Dear Editor,
The recent WICB press release indicated that the following have been among those appointed for the Australian tour: Mr Simmons, head coach; Mr Williams, assistant coach; Mr Coley, assistant coach; Sir Curtly Ambrose, bowling consultant.
A fair interpretation of the press release is that there is no batting, bowling or fielding coach.
A consultant is not a coach, and Sir Curtly was one of the greatest fast bowlers ever. There is no record of his being either proficient or even interested in slow bowling. Neither of the slow bowlers has Test experience of substance. Indeed one has played two Test matches and a handful of first class matches. If Messrs Williams and Coley were intended to be the batting and slow bowling coaches respectively, and Sir Curtly the fast bowling coach, why are they not so described, and if they are not qualified for those jobs, why have they been appointed?
I know the Caricom cricket people have said that the WICB should dissolve itself as Archie Bunker used to tell his wife Edith to stifle herself, but we all know that takes time. The team plays its first Test match in Australia in a matter of weeks, so the WICB has a duty, moral, if not legal, to prepare the team which even it must acknowledge is very inexperienced. Surely it believes that coaching matters, and if the issue is money, shouldn’t it say so in order that the fans may understand or that those who may be in a position to help may give consideration to offering some help.
I shall not mention a sports psychologist this time because I suspect even some fans believe that by doing that I am implying that the players have mental illnesses, which I am not, and if I offended anyone I am sorry. Nevertheless the WICB would have noticed how many times in the last few years the team gave up strong positions for no apparent reason, or that (which is the same thing) players made more errors of judgment than one would expect from players at that level. If the WICB has someone other than a sports psychologist, or some ideas of its own other than calling out the players for stupidity, it should please try to tackle the problem. One of the reasons for including players like Dwayne Bravo, for example, in a squad of this nature is that Bravo has actually scored a Test century in Australia, and he and Gayle almost beat Australia, the one with the ball and the other with the bat at Adelaide, not too many years ago. The argument in favour of people like Pollard and Russell and Sammy on these tours is not that they are the best batsman or the best bowler, but that they are remarkable all-round cricketers, with a ton of smarts and intimidating, to boot.
In any event there is little time left. The WICB must try to have the squad prepare intensely for the tour. The Australians play a lot of mind games, but they are not as good as they would like people to think. Less than two years ago Pakistan beat them on neutral ground by an innings, and England just whipped them in England to win the Ashes. The Board should try to get the team to Australia early, and even if they do not give an opportunity to play practice matches, the players should be got into ‘think tanks’ so that the coaches (whoever they may be) can get the players to think through their games. Cricket actually does require a lot of thinking, though not necessarily book learning.
The coach should not underestimate the value during matches of the opinions often expressed by people like Bishop and Dujon, and even the opposition broadcasters who know the game. Someone should be designated to listen. Valuable pointers are often given, which the coach can put to use, rather than sitting there like so many coaches who do not seem to understand they must find a way to manage their team while the game is in progress.
Good luck to the team and coaches.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
