By Anthony Foster, Youth Writer
AUSTRALIAN BOWLERS can be forgiven if they quietly laughed at the little Jamaican batsman Marlon Samuels when he went to the pitch in the Test series Down Under late last year.
However, after the Test series ended, the former Kingston College student surely had their attention, having made donuts out of the top bowlers' balls. Samuels was a star in the West Indies' batting line-up, despite the team's 5-0 whitewash. He ended the Test tour with an average of 34.4 runs - one of highest on the Windies' team.
Samuels, who turned 20 in February, cemented his place on the Test team after excellent performances in the Red Stripe Bowl last October for Jamaica, where he scored three half centuries. He replaced the injured left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
His love for the sport was kindled at age eight when he used to play '
bush cricket'
with friends in his back yard in Kingston. He later represented Melbourne Cricket Club at the Minor Cup level before making the Senior Cup team at 13.
Also a half-brake bowler, Samuels became the second man in his family to play for the West Indies team. His brother, Robert Samuels, was on the 1996 Australian tour.
We caught up with Samuels recently while he was in training with the Jamaica team before the final of the Busta International Shield at Sabina Park.
Q&A with marlon
Youth Link: Who influenced you to play cricket?
Marlon Samuels: No one really influenced me to start. It's just that I grew up near Melbourne Cricket Club. I used to play a lot of bush cricket and eventually I got to love the game.
YL: Do you participate in any other sport?
MS: Yes, I love football. I used to play football.
YL: What was it like representing the West Indies in the 1996 under-15 World Cup in England?
MS: I was very happy when I made the West Indies under-15 team. I knew I was going there to do my best and I did just that.
YL: How did you feel when you were not selected to represent Jamaica's senior team after coming back from the under-19 World Cup in 1999?
MS: Yes, I was a little disappointed. I'm human. But I got over it by scoring a lot of runs and working hard in training.
YL: When you made the Jamaica Red Stripe Bowl team last year what were your thoughts then?
MS: I had been waiting to get back into the Jamaican senior team since age 15. I got the opportunity at 19 knowing that I had my mind and goals set. I was hoping to score a century but I didn't get it. But I got a couple of centuries after that.
YL: Were you surprised at being left out of the original squad to Australia?
MS: I was in the reserve at first, so I wasn't surprised at being left out.
YL: When you heard that Chanderpaul was ill and would have to return home, did you think that you would be the one to replace him?
MS: Yes, because I strongly believed in myself. I was in a camp that had a lot of intense training so I knew that when I got there -- apart from jet lag -- I would recover quickly because I was very fit at that time.
YL: How did you feel when you were called to the West Indies Test team for the first time?
MS: It was a wonderful feeling, it was a dream come true.
YL: What was the experiences like in Australia?
MS: I learned a lot. The wickets there are much faster and more bouncy.
YL:: With the return of Carl Hooper and Chanderpaul, do you think you would be a starter against South Africa?
MS: Yes, more than likely.
YL: It is often said that Shane Warne and Glen McGrath are two of the best bowlers in the world, what type of experience did you gain by playing against them?
MS: They are very good. Shane Warne has five different deliveries and most leg-spinners don't have control. He has control with all five deliveries, while Glen McGrath is very consistent.
YL: In one of the one-dayers you hit three fours off the bowling of Shane Warne in the same over, what did he say? And how did you feel about it?
MS: Well, there was a lot of cursing. I expected a lot of slugging, so it wasn't a surprise for me at all.
YL: What's the best way to play Shane Warne?
MS: Watch the ball off the pitch and not out of his hand.
YL: What's your future career choice?
MS: I would like to start my own sports store and move on to be a business man.
YL: Which West Indies cricketer do you admire the most?
MS: Carl Hooper.
YL: Which International cricketer do you admire the most?
MS: Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman that ever lived.
YL: What is your advice to aspiring young cricketers, and those who love the sport?
MS: Work hard it's not easy. Dedication and hard work - you have to put your mind to it and be strong.
