as a cover-point fielder constantine was, according to manley, "athletic, panther-quick, sure handed and with an arm that could rifle the ball into the wicket-keeper's gloves like a bullet even from the deepest boundary". many critics considered him to be one of the best fielders of all time. as a bowler, constantine accelerated from a relatively short run into what manley calls an "explosive" delivery. james believes he reached his best form as a bowler in 1939, using what he had learned in the leagues. by this time his varieties of spin, pace and flight made him effective even when conditions favoured the batsmen. although constantine's test bowling record was modest, this may to some extent reflect the poor standard of fielding in the early west indies teams, in particular their propensity to drop catches.