Fletcher manages to drag cricketers into the real world (4 July 1999)

4 July 1999

Fletcher manages to drag cricketers into the real world

Neville Scott

Duncan Fletcher, the Zimbabwean who leaves his Glamorgan post to take over as England's coach on Oct 1, four days after his 51st birthday, could have been excused if the phrase "out of the frying pan, into the fire" crossed his mind on Friday.

Even as England batsmen came and went at Edgbaston, his Glamorgan charges were beginning a descent which saw 16 wickets surrendered in five hours as they moved towards defeat by an innings, their third dispiriting failure in five games.

He is, though, an unflappable man, big and florid of face but largely taciturn, not given to confusing events on a cricket field with matters of real crisis.

His emphasis, in refreshing contrast to the self-obsessed, sometimes incestuous atmosphere of the English game, is on time largely spent outside sport. "I was just a normal working guy, you know," he points out, recalling that in his days representing Rhodesia and Zimbabwe he was essentially only an amateur, engaged elsewhere working in the computer industry.

"There's no set rules for coaching, it's how you handle people. What I know of that, I really learnt in the commercial world. It was a big decision to take the risk of getting out of that and into full-time coaching . . . which I've actually only done for less than seven years."

This followed an offer from Western Province in South Africa after he had spent some time with their players in a more informal capacity. By this stage he was production control manager in a Cape Town subsidiary attached to Rolls-Royce.

"When you operate under Japanese 'Just-In-Time' production systems, you have to structure things carefully and plan. You have to communicate with everyone from shop stewards onwards. Systems have to be spot on otherwise the product doesn't come out."

Successful 1990s clubs, like Warwickshire and Leicestershire, have emphasised open, group discussion and criticism in an attempt to foster a sense of common allegiance and purpose little supplied elsewhere. Fletcher, however, stands less in this mode.

"I like to work more on a one-to-one basis. When you work as a group, you can generalise. . . things get lost . . . the individual doesn't really know who you mean with your comments." This may be why he resists forcing his philosophy into the kind of mantras other coaches so readily repeat. Pressed, he will say "Work hard but enjoy it, have some fun", but it's clear he thinks this far too flat and trite.

When the flak flies, as inevitably it will, during the two years and 25 Tests of his initial contract, an obvious source of press dismay will be Fletcher's lack of intimacy with the English game. David Graveney, chairman of selectors, said Fletcher will have an "unofficial input" when picking this winter's party to tour South Africa and will become one of five selectors thereafter.

But Fletcher evidently believes his precise role is still to be fully agreed and, disarmingly honest, says: "My knowledge of players around is necessarily limited - people will have to understand it will take time. I don't know certain players that well at all." His one chat with Nasser Hussain came on the day they were both installed and lasted just 30 minutes.

On a less political front, however, his conviction is impressive. "There are good sides everywhere who are not performing, not just in England. Something's got to ignite them. Only very small performance differences can have vast effects overall. I already have ideas there . . . but, no, I won't state them now."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)