Coaching innovation lacking | Thebigtip

Dissecting Australia’s form over the last two years has been easy. There is simple so much that can be critically analysed as not many aspects of their play is solid enough to withstand scrutiny.

Those that have criticized have generally concentrated on their own field; former bowlers have chipped at bowlers, batters have alluded to their time when it was so much harder while the media has focused on peripheral issues like captaincy and scheduling as to the reasons for the downturn. One aspect that has not been explored is the Catch 22 scenario of Australian cricket – it has nothing to do with actual on-field performances but on the flipside has everything to do with it. It's conspicuous in its silence, no one mentions them, not many would even know who they are, and because of this they are not put under any pressure. They are the coaching staff.

The lack of pressure put upon the coaches may possibly be explained away by the fact that most 'respected' cricket writers, those that played the game at the highest level, do not come from the coaching era - to paraphrase Shane Warne a coach “is a vehicle to get you to and from the ground”. Yet when commentators try to explain the resurgence of Australian cricket in the 1980’s after what seemed the longest half a dozen years in sporting history, it is Bob Simpson that is mentioned in the same breath as Allan Border. It is not the heroics of the individual players or the individual games. This is because Australia’s dominance returned because of a distinct change in attitude. Whilst World Series Cricket created the frame for a professional future for the game, it was Simpson who filled in the center of the puzzle.

That era signaled the immergence of the coach as a crucial part of any cricket side’s success. Australia hence has long been the innovator and leader in this field – the cricket academy run by Rod Marsh is another major example (such an innovation, that rather than other countries setting up their own, they sent players to the Adelaide based one). During Australia’s reign as possibly the best cricket side ever in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s John Buchanan was at the helm. It may be said that the side he coached could have performed the same without him, certainly Warne thinks so. But Buchanan was a lateral thinker, ready to challenge his players at every level to get their best performances week in, week out. Nothing is more outside the square than slipping a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War under every player’s door before a series or players practicing batting both hands for different situations. After the disappointment of the 2005 Ashes, much like the series starting this November, the buildup was huge from a long way out, there was no way that the English were going to beat Australia. In order not to repeat the 2005 loss there was a boot camp in the outback, which reminded everyone of football rather than cricket. There was great debate in the media over it, players complained (well, Warne did) but the end result was the team thrashing their opponents 5-0. The x-factor was Buchanan.

It is within Buchanan that we are reminded of the silence of current coach Tim Nielsen. The former boss has signed with England to consult every so often on Australian conditions and players. And this appointment is now the trend in English cricket; they are leading the way in coaching innovation, leaving no stone unturned to perform at their best. Since the start of 2005 they have won 29 of 62 Test matches (including in this is 5 tours of the sub-continent), two Ashes series and a T20 World Cup; they have the best bowler in the world, arguably the best wicket keeper and a young, tall pace attack that is on the verge of world domination and their fielding is much better than almost everyone. Scarily, all of these things used to be Australia’s domain.

What seems glaringly obvious is the lack of specifics in the training regimes of Australian cricket. Sure we have a world class fielding coach who also doubles as a part time psychologist for the players but the other two physical parts of the game are not producing results. Nielsen and his staff can hide behind the “rebuilding phase” if they choose to but the deficiencies are mounting up, not just now but throughout his reign.