Sir Curtly commends Windies, Hope on thrilling victory

Former West Indies fast bowler, Sir Curtly Ambrose, has commended the regional side for the way it rebounded to beat hosts England in the second match of a three-Test series.
The Windies rallied to a thrilling five-wicket victory on the final day of the second Test at Headingly on Tuesday, leveling the series 1-1 after losing the opening match by an innings and 209 runs.
Sir Curtly, who had heavily criticised the team following their humiliating opening loss, said they seemed more motivated and focused in the second Test.
“They looked like they were really hungry, like they wanted to win. They took the attack to England and they really played extremely well and I am happy for them, and that’s what we are asking for, for them to compete. If you lose in the end but you have given of your best, we can say that we tried everything and we just weren’t good enough on the day but when you go and throw in the towel like we can’t beat England, then I can’t deal with that,” he said. 
The Antiguan, who claimed a total of 405 Test wickets, heaped praises on batsman Shai Hope who scored centuries in both innings to lead the Windies batting.
“Good knocks by Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope whom I have [paid] a lot of [attention to]. He [Hope] has a lot of talent and I hope this is the turning point but it’s all about hard work because talent only takes you so far. Dedication, commitment, the self-belief and the confidence that you can do it, you need that to succeed and Shai Hope has got talent and ability and once he is willing to work hard he will become one of the greats,” Sir Curtly said.
As per his comments following the team’s opening loss, Sir Curtly said he will always remain honest in his assessment of the team’s performances.
“If it happened tomorrow, I would say the same thing because that’s me, I call a spade a spade. So I am not going to walk around saying tough luck and all that nonsense, I am going to tell you just like it is. The guys who have been with the team before knows me so if they read what I said in the paper it’s nothing new [to them],” the former player said.
The final match will be played at Lord’s starting September 7.