Talking Down Club Cricket

At the age of 40, I stopped playing Premier League club cricket as Captain for Billericay CC in the Essex leagues. We had built a team from almost scratch in a 6 year period thanks to the fantastic vision of Irishman Morrow McIlroy, who had come from Malahide CC. He convinced and then helped drive change at what was a village club, into one of the leading cricket grounds in the South of England. 

Billericay CC today boasts county standard cricket strips. It started with a postage stamp ground before selling up to move a mile across town. It was a challenging time for everyone at the club. But what made it work was developing a great youth system (where Jon Walford, Damian Brandy, Nathan Batson and Paul Walter had benefitted) and a 1st XI full of players who had played high standards of cricket up to First Class level. This helped drag the club up by it's bootlaces. 

The 'banter' we had at the club was terrific. And the hard fought matches we played, were played out with a mutual respect for our opponents.

Turning 50 a while back, encouraged me to consider playing again, notably for the Essex Over 50s and a move to the lovely town of Halstead - a sleepy North Essex location - it was a chance to give a bit more back to the area I had relocated to. 

What I hadn't been prepared for sadly, is the 'sledging' that happens on a Saturday - at far lower levels than I had been used to playing as an adult cricketer.

Stepping down the levels is appropriate. The future of any club is the youth. But what isn't appropriate has been the verbal abuse dished out by many players of the field. 

Much of it has been far from 'banter'. When this chat degenerates into either personal and foul abuse (because that's all it is) you seriously have to question playing cricket at all. There has been some seriously dreadful abuse of umpires too. Even this year we have had a batsman refusing to walk off off being given out and calling the umpire a cheat. We have had players accusing other players of cheating and calling them 'match fixers'. We have had  aggressive appealing for decisions that clearly are not out, yet the reaction by those players has been nothing short of disgraceful when given not out. Batsmen, who having been dismissed, then being 'sent off' by opposition players unnecessarily. Effing and blinding overtly, appalling language directly aimed at players loudly, even use of the C word..... Saturday cricket has moved away from amusing banter and into verbal abuse and bullying.

Yet the level of cricket just isn't worth it.

It's average Saturday afternoon club cricket. It's not even high quality. Often time, those with the worst abuse are the players who think they are so wonderful. This would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

And I think sad is exactly the right phrase.

Twitter has given idiots a voice. Saturday abuse has given idiots something to shout out, believing they are untouchable. Yet much of the abuse would never happen in the workplace or in any other situation.  So what fulfils people's petty lives is often trying to make themselves sound better than they are. And an abuser of the highest order, is very often a player who has never achieved anything of note. I don't know whether it's frustration for them, a feeling or worthlessness or the realisation they will never amount to anything on the cricket field - but these 'weekend warriors' - often scattered around different clubs yet all chummy together, delight in their little narrative. Petty, jealous and most likely lacking in something - most of them are wannabes. They watch cricket on TV. They follow big names on twitter hoping to get noticed. They post pics of themselves with mates as they've seen the 'stars' do that. There is definitely a culture of celebrity, or need to be noticed, they are trying to associate with. it spills out onto the club cricket grounds. And if those people stopped for a moment and could see how they sounded and looked, they would be embarrassed. If of course, they were smart enough.

Having said ALL of that the vast majority of players on a Saturday are really decent. I have enjoyed great contests during the past few years. I have seen some great young prospects in opposition sides. And as a coach and county scout, it's often good to play against this talent. I recommend players upline. I will also chat to good youngsters and say well bowled or well batted to them, finding out their name for future reference.

My worry though is what influences they are being exposed to. 

When I grew up at Hutton CC, my environment was having a brilliant coach in my father and two brothers who played professionally. I started in the 1st XI at 13. I was surrounded by super elite club cricketers who played hard and appreciated good cricket. As we grew into a formidable team we trained hard, played tough and drank long into the night with the opposition. The social side of the game was as important as the match. That's why banter was friendly and funny, rather than abusive.

The standard was high, so were expectations.

Club cricket today - certainly the way it's played out - is a pale imitation of that time. It's just a fact. Nothing can be done about there being far less good cricketers around the club scene. But what can be done is how some of those players behave and act. Because abusive sledging is not cool. 

It might simply be indicative of the time in which we live. Celebrity culture. Desire to be known or noticed. The twitterati mentality. Or a dumbing down of standards.

Umpires have a difficult job. They regularly intervene nowadays in on field spats. Many of the older umpires bemoan how cricketing and behavioural standards have simply fallen through the floor. It's no wonder umpires are less and less keen to stand out on the field each Saturday. Players have almost made certain situations untenable.

Whether those abusive players are smart enough to realise or understand this, I highly doubt. These are the same people who complain about everything that umpires do and how shocking decisions have been. They are the same people who take 'dubious' photos of themselves and post to social media. It is definitely a culture they want to live in. And it's disappointing to realise they are the very ones who are ruining the game at it's very core. 

I don't envy good young cricketers coming through such crass club cricket. Yet I feel that good players will find their way of making it despite this negative influence. Talent should always out. Good players will always go on and be good players.

I just feel sorry for the rest of us who want to play the game in the right spirit, play for fun, play hard yet fair, compete regardless of whatever level we used to play, and also who understand what good cricket actually is. That you don't need to clap every run. You don't need to shout out "great shot" to an edge for four. You don't need act like someone who doesn't understand the game and shout things out, just because you believe "being loud" is what is important in the field or from the boundary watching.

This 'classless cricket' is taking over what was once a great game. I am very pleased I had my career as I come towards the end of even bothering with club cricket. I can see why the vast majority of ex-pros turn to golf or simply don't even bother to get involved anymore. It's easier to spend the day doing something more meaningful and fun than to listen to banal, idiotic chat from people you wouldn't normally even spend a few moments talking to about our great game. 

Morrow McIroy had a wonderful dream. He lived long enough to see that dream fulfilled. If he was alive now, he would be saddened to witness what some of club cricket has become. 

Do Coaches Make A Difference?

People say you always remember a great teacher. That's because the influence they can have on you is immense. You probably remember a very bad one, too.

So just how important IS a coach when it comes to a team being successful?

The general feeling is always that the players are playing and the coach is...well... just a coach. A coach cannot play for you and a coach isn't out there performing.

So what is a player? Is he an autonomous, free-thinking, self-developed and fully-independent cricketer?

My first penny-dropping moment came at the 2007 World Cup as Assistant Coach to the Netherlands in the West Indies. At a team meeting I asked a simple question "How many of you know your role in the team?" If i recall, out of the 16 players sat around the table, only 2 hands went up.

The players were simply unsure of what they were doing or were clear of thought about how they should play.

In 2011, as Head Coach of the Dhaka Gladiators, I asked opening batsman Imran Nazir, what he thought his role was in the power play. He said "To get as many runs as fast as possible". 

What struck me about those two conversations, is just how a player is completely influenced by coaching staff and understanding of role clarity. Something as simple (and important) as "what is my role?", wildly affected how collective individuals would be able to perform.

The ECB identified 5 key areas for making a world-class player: Technical, Tactical, Physical, Mental, Lifestyle. And so to develop that player we have coaches covering skill drills, strength & conditioning, sports psychologists, performance analysts, nutritionists, and a whole plethora of 'back room' staff.

We place massive importance of 'team ethic', plans, media interaction, communication, dressing room vibe and positive attitudes.

We spend hours nets throwing balls with Sidearms, having player bowl at targets, hitting against bowling machines, learning power hitting, developing skills for different aspects of the game. Coaches work hours on fielding skills like catching, diving, throwing, positioning. It's a coaches job to make the players better. 

Hours are spent by analysts developing weaknesses of opposition and own players. 
Match day tactics are developed - team by team. 
Plans are discussed, worked on and fleshed out.
Team meetings are designed to make the game as smooth as possible for the players.

Once the players cross that boundary line they are on their own. No coach can do it for them. But be under no illusion. You are watching the tip of the Iceberg with the vast majority of what has gone on up to then - under the surface unseen.

Success goes to players. Blame goes to coaches. That's how fans see it and those outside of the game. Neither is accurate or true, but perception is reality.

My point is, when you see a successful team, just think about what has gone into making that happen and understand the players are never alone, nor is anything done in isolation.

England's Woes

Everyone has an opinion on the wretched winter England cricket experienced. But the issue is now how is it retrieved?

There are many things the ECB has done wrong in the PR laden disaster that has befallen them during the past 5 months, culminating in defeat to one of my former teams, The Netherlands, in the T20 World Cup. Many of the wounds are self-inflicted and the rest are as a result of some exceptionally poor decision making.

The reality is, players take the field and not the coaches. The truth is, the coaching staff set the agenda and the players respond to it. So we have a virtuous circle - or in England's case, a vicious circle - that seamlessly interlinks success on the field with a happy camp.

So here are my '5 things to ensure' that English cricket gets its mojo back before it's too late:

1. Lose the cringeworthy 'team culture' message being spouted by everyone in an ECB tie, tracksuit or part of the payroll. 

2. Select the best available players to represent England, embrace the fact they are individuals and blend them into a winning outfit.

3. Stop speaking to fans and the media as if 'Team England" is a large corporate machine and we have stakeholders and shareholders.

4. Be honest when it goes wrong and be forthright about what you are going to do - and then do it.

5. Appoint the appropriate coaches and staff who can do the job they are appointed for, who can step up to the plate and who are willing to take responsibility.

We have lost sight of what's important in the melee of back room staff, reports, reviews, research and sheer numbers of those inputting the 'right culture' into what basically is a simple premise - enjoy your cricket, play without fear and express yourself.

Very soon we will know the successor for Andy Flower. That person will once again be in charge of all three formats of the game. They should have experience of how to develop a winning team. So it cannot be someone currently involved in my view. And it should also be someone who isn't looking for a job in cricket - a serial applicator for each and every coaching role that comes up.

My choice? Justin Langer. If he wanted it.

What's clear is that batting and bowling staff have failed miserably. It's been as if they are deers caught in headlights. They should go. Select the best coaches who can actually coach and make a difference. Do not choose people who are 'popular' just because they are 'good blokes'.

Give Langer a full brief. If he wants to bring back KP, then that is what happens.

Fill the England squad with pride. Appoint those unafraid to ruffle feathers. And above all, bring in an environment where people can be successful and rewarded for performances - not have selections that make no sense.

Grey men appointing grey ECB staff, is not where we can succeed. Cricket is an entertainment business and England must entertain. Ditch the culture. Embrace winning. Employ fighters. Lose the psycho babble and marketing speak. Restore the pride. Take responsibility. Straight talking.

It's a small window of opportunity. I doubt it will be taken. A good summer will again paper over cracks. But we really need a good summer. 

Maverick To Mainstream

The latest news is that pace is back on the agenda for cricket after Mitchell Johnson's brilliant summer, and I for one, am smiling! Today, I am the Director of Mavericks Cricket Institute but when I first began a coaching revolution back in 1995, I was widely viewed as a maverick with crackpot ideas. My ideas have remained unaccepted by mainstream coaching for almost 20 years. However, in a batch of recent studies, evidence has emerged that there might actually be ways to change a bowling action that can increase speed. My first course 20 years ago, offered money back to the students if they didn't bowl faster by the end of it. All 20 attendees increased their control and speed - some by as much as 16%. Using a new coaching methodology, I found success with teaching speed into bowlers rather than out of them. But no one was interested at that time. The main problem came as former players, commentators and current coaches didn't believe one could teach speed. Most thought fast bowlers are born and you have what you have, and so it cannot be coached. Also at that time, the English Cricket Board (ECB) didn't even exist. Then it was the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and the National Cricket Association (NCA) running the game. All the coaching was based on the MCC coaching manual dating back almost 50 years. I, for one, simply couldn't believe that whilst other sports improved how players kicked, punched, threw, ran, cycled etc., cricket couldn't teach improvements in speed. That's what got me focused on looking into how we could do it. Drawing on my own background as a fast bowler, baseball pitcher and javelin thrower, I looked into what would be classified as 'best practice' for producing power safely. This led to identifying several common positions that could be adapted and adopted for fast bowling. And what was even more remarkable was that several of the world's quickest bowlers already shared those common traits. I discovered by speaking with baseball and javelin coaches that they had already researched into the best way to throw in their sports. We had nothing in cricket for fast bowlers, but when we looked further we found that some quicks already did those things. My first book, "The Fast Bowler's Bible" was written in 2003 and came out in 2005. In it, I started to lay out much of this work from thousands of case studies and notes of students. And what I found was interesting - I found myself saying pretty much the same things to each bowler I worked with. After a while, I could tell whether they would lose pace or control, what parts of the body were working properly or not and exactly where they needed to make slight tweaks to improve. That formed the basis for the book. Not satisfied with my own thought process, I also sought the input and coaching of top javelin coaches like Tertius Liebenburg and Jeff Gorski, and became influenced by baseball pitching coaches Al Widmar at Toronto Blue Jays and Bob Tiefenauer at Philadelphia Phillies. I also worked alongside Dr Kenneth West who had coached with 47 different sports in maximising performance. This set me off on a mission. I looked at physics, biomechanics, physiology, and motor movement and how many of these functioned for power generation sports. I looked at learning preferences and read books on a wide variety of aspects of skill acquisition. As a non-expert, I had to try to interpret and actually understand what I was discovering. But the challenge came from scientific papers. It is extremely hard for the lay person to understand scientific research. It is not written in a user-friendly way. It is also ambiguous most of the time too, so it can be easy to misinterpret and draw conclusions that simply are not there. Research is additionally limited as it only measures certain aspects of what is being looked at, so unless you are looking at the right things in the first place it might take you a while! My coaching style was continually evolving and I also designed a series of protocols that I could use at workshops and academies which I was running. Some other coaches also started to use these methods as the success rates with them, was proving extremely high. In 2005, I took up a position as bowling coach in 2005 for my native Essex and was appointed ECB National Skills Set Coach at Loughborough, working alongside Ottis Gibson, who went on to become England bowling coach. But to my dismay, I was unable to implement any of my own coaching methods. The bowling work being done by the ECB at that time was geared exclusively to injury prevention. The ECB-based coaches and others were focusing on 'prehab' and avoiding injury in fast bowlers. They got sidetracked completely on this in my opinion rather than how we can develop a safe way to coach fast bowling in the first place that has a strong efficacy for pace. That's because scientific research had highlighted how stress fractures were likely to happen. It had led to a restriction on fast bowling, which in my view, was causing many fast bowlers to actually lose pace or have their actions changed to the detriment of pace, but all in the name of safety. It meant that no thought was put into coaching speed. The irony appears to be that after all that effort, we seem to hear of more back injuries than ever! My second fast bowling book titled "Ultimate Pace Secrets", was released in 2012. This contained drills, coaching points and more importantly, the positions a fast bowler should strive for to be the best version of themselves. One simply had to accept and understand that everyone bowls differently. But we all have the same skeleton, so here I was talking about creating the right environment to maximise speed based on a process. Baseball and javelin have coaching processes, as do other sports like Golf. There are processes in how to throw a ball or javelin and hit a golf ball if you have any coaching. Clearly if you don't have coaching in those sports, or very little, you can still be effective. But we accept those sports have processes for maximising performance. Fast bowling is obviously no different. In more recent times, scientific research, whilst tentative, is starting to seek whether there is a commonality between bowlers and whether a protocol can be established for teaching pace. It is being suggested that a straight front leg may be an indicator for fast bowlers, as well as delaying the bowling arm, something I already coach to my wards. Both a straight front leg and delayed bowling arm are things I would always wish any bowler to master. There are very many other indicators that go with this like hip rotation, chest drive, alignment and many more mentioned in the books. I think that research into this area will ultimately lead the ECB to work with very similar principles I have been using for two decades. They might call it something different, but it will ostensibly be on the frame work of 'The Four Tent Pegs' and ABSAT, which are two of the main methodologies of my success with pace. To be fair, I don't blame the ECB for being so stuck for answers for so long, if they are waiting for science to tell them where to go next. My work is based on results in the real world, good old trial and error and an understanding of what works first hand. I am not restricted by research into existing methods. My role is to create new ones. You cannot make a bowling model from measuring what you have now, which is already flawed. As the current Head Coach of the Ultimate Pace Foundation in Bangalore, I have worked with Dale Steyn and Shoaib Akhtar. I am very open to helping any cricket board develop their coach education. The secret isn't knowing this stuff, it's how you pass it on to others - one can only do that if one has discovered the drills for coaching in the first place. You have to be able to coach people so they can understand why they should make changes and how they do that with their existing style of bowling. This is about enhancing a bowler's natural ability. My work is not a secret and it would be wonderful to finally realise that it is accepted as the way we should be teaching our youngsters if we truly want a legion of pace bowlers like Mitchell Johnson. And that, more than anything else, really makes me smile!

Don't Let Success Get In The Way Of Improvement

If I hear one more person say "if it ain't broke don't fix it" I will explode.

I have been listening to commentators rabbiting on about bowlers 'messing around' with their bowling actions and the legendary Wasim Akram then added: "I never changed my action when I was playing." Then of course we have the cursory nodding at each other in agreement.

Let me straighten this incorrect thinking.

Working on your bowling action is NOT 'messing around'. The comments about not tweaking parts of your action to make them better, usually comes from people who have no idea how a bowling action works. Bowlers can make a simple few tweaks to improve what they do. So why wouldn't you want to do that?

It seems odd to take this view that "I am bowling well so don't touch it". If we think about getting fit... is it desirable to be fitter, stronger and have better cardiovascular capabilities? YES

Is it desirable to eat better foods to fuel our body better and help combat diseases plus ensure energy levels are higher? YES

Is it desirable to work on variations and perfect yorkers/slower balls so we can get better results in matches? YES

Is it desirable to have new experiences and understand how to cope with tougher games thus understanding the mental aspect of the game better? YES

So can anyone explain why on Earth you wouldn't improve technique, that can have you bowling better, faster, more consistently and with less chance of injury?

What most people fail to realise is that technique is a desirable thing to work on because it helps you to deliver your natural skills better. A racing car with a better engine, brakes, steering and control allows the talented driver to exploit their skills better. No one ever settles on the car that won the previous year in F1. No one in F1 says "we won with that car in 2009, if it ain't broke don't fix it."

That would be madness. But I am not advocating that EVERY bowler should be changing things. Clearly there are some exceptional cricketers who are at the very top of the tree. However as Sir Garfield Sobers says: "What ever the level of cricket you play you want to be better." I fully agree with him.

I am not talking about wholesale changes here. I am talking about working consistently on a technique so you get better... like a batsman would do in the nets to make themselves less susceptible to certain deliveries.

The issue has arisen due to bowling coaches not understanding bowling actions, so therefore say don't touch it. International team coaches often will repeat the mantra about not helping on an action because X, Y, Z player is doing OK. And they will often cite the situation of James Anderson, who changed his action, then got injured and went back to his 'old' action and was successful. One badly implemented change doesn't mean changes are wrong. Like eating the wrong foods... you can say "I changed my diet as I was told". Except the diet changed to was wrong.

This doesn't mean that changes are wrong - just HOW and WHAT you change. If coaches don't know what to do then learn the right changes/tweaks to make for that style of individual bowler. 

In Javelin, golf and baseball, three other power generation sports (relative to fast bowling) technique is key to control, power, injury prevention and consistency.... and of course, winning. There will always be a bowler who does things 'his own way' and for that we celebrate the individuality of how that player has been brought up.

But you have to wonder why we don't know anything about fast bowling.

It starts with the comments I heard today watching TV. And ends with educating those in the truth about technique and the rich benefits it can bring to maximise a player's own natural ability. I suspect the thoughts will not change anytime soon though.

What IS Natural Talent?

It's always a curious thing when coaches and commentators talk about "natural talent". 

When someone does well they appear to have natural talent, according to experts and when they break records, do something exceptional or remain highly consistent, it is revered as natural ability.

But the truth is, if we do things over and over again this is what becomes natural. And that means you can change it.

Coaching (or teaching) can help you alter how you do things. If you are a batsman and continually get LBW for example, as with Shane Watson, the way you bat can be improved. In his case, a trigger, pre-delivery movement, would dramatically help. But this wouldn't be natural for him to attempt without grooving it over and over - until it felt natural. At this point, we would say that he had a natural style of batting, even though he had learned it.

Brett Lee suffered a stress fracture due to his 'natural' bowling action. So he changed it into what we see today. To us this looks natural and most commentators say this is a gift for him and 'how he bowls' even though he learned it.

There is a confusion over what is natural and the aptitude as humans we have to do something easily. Humans are pre-disposed with different assets that make running, throwing, jumping or hitting a ball, more likely. However, something is only natural if it has been nurtured, developed and learned. 

This is the most important thing to remember - apart from instinct we are all born with, all things in our life are learned experiences. It doesn't mean that all humans can do the same things equally well. It simply means that we are a product of what we have been taught, shared and absorbed.

Those who do exceptionally well as a cricketer clearly perform the most important tasks better than others. Whether this is physical, mental or tactical, those world class performers all share a similar group of 'assets'. There is a capacity to perform that others may not be able to show. 

Whether this is natural talent, for me, is highly unlikely. 

All tall people cannot be fast bowlers. All people with great reflexes and concentration cannot be great batsmen. So what is the 'gift' that people have that makes them exceptional?

Whatever you do more often than not, becomes natural, feels natural and looks natural. Being taught the right things is the main part of what appears to be natural, gifted talent. 

So is there a difference between what is natural and what is natural talent? It is just predisposition that differs, but the common denominator is always what has been learned.

And that comes down to coaching in the end, appropriate to the person receiving it. 

The Game Is In The Player's Hands

Stuart Broad's non-walk, when he hit the cover off the ball in the 1st Ashes Test at Trent Bridge has caused some controversy. 

Ex-players, current team mates and Anglophiles generally, have used the "he isn't the only one to cheat' defence... as if that is any type of defence against cheating.

It does seem unfair to focus exclusively on Broad here, which is maybe what those who seek to defend cheating allude to. Broad isn't the first (and will not be the last) to stand there when he knows he is out and cheats the umpire and the opposition by not walking off. The additional defence "That is the umpire's job" isn't really the point at play here.

Cricket is having a tough time of match and spot fixing right now. The game is suffering from those who choose the cheat and manipulate parts of the match. Players are suspected of cheating by scratching the cricket ball to affect it's condition so reverse swing can be achieved. There are those who deliberately go out to cheat, and there are those who simply cheat in the heat of the moment - such as claiming a catch when they knew it didn't carry.

It seems to be that players are now absolving themselves from any responsibility in cricket by leaving it all up the umpires, TV cameras or whether they 'get caught' doing something they shouldn't.

Cricket is under the severest of scrutiny. 

There is a simple way to assist with this. The answer is not to cheat. 

Playing in a recent match, one of out fielders took a perfectly good diving forward catch at cover point, inches from the turf. the local umpire said he couldn't see if it was taken cleanly, and the square leg umpire didn't see. So the batsman, who was half walking off, stood there and was given not out. The fielder could have been asked "did you catch that cleanly?" by the batsman, who would have accepted the catch as fair and walked off.

To those grandees of the game defending cheating I say this: it will only stop if there is a consequence of KNOWINGLY cheating. The shame of it is that punishments would have to be threatened in the first place - as you would think that any player wouldn't con another, or a whole team, or even a whole match, to start with.

Manipulating parts of the game to affect the outcome by cheating, would be a very good place to start a deterrent. Whatever has gone before is not a defence. It is how the game is played moving forward.

Just as with diving in football, cheating in cricket is an unacceptable face of the game that should be brought to book in some way.

Because if the players are not going to protect the integrity of their sport, if they are not going to speak up and say it is not right to cheat, and if those around the game think it is acceptable to cheat because others do, then like with match fixing and ball tampering, it will become 'part of the game' that is accepted.

Players and coaches hold the key. It isn't about the umpires on such morality.