Cricket coaches must not interfere with players' natural talent (8 October 1998)

8 October 1998

Cricket coaches must not interfere with players' natural talent

P Epasinghe

The Oxford Dictionary defines a 'Coach' as a tutor or trainer of competition for examination or athletic contest.

I am sure that in the training of any cricketer, the coach plays the most significant and vital role. He should have a sound knowledge of skill and technique of playing cricket. He should be able to demonstrate skills and techniques and must be a motivator, disciplinarian and should be able to set high standards in behaviour and appearance. These are some of the significant attributes required for a cricket coach.

Today there is a very high demand for cricket coaches. If you go to any leading cricket ground in Colombo, you can witness so many tiny-tots dressed in immaculate white, learning the finer points of the game. Sometimes, the little ones of seven or eight years are taught "bat up", "forward defence", "backfoot-defence". Some parents whose main ambition is to see their sons emulate Sanath, Arjuna, Aravinda or Romesh, in the future, take their children to private coaches. Very often, these private coaching classes are over-crowded. Sometimes, it is the keenness of the parents rather than the keenness of children to play cricket which leads to this scenario. Parents think that cricket is the window to international fame, sound finance and comfort.

I personally feel, children between the ages of seven to ten should enjoy their cricket at home or school with a tennis-ball and a bat. They should play cricket in schools during the lunch intervals or after school with their school bag as the wicket. In the good old days, we used to play this type of "test cricket", with the softball for many hours.

Tiny-tots must enjoy hitting the ball hard, rather than mastering batting techniques. Allow your child to break a window or two, smash a bulb or two or smash a towering six to the adjoining garden. That's how a career will commence.

I can recollect, how Mrs. Breeda Jayasuriya, beloved mother of Sanath Jayasuriya told me, how her son used to play softball cricket in their home garden with the neighbouring children, when Sanath was about nine years and how he used to send 'rockets' flying to the adjoining garden - a Buddhist Temple, which of course the gracious Nayaka Thero or High Priest tolerated. This was the beginning of a champion - the most valued player in the Wills World Cup 1996.

Gutty, swashbuckling batting star Anura Ranasinghe, was baptised in cricket at the tender age of 7 or 8 at the municipality grounds, Kirillapone bordering their home. As the coach and Master-in-charge of cricket, one day I requested Mr. Gerry Gooneratne, first XI cricket coach, to have a close look at this tiny Anura Ranasinghe, when he was playing under-12 cricket for Nalanda. One advice he gave me, was never to interfere with his style or rhythm of batting.

I still remember Mr. Gooneratne predicting that, if he continues in his own natural style, Ranasinghe will be another "Sathasivam" in the cricket circuit of Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Ranasinghe's career was cut short, as he too became another victim of their forbidden South African Tour in 1982 which is considered by some, as the biggest black mark in the annals of cricket history of Sri Lanka, so far. Such, brilliant cricketers like Mahesh Gunatilake (wicket keeper) Hemantha Devapriya (wicket keeper) Susantha Karunaratne (fiery fast-bowler), Lalith Kaluperuma (off-spinner), Ajith de Silva (left arm leg-spinner) and Bernard Perera to name a few, who should have continued for few more years with distinction, also, ended their careers prematurely with this rebel South African tour.

A child who is keen to play cricket must be keen. Just because the parents are keen it does not mean that your son will become a cricketer. You must remember that keenness, dedication and application is necessary for a budding cricketer.

Coaches must be very careful not to over-emphasise the finer points of techniques. Sometimes, when coaches interfere and curb their natural shots, players find it difficult to adjust and ultimately find that they have lost the tempo. Technique is good, at a certain point, but your natural stroke play is far more important.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a cricket coach, who has produced Sri Lankan Test players. I posed this question to him about the mass-scale cricket coaching clinics and classes and asked him whether this type of coaching at a very tender age, will there be free stroke-players like Sanath Jayasuriya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Romesh Kaluwitharana in the future. He told me the whole idea of the coaches training the tiny tots must be to allow the little ones to hit the ball as hard as they can, and enjoy themselves. He went on to say that when they grow up, they must not curb their array of natural shots. He further added, that coaches should not drastically change their style and rhythm, but allow them to play their shots minimising the risks involved.

Sometimes, a highly technically sound batsman may get a century or a double hundred, after a technically correct painstaking innings. Geoft Boycot was a very sound, technically correct batsman. But sometimes his century did not help England to win a match. An attacking innings of Gary Sobers helped West Indies to record victories. So after all what you want and what matters is your side winning. Always remember that cricket is a thinking and a team game.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)