Reds Pereira had an interview with Patrick Patterson while he was visiting India in late 1987. The West Indies always bring glands, and then things seemed to go at some exciting speeds when they tour India. In 1958, Roy Gilchrist and Wes Hall made the lives of the Indian batsmen miserable. In 1974, there was Andy Roberts, who admirably showed his speed and skills. In 1983, the Malcom Marshal was the main weapon in Clive Lloyd’s army. Marshall might have hit the headlines much earlier in 1978- had his captain, Alvin Kallicharran, judiciously handled him.
Now, at a time when the not-so-powerful West Indians are still too good for the home side, the man in the news is 25-year-old Patrick Patterson. What happens when a bowler at the height of 6’2″ with immensely strong shoulders, sprints down like an Olympian and hurls bumpers and bouncers at will at the opposition? The anger, frustrations, and bruises are the result. This is what now the Indians are experiencing. The psychological pressure from this single personality is likely to tilt the scales in favor of the West Indies on this tour.
Patrick Patterson made his mark against David Gower’s men in the 1985-86 series. In that home series, Patterson took 19 wickets from his four Tests at an average of 22.42. This was a creditable performance considering that he did not handle the new ball even once in the series.
Pitted in the company of such formidable pacemen as Malcom Marshall, Michael Holding, and Joel Garner, Patrick Patterson stood out on his own. He bamboozled the Englishmen more than even Marshall. In his very first Test, Patterson claimed seven wickets and also won the man of the match award. In that Test, Patterson “bowled at a speed comparable to that of Jeff Thomson’s in his prime”.
Excerpts:
Question: Patrick, you seem to have settled down a lot more about international cricket. What do you believe were the problems at the start, and why did it take a while for you to get back after that great start against England?
Answer: What had caused the problem early on was nothing different from what affects any other young fast bowler coming into cricket, especially international cricket. I came on the international scene with a bang against England, and then things seemed to go a bit badly. I managed to put things together more than any other season because it was easier to do it in that season than back home. It is the English season, which puts everything back into perspective.
Question: You were in Pakistan last year before coming here for the World Cup and the Test series. What has it been like to cope with the slow wickets out here?
Answer: The Indian and Pakistani wickets are very, very slow wickets. I had not had the experience of bowling on them before I went to Pakistan last season. I found it very difficult to adjust to the pace of the bounce-less wickets. The weather conditions were also so different. It was, I think, a matter of playing matches and practicing as much as you could. You had to adjust your bowling to the environment. That was a hard task.
Question: How do you account for your outstanding success in this series?
Answer: Going back to the last English season, that was when I decided to go off on a shorter run. In some of the matches, there was a restricted run-up in the rules themselves. So you had to adjust to that too. I found that in bowling off the shorter run, my control was much, much better. I continued with it in the World Cup and it proved successful too. In the short run, I switched back to the long run and found the control was still there. It is a matter of adjusting to the pace of the wicket and of putting your act together. Maybe, I have been able to manage this better or faster than other fast bowlers. Q: What is the length of your long run compared to your short run? A: It is not much different, because my long run now is not what it used to be when I started cricket. It is much shorter than that. The short run now is only 15 paces, and the long run is only four paces longer.
Question: You are an aggressive fast bowler. I know all fast bowlers are supposed to be aggressive, but then I see in you the kind of aggression Colin Croft brought to his bowling. Colin had difficulty adjusting to the one-day game. How do you see yourself with this frequent change?
Answer: When we played in the Reliance Cup, I was operating off the short run. So we did not have much time to prepare for the test series in India. It is just that I was able to switch back to the longer run in the Tests without losing the control I had sought in order to bowl in the right manner for the one-dayer’s. From the Delhi Test, we went straight into a one-day match in Nagpur, and I was not at all badly off there. It is, I suppose, a matter of total concentration. This is a vital part of the job.
Question: You have been to Pakistan for the last Cup and the Test series. What has it been like the year before coming here for the world to cope with the slow wickets out here?
Answer: The Indian and Pakistani wickets had the experience of bowling on them, which are very, very slow wickets. I had not before I went to Pakistan last season. I found it very difficult to adjust to the pace of the bounce-less wickets. The weather conditions were also so different for matches and practicing as much as possible. It was, I think, a matter of play—you could. You had to adjust your bowling to the environment. That was a hard task due to the frequent changes.
Question: Don’t you agree that you are a little more open when you are bowling in the one-dayer’s, and you also tend to bowl from wide of the crease?
Answer: That is so because, in one day, you have very little room for error. In a test match, you can experiment freely for a while. You can try different things with the shoulder positioning, the delivery style, etc. in the tests. This is something you cannot do in one-day cricket. On one day of cricket, all I do is bowl a little wider of the crease and keep the ball as close to the line of the stumps as possible.
Question: Did you think your career was at a crossroads when you were not picked for the tour of Australia and New Zealand? Did you think then that you would come back quickly, or was it a crisis?
Answer: It did hurt when I was omitted from the Australian tour. Cricket is my way of life. At the moment, I have no other means of earning money. I knew my work was cut short when I was left out of that tour. I realized it was a matter of my settling down to be a better bowler and to prove myself all over again so that I would not be omitted from a tour again. I had to work things out and get back into the team as early as possible. I was always confident I would be successful when I came back.
Question: Where were you when you heard that you were back in the West Indian squad in the summer? Answer: I was playing for Lancashire when I heard that Joel Garner was no longer coming to the World Cup and that I had replaced him in the team. I knew then and there that here comes a chance and I better make the best of it.
Question: You are the leader of the attack on this tour, which is already a fine accomplishment. How would you feel if you were to be considered the leader of the attack when Malcom Marshall returns to the team for the series at home against Pakistan?
Answer: It is going to be very, very hard work. At the same time, when I consider my situation, my uncertain start, and the ups and downs in my career, I am very glad for this chance to prove myself and make things difficult for people who have been making things difficult for me.
Question: You have good support in this series from Davis and Walsh. But do you think that with Malcolm at the other end, the true dimension of Patterson will come out?
Answer: It has crossed my mind so many times. I have personally had such a good run so far, in the Reliance Cup and in the Test series. I believe Malcom would have inspired me even more to do better things.
Question: How much has your English experience with Lancashire helped you?
Answer: Playing in England would have helped any fast bowler. Even more so in Lancashire, where the conditions are very unusual and just what fast bowlers might want, especially those who come out of the West Indies. It is always very damp in Lancashire, and this enables the ball to swing a lot. When you get there, what you have got to learn is to control that movement.
Question: Colin Croft was a test success, but when he went to Lancashire, he was not that successful. Did you take that into account when you decided to go to Lancashire?
Answer: I have just had my best season for Lancashire, even though I did not play in all the matches. I played in only half the matches of the season. Old Trafford is not a fast bowler’s hunting ground. The wicket is too slow. Still, I believe I can produce the goods there, and I would have a go if offered the contract for Lancashire next season.
Question: You are only one of three pace bowlers on the Lancashire staff. What is the latest situation regarding your going back there?
Answer: Lancashire has already offered me a contract. But I am not prepared to sign the contract yet because: 1. the West Indies team will be on tour; and 2. there are a few things between the club and myself to be sorted out. I do, however, believe that there should be no major problem at all.
Question: It is, however, a peculiar situation for you with so many pace bowlers lined up by the club. Do you think they are just covering for your not being able to assist them when you are touring with the West Indies.
A: That is one of the major reasons. They are banking on the fact that if I am touring with the West Indies, then they have the choice of Wasim Akram and Ken McClough.
Question: One-day cricket has helped many players improve their game. What has been done in your case?
Answer: Both in one-day cricket and in test cricket, it is very vital for everyone, from number one to number eleven, to contribute as much as possible. Having been a fast bowler, I know what it is like to get a number eleven out. I hate giving my wicket away because of this.
Question: What kind of influence have Michael Holding and other West Indian fast bowlers had on your career.
Answer: Michael Holding, when he could, and in fact, all other fast bowlers around the West Indies offered me advice when they could. There were little tips here and there. But it was unfortunate at the time when I was trying to make a career of cricket for myself that Michael Holding was away with the West Indies team on tour. When he was around, he would give me great encouragement.
Question: How would you feel going back into the West Indian first-class game and bowling against some of your colleagues, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, Viv Richards, and so on?
Answer: Bowling against the guys with whom I have played for the West Indies team would be a definite point of interest. It would be back in the feud, as we would call it. Getting back into the Jamaican team should not be a problem at all for Courtney Walsh, and I will naturally be strengthening the side. I am sure the first-class matches are going to be very keenly contested because most of the guys will be fighting to consolidate or make their way into the West Indies team. That is the best showground for them to go out and prove themselves, especially the youngsters. We already have chaps who are saying, jokingly, of course, about what they are going to do in the Red Stripe Cup. I believe it will be a great battle to bowl against guys you have been playing with on the same side. Even when you are playing together on a side, you are sort of sorting out the guys and wondering how to go about getting them out if you are going to bowl at them.
Question: Looking at the first-class scene in the West Indies, you get the impression that you can compare it to any first-class cricket in the world. What is your impression?
Answer: I have played in England and Australia, and I have a good idea of what it is like in India and Pakistan. I believe the hardest first-class cricket is in the West Indies. It is easily the most competitive.
Question: How has your life changed in the last year: playing for Lancashire, going to the World Cup, and then playing this series?
Answer: It hasn’t changed much except that I am traveling more with the West Indies team and I am playing more of my cricket in front of more people. So people are bound to see me differently, perhaps even back home. As far as I am concerned, I see myself as what I am and what I used to be before. The only motivation is to keep on playing for the West Indies so that I remain what I have become.
Question: How much do you believe success will change you or any top sportsman?
Answer: Certainly not. I only hope success will not spoil any relationship. It should always be like what it was before. On my part, I would like to believe that success will not change me as a person at all.
