When it comes to the love of the game, West Indian players rank amongst the most loyal.
That is the conclusion drawn by former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who is currently conducting a spin bowling clinic at the Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC).
Saqlain, who bewildered opponents with his mesmerizing off spin, said that bowlers such as Shane Shillingford and Davendra Bishoo, who are both participants at the clinic, have what it takes to become orld class spinners.
“When you speak about potential, you have to take a lot of things into consideration,” he explained during a press conference at the 3Ws Oval.
“You have to look at how passionate the player is, how hard-working the player is, their love of the game, their commitment.
“The guys that I have been coaching have all of these things. They have been working extremely hard, full of passion and asking a lot of questions.
“A great player is a great believer, a great thinker, great learner and a great observer . . . and in the nets I can see all of these qualities in the players,” Saqlain noted.
Speaking specifically about Shillingford, Saqlain said that he was very impressed with his work ethic so far.
He revealed that since he had arrived at the camp, Shillingford had shown great interest and enthusiasm.
“Shane is a lovely guy and a hard working chap. He is watching really well, asking a lot of questions and you can tell that he is really thinking.
“Shane and the other guys are clicking all of these boxes, and once they continue to click these boxes again and again and again, there will come a time when they will reach their full potential,” he explained.
Saqlain outlined that along with trying to improve the players’ technical and tactical skills, he was also focusing on helping them to prepare mentally as well.
“We are working on a lot of mental preparation, because obviously the guys will be heading to India in about a month or so, and it can be tough in India.
“So along with working on a planning process and a training process, we are also spending a lot of time doing a lot of mental work, because that is extremely important,” he pointed out.
