Why the delay in appointing a coach?

The appointment of an Indian coach is proving to be a long drawn out affair. Why are the BCCI dragging their heels over a matter that should have been decided by now? It is only adding to speculation and rumours and the sooner the appointment is made the better for everyone. It begs the question of whether there is any sort of planning in the BCCI. Should they have not been planning well ahead of time like England and Australia, where the new coaches are in place with a minimum of fuss. Why the big media circus and speculation doing the rounds?

It is like a big drama being played out in public to ignite the interest in the game again. First there is an interim coach,Ravi Shastri, who has no intentions of taking the permanent role, stating that his media commitments cannot be broken. I think anything is possible and everyone has a price. He has done a good job in fostering team unity again and is well liked and respected within cricketing circles but clearly the role does not interest him in the long term.

Now there is a continual list of possible candidates touted for the role, with Dav Whatmore heading the list. The way Whatmore announced his intentions for the role in the middle of a World Cup, whilst coaching Bangladesh, was in bad taste. It seems that he has been waiting for the opportunity to get his hands on the big job, with the high profile and money that will no doubt accompany it. There has since been discussions with the board during the Bangladesh series, which have confirmed nothing but added to the speculation.

Now we hear that the senior players would prefer a foreign coach and have stated as much to the board, whereas those on the selection committee, like Sunil Gavasker and Kapil Dev would prefer an Indian coach. Gavasker and Dev also seem to be against Whatmore and have been quite public about it.

It would seem that there is no clear process or main criteria for selection for what is a very important post. The board will meet on June 4th and seemingly make a decision. How long will that take one wonders and why wait until then or have they got more pressing issues to deal with?The team have a tour to England next month and surely the new coach would want to be involved in the pre -tour preparations as soon as possible.

I find the whole issue perplexing and cannot understand why it is not a more clear, quick and straight forward process. You could make a bollywood movie out of it in the meantime, making it a big suspense thriller, with the coach revealed at the end, filling the already full coffers of the BCCI.

England crush sorry Windies

England beat the West Indies by a record margin to win the second Test at Headingley and go one up in the series. On a bitterly cold day with constant stop starts for rain, it was only a question of time before the Windies meekly surrendered.

It was a sad state of affairs to witness a turn around in the fortunes of a team that had once sent shivers down the spine of their opponents. England, more than often during their reign as world beaters, suffered crushing defeats by the Windies in their own back yard. This team was a shadow of that all conquering team, depleted by injuries to its star performers who have experience in these conditions. Most of the team have not experienced these conditions and were simply lambs to the slaughter. The swinging, moving bowl is not something that the batsmen would have faced in the dry, flat wickets back home. The impressive Dwayne Bravo was the only player who stood out from the rest with an entertaining half century.

Ryan Sidebottom made the difference in the bowling attack for England with his accurate line and length and swing. He used the conditions perfectly and showed the benefit of someone who has perfected his trade in the gruelling County circuit. Harmison and Plunket were still wayward and would do well to follow his lead in being more disciplined. Harmison showed signs of his old self with pace and aggression at the end but still has a way to go.

England did well with their captain Michael Vaughan returning to Tests after a long absence with a classy century and the other batters showing good form, with Pietersen, man of the match, simply outstanding. They have to keep on improving as they are likely to face much tougher oppositon, where they are likely to face a much sterner test but they did what they had to do well.

As for the Windies, they have to dig deep and try and get as much out of this tour as they can. They will wait to see if their captain Sarwan will take any part in the rest of the series and call replacements if required. There is talent in the team, it just needs to be harnessed with more disciplined and consistent performances.

Beckham and Ganguly

David Beckham has been recalled into the England Football team for the first time since the World Cup last year. I always saw a similarity between the way Beckham was treated to that of Saurav Ganguly in the Indian team. Both men were long standing successful captains in their respective teams and on arrival of a new coach were unceremoniously dropped. Both new coaches were making a statement and stamping their authority by dropping a big and influential player from the team,with the message that the new era under them will succeed without them.

It is indeed a bold move and you can see why a new coach would do this but it is a silly one if it is done to the detriment of the team. In the case of Ganguly, there was indeed a need for a change in captaincy and his form had also dipped. The treatment meted out to him was unfair and inconsistent. It was clear that the management did not want him and were looking for reasons to drop him. To his credit Ganguly used the time to play domestic cricket to improve his from and fitness. He was recalled after Team India had a run of bad results and the youngsters that were picked to replace him failed to produce. Ganguly made a heroic comeback In South Africa ending up with the most runs in the series. He was hungry for success and used the time well and looked better than ever. The coach was almost forced to do a u turn,with Ganguly having the last laugh.

It is a similar story for Beckham, who was used as a scapegoat for Englands poor form in the World Cup. He was dropped and the door was seemingly closed for him. England drafted in new younger players as the coach built his new team, but the results one year down the line have been bad with England struggling to qualify for the European Championship. Beckham, meanwhile has never lost hope of playing for his country and has remained fit and is in a rich vein of form for his club Real Madrid. The cries for his recall have been growing and the coach has had to do a u turn for the sake of his team and recall him to help them qualify.

Both these players are very passionate about playing for their teams and have never given up hope despite challenging times and circumstances with their backs to the wall and in Gangulys case all and sundry calling for his retirement from the game. Their strength,determination and belief in their abilities has seen them fight their way back in on merit. It must be such a satisfying feeling to fight against the odds and win. They both must have had a smile on their faces. I know I did.

Testing times for Harmison

The pressure will again be on Steve Harmison when the second Test match starts between England and West Indies tomorrow at Headingley. Headingley is renowned for helpful conditions for bowlers and all eyes will be on Harmy to see if he can regain the form he produced at his peak three years ago in the West Indies. His performances since then have been very inconsistent, coinciding with the departure of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, to Australia. Harmy was particularly close to Cooley and has felt his loss more than others.

It seems to be a mental thing as he has had a great start to the season with his county Durham and all reports confirmed that he was back to his best. It seems that he has stage fright on the big occasions with his mental fragility coming to the fore, which affects his bowling action as technical flaws begin to surface, resulting in the wayward fare he seems to serve up.

He has had ample time to rest and get it right after the disastrous Ashes series, where his first delivery to third slip on the opening day remains a lasting memory. He has quit one day cricket to concentrate on Tests but all the preparation still has not helped. It is a worrying factor for England, who have showed faith in his abilities and have been supportive as they know that he can be destructive if he gets it right. Everyone is hoping that it will all just click into place once he gets a few wickets, but those wickets are not coming and with that the pressure is growing and so it is a vicious circle.

In the end you can have all the help in the world and the best practice sessions, but when you get out there, it is down to you to perform as cricket is as much an individual game as it is a team game. Each batsman and bowler is out there on their own and therefore those that are mentally tough and able to handle the pressure usually succeed. Harmy needs to overcome his demons and believe in himself as time is running out.

Quality not quantity

There is a lot of talk about the packed international schedules and the effect it is having on players and teams. It is a non stop treadmill now with cricket played all through the calendar year and that has to take its toll, with player burnout and injuries.

There are some teams like England who are on the go constantly with barely a couple of weeks break in between. They have started a home series against the West Indies two weeks after returning from the World Cup.There is a packed schedule at home for them where the number of Tests and ODI's has increased crammed form mid May to mid September which results in back to back Tests. There is no time to recover from injuries or work on aspects of your game. No sooner has the home season completed in September and they are off on an international tour in October, which goes on usually until April and then it is back home for the start of the domestic series. I am tired just thinking about it and watching it so how must the players feel?

India also seem to have a packed schedule, with the current series against Bangladesh hot on the heels of the World Cup and in the middle of the rainy season when interruptions in play are almost guaranteed from the outset. The fans are also robbed of a good contest when so much time is lost. India also are suffering with a list of injuries, particularly to key bowlers, much like England. The packed schedules has a greater impact on bowlers, with greater chance of injuries and compromising their fitness levels. A time for rest and recuperation is essential to recharge the batteries both mentally and physically.

It is interesting to note that the one team who seems to be getting long breaks and we are talking several months is Australia. They only seem to be playing for a quarter of the year at the moment with plenty of breaks in between. They have so much time that they have to organise long camps to get the players together and do team building exercises. It would be good if the other countries had such a luxury as they are struggling to catch their breath in between. Is it a coincidence that Australia are far superior from the other teams in fitness and performance levels and ultimately their results?

It seems that the people in charge of schedules have really lost sight or have no interest in the game and the welfare of the players. It is ironic that those in charge of the game have not played the at the highest level, if at all, and therefore are unlikely to realise the effect it has on the players. Their prime consideration is commercial and that is evident in the decisions that they make. It is time for the administrators in charge of the game, both the ICC and the boards of each country to take notice of the growing call from many quarters to look at the packed schedules and the impact it is having on players and the game as a whole. The onus should be on quality and not quantity and I am sure that even the fans would agree with this outcome. It is surely better to see less games, which have fit and motivated players, which makes for a good contest than to have more games, with key players missing and demotivated players, making it a dull contest.

The 'rested' centurians

The rest seems to have worked for Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, as both notched up centuries against Bangladesh. The conditions were favourable for batting and the bowling was not that threatening but the two greats of Indian cricket must have been under pressure to perform. The start was tentative, as would have been expected, but they soon got into the groove and played well to reach their landmark.

There has been a lot of talk of rumblings within the camp during the World Cup, with the two seniors in the thick of things and the apparent 'rest' from the one day squad adding fuel to the speculation. A team should always strive to get new blood in and aim to move forward and grow and should use the expertise and experience of the senior players as it does so. The Australians are a testament to that theory and proves that players should be judged on their performance and not their age. India are at a stage where their star players from the last decade and more, are nearing retirement age and there needs to be a transition to bring in new players. This has to be done gradually and with the help of the senior players who can be used to aid the transition.

It was great to see Saurav and Sachin together again, playing so well and clearly enjoying and very comfortable playing together. Maybe the events of the past month has made them try harder and made them more hungry and determined to do well, which can only be good for India. It is always good to let your performance do all the talking because that is where it counts.There may be more sterner tests ahead in England and Australia for both them and the team but you can only deal with what is put in front of you and that they did.

The Monty and Kevin Show

The final day of the Test between England and West Indies at lords is set up for a thrilling finish, barring rain interruptions. The Windies are chasing 401 to win and if they get off to a good start, anything is possible as England are a bowler short and Harmison's woeful form on the international stage continues.

Monty Panesar took the plaudits with a six wicket haul after talk of leaving him out before the start of the Test due to unhelpful conditions for a spinner. Monty has demonstrated again that a good spinner can take wickets in any conditions. The normally quiet and unassuming character comes to life at a fall of a wicket as he carries out his extravagant celebrations, running and leaping up in the air excitedly chased by his beaming team mates. He is totally focused on his task and it must be great for a captain to have someone who he can rely on to come on at one end and not only keep it tight but take wickets. His game has come on leaps and bounds ( no pun intended) in all areas, especially fielding and batting, since his debut in India in 2006.

The second half of the day was dominated by Kevin Pietersen, who scored an entertaining century. He brought the game alive, after starting slowly, but working up to an exhilarating pace, ignited by his duel with Chris Gayle. Pietersen likes a challenge and nothing gets those juices going than the opposition getting stuck into him. A bit of friendly banter is always entertaining and adds that extra spark to proceedings. The normally cool Gayle was quite emotive but Pietersen won the battle this time as he plundered runs all round the park. He reached his hundred and there was almost a lack of celebration as if it was all so easy.

It remains to be seen who will steal the show today as the stage is set fair for a winning bowling or batting display and end up victorious.