifted fast bowler.

The West Indies bowler with the most potential

Kemar Roach... Give him the experience and he’ll be a handful. He’s quick... At 21, he has a bright future.

India’s No.1...

Definitely Zaheer Khan... He’s not the fastest around, but uses his experience well. He’s consistent and knows how to swing the ball.

His message for the young bowlers

Look after your body and diet... Train hard and eat well... By that, I don’t mean overeat, but eat the right food... To bowl quick, you’ve got to be strong... Work on your run-up and delivery and, remember, that you’ve got to be strong in the mind... On a particular day, you may not be bowling well, but could still get wickets... Some other day, you may be bowling superbly, but could end up wicketless... So, accept what destiny holds for you... If I may add, the manly art of fast bowling will, in time, teach you everything.

Finally, whether he’d look to hit batsmen

(Grins) No one wants to see blood on a cricket pitch... However, slightly inconveniencing batsmen, like a broken finger, was par for the course! Batsmen wanted to occupy the crease for a long time; my job was to minimise their stay. Right?