The Foreign Hand

Cricket coaching can be a thankless job. Just ask Javed Miandad! If the team is doing well, the team rightly gets the credit, but if the team is not performing adequately, it is the coach's fault. Javed suffered from the fact that his team was not performing as his bosses and the fans demanded. The frustrating loss to a more experienced Indian team recently was the final straw and, as is the trend in cricket at present—especially in the subcontinent—a foreign coach was appointed to replace him.

But now that Pakistan have failed to deliver even under Bob Woolmer, at least in their first big match in this Asia Cup against Sri Lanka, the question should be asked whether something is wrong with the team or the system, or is it, again, the coach? There was nothing to suggest in Pakistan's batting, bowling or fielding against Sri Lanka that the players have learned from their past mistakes. It was the same old story, now being told in a foreign land.

India fared no better against the same opposition the other day, albeit in an inconsequential game, since the teams advancing to the Super Four round carry forward no points from the first round. However, winning should become a habit and good habits are cultivated over a period of time. The manner in which the Indians approached their game against Sri Lanka suggested they had no clue as to what they wanted to achieve.

However, in their more important Super Four game against Bangladesh, they hardly put a foot wrong and wrapped it up in style with a bonus point to boot. With Sri Lanka beating Pakistan, it will be, once again, the India-Pakistan game on Sunday that will be all-important for both sides. This unnecessary pressure has been invited upon themselves by the two arch rivals, and though such needle encounters may be good for the game, it isn't for weak hearts.

Foreign coaches are no magicians and their contribution should not be evaluated on the basis of how the team performs in the short-term. There are some advantages in appointing a foreign coach, especially in the subcontinent's context. To begin with, he does not have a history with the powers that be and, therefore, will be removed from the day-to-day politics.

The main disadvantage for a foreigner is the language barrier. It will become a major problem if the captain or the players lose respect for the coach. Ironically, a language barrier can be an advantage. Communication becomes more powerful when you are forced to use more than your verbal skills. Sometimes the less you say as a coach, the better.

One poor match does not make or mar a team. Woolmer is a good and fair man who will demand a high work ethic. He has also been around before so he knows the ropes at this level and he has refined his coaching style with experience. Once he gets his lines of communication worked out, he will have the young Pakistan team working harder than ever they have before. If he gets them fitter, fielding better and working as a unit, the results will follow.

Talent has not been a problem for most Pakistan teams and this one is no exception. What they need is to produce their best more consistently, and learn that talent is not all that is required to be a successful team. The more esoteric values of patience, persistence and good old-fashioned hard work are what it takes, provided you have the talent to work with. These areas, as well as cricket's equivalent of the three Rs, batting, bowling and fielding, are what Woolmer will have to work on.

A strong team ethic is another thing that defines most successful sporting teams. This is the area in which the team of John Wright and Saurav Ganguly has had the most impact with the current Indian team. They have pulled together a talented group with the right attitude to achieving success and have instilled a toughness and unity in them that has not been evident in many Indian teams of the past.

Importantly, the Indian selection board has given the group time to learn what Test cricket is all about and to grow into a formidable unit. Selection is a critical area in the formation of a successful team. The right group of selectors is the first essential in the process of building a strong team.

If the selectors do not understand that temperament and personality are as important as basic skills, then the best will and the best coach in the world will not be able to achieve the desired results. Once the right panel is in place, then they must choose the type of player who will put team and country before personal ambition. Anything less will undermine the work of the captain and the coach.

Discipline and an adherence to the team plan and team rules are an important part of any successful group but so is the support and encouragement to play with flair and confidence, especially under pressure. Putting a team of clones together will not work any more than putting together talent without regard to commitment and responsibility. Balance is the key but it is not always easy to find.

A good working relationship with the captain is essential as is the understanding that the captain has the main role to play with a cricket team, especially on game days. Someone who thinks he's the key person is bound to fail. The job should be about supporting the captain and the team by facilitation rather than by filibuster.

The title 'coach' is one of the biggest impediments to finding the right person to take on the role with elite teams. My preference would be for the title 'manager' that is used in American baseball. This title reflects more correctly the role that is required in cricket at this level.

John Wright and John Buchanan do the role as well as anyone currently because they are more managers of men than people who primarily focus on the technical aspects of the game. Both men have expanded the mental horizons of the members of the teams with which they work.