Frank concerns - Former Windies bowler Rose worried about Oshane Thomas’ fitness

Former Windies fast bowler Franklyn Rose says he is concerned about the fitness of compatriot pacer Oshane Thomas as he believes he is overweight.

Rose, who played 19 Tests and 27 One-Day Internationals (ODI) for the Windies between 1997 and 2000, says he is concerned about the burly pacer and what kind of impact his current fitness situation could have on his longevity in the game.

Thomas picked up just two wickets in two innings in the just-concluded West Indies inter-squad practice match at Old Trafford, and Rose believes the speedster needs to do some more work if he is to prolong his blossoming international career.

“I am a bit concerned because he looks overweight to me,” Rose said. “I never met the guy, but I know he has a lot of talent, and that’s why the Windies has taken him to England on tour.

“But he needs to keep working hard and be hungrier for success.”

CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Thomas’ rise to prominence came during the 2017 Caribbean Premier League, where the Melbourne CC fast bowler regularly clocked over 90 miles per hour while taking wickets at will for the Jamaica Tallawahs.

His exploits put the 23-year-old straight into the senior Windies set-up, where he has so far played 20 ODIs and 12 Twenty20 Internationals.

Rose, who played just three years for the West Indies, says he wants to see the young speedster maximise his true potential.

“If I come on the scene bowling 90 miles per hour, I would want to maintain that for another five years,” Rose said. “The question is, can he maintain that speed at the highest level if he is not at peak fitness?”

Rose admitted that during his career, he wasn’t the hardest-working fast bowler in the Windies set-up and said that he wished he had put in some more work to prolong his international career.

“I was a lazy cricketer, and I realised later on that it’s all about hard work,” he said. “Sometimes, as fast bowlers, we get up and don’t feel like training, but you have to think about the big bucks and the success that’s ahead of you, and you have to have self-motivation and discipline to push on.”

Rose says he is more than willing to give advice and help the young pacer if requested.

“Of course, I would love to coach him,” Rose said. “I can see that he has a lot of talent, and let me be clear, this is not about bashing Oshane Thomas. It is about helping him to achieve his optimum in cricket.”