Aggression can’t be taught to bowlers as it’s a trait they ought to be born with, says West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose, who tormented batsmen in his glorious career.

Ambrose said though he was naturally aggressive, it was fellow-legendary Antiguan bowler Andy Roberts, who encouraged him to embrace it while bowling.

“One of the things he mentioned to me was to always be aggressive, to always get under the skin of batsmen. That stuck in my mind coming from a great man like him,” Ambrose said on a podcast, hosted by Michael Atherton for Sky Sports.

“I don’t think you can teach a bowler to be aggressive — it has to be something within you. You can try, but if a bowler doesn’t have it inside of him, it probably won’t work. For me it worked because I am naturally aggressive while I am competing. It naturally flowed for me.”

Ambrose, who took 405 wickets in 98 Tests at an outstanding average of 20.99, said if one can make the ball talk, there is hardly any need to sledge the batsmen.

“...if you are good enough at what you do, you let the five and a half ounces (the cricket ball) do the talking for you.

“If you keep sledging, you probably aren’t any good. That wasn’t the West Indian way. Five and half ounces coming at you at 90mph is more than enough!”

Ambrose rarely uttered a word on the pitch. But he did launch a rare verbal outburst during the Port of Spain Test against Australia back in 1995 after being riled by Steve Waugh.

“Steve Waugh and I had our battles over the years. He was a tough competitor and I have a lot of respect for him, but in that particular game he said something to me that I didn’t like,” said Ambrose.

“Initially, I ignored it, as in the heat of the battle you can say things, but after a break something just snapped. I asked him, ‘Did you say so and so to me?’ He didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no. He just said, ‘I can say anything I want to say’, which to me was a yes.

“I decided I deserved more respect, so I had a few choice words for him. I said, ‘My cricket career could be over right this minute. It doesn’t make a difference to me, but your career will be over too because I’ll knock you out and you won't be able to play any more.’ There were a few expletives in between obviously.

“I was upset as I deserved more respect. But it started and ended there. I have seen him a few times since and we have never spoken about it.”

Ambrose also remembered the days when he joined the West Indies, which was full of greats in the late 1980s. Ambrose insisted that though he was new, he never liked to be called second best and that he always wanted to be the best.

“When I first made the West Indies team alongside the late, great Malcolm Marshall, as well as Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson, I never wanted to be second. I am a proud person and wanted to be the best I can be,” said Ambrose.