Headley knocks ‘over-coaching'

The son of the man regarded by many as the finest batsman the West Indies has ever produced is lamenting the way Caribbean players are being coached these days.

Ron Headley, off-spring of the late great George Headley, is adamant that modern West Indian coaching methods follow too much text-book fashion.

I can see that the players have the ability, but they are not expressing themselves because of the stereo-type coaching that my dad would always have been against, Headley said after the unveiling of a statue of George Headley at Sabina Park on Friday.

He never coached me. He guided me. I held the bat wrong, but it was successful for me, said Headley, who played two Test matches for the West Indies on the 1973 tour of England.

My dad was always a great believer in allowing natural ability to flow.

The younger Headley pointed out that his father also did a few things that were not considered orthodox. Yet, as a feared No. 3 batsman, he smashed ten hundreds in only 22 Tests in which he scored 2 190 runs and averaged 60.83, the highest by any West Indian with more than 2000 Test runs.

My old man had a two-eyed stance and he shuffled, said the younger Headley, who has been resident in England for several years.

When the bowler was running up to bowl, he could see all the stumps. By the time he let the ball go, you couldn't see anything. He was on the move. That was his way. That was his natural way and you must do things naturally, within the context of your ability.

Ron Headley, a qualified coach for several years, scored more than 21 695 first-class runs and 32 hundreds, most of which were made in the English county championships for either Worcestershire or Derbyshire.

Much of what he is saying was written in a five-page letter to the West Indies Cricket Board almost five years ago.

The 61-year-old Headley, whose son Dean represented England in Test cricket up until recently, also believes that regional authorities are not utilising the best available resources as they seek to improve the West Indies' recent fortunes.

We need to have coaches who are able to impart the game, to bring the best out of each player's natural ability. That is obviously not happening, he said.

Rohan Kanhai's knowledge of the game is immense. We've got the abilities and people with those abilities aren't being used.

Headley, too, would relish the opportunity to work with current West Indian players.

I would love to have a session with some of these guys. It's all about giving the guys the confidence and looking and seeing whatever weaknesses they are, he said.

I say to people that as a coach I can't do anything for the players. I can't go out and bat for them and field for them. They are the ones that have got to go out and do it.

Headley also referred to the success Australia gained in recent years and pointed to differences in style.

I love West Indies' cricket it is not a loose statement but it needs to recognise there is a problem, he said.

Until we recognise it and accept it, we are not going to solve anything. Look at all the Australians, they all bat differently. Look at our players, they all bat the same, apart from (Brian) Lara. Somebody is doing something to them which is not natural to them.

Headley added that he hoped the Headley legacy could be expanded.

One day, I hope, maybe stemming from this we may see a George Headley Academy right here in Jamaica and a foundation that can pick up youngsters and give them the right coaching guidance so we can start to begin to produce, he said.