Ian Chappell: Basic errors undermining English game (31 August 1997)

Sunday 31 August 1997

Basic errors undermining English game

By Ian Chappell

TO an outsider it is obvious that English cricket has been on another planet for a while, rather than another plane. There are glar- ing differences in the English game now compared with the way they played in their last dominant period during the late Sixties and early Seventies.

For instance, the modern batsman (Mike Atherton excepted) is not able to bat for long periods in survival mode while the bowlers do not maintain a consistent line and length, driving opponents to distraction. Phil Tufnell in the last Test and Andrew Caddick in the final innings were able to achieve this feat, but it happens too infrequently to win series against the best teams.

A lot of the batting problems stem from poor coaching and the wrong approach. Lord MacLaurin`s blueprint for more competitive ju- nior cricket competitions may eventually correct the latter, but it still will not help much if the young players are not taught properly.

And placing great faith in an academy is not the solution, either, unless the system devised produces a quantity of good players to attend the finishing school. That is the main function of an academy, putting the finishing touches to good young cricketers who have been tested at junior levels and found to be the best. Glenn Mc- Grath and Ricky Ponting (both graduates of the Adelaide academy) were always going to be top-class players, but by attending Rodney Marsh`s finishing school they were better prepared when they eventually reached first-class and international level.

When I talk about poor coaching and the wrong attitude pervading the English game, let me give an example. England`s batsmen are no closer to solving the riddle of Shane Warne`s bowling than they were four years ago when he first made them sit up and take notice by bowling Mike Gatting with `that ball`. That is a disgrace, because part of being a Test batsman is finding ways to overcome or at least reduce the effectiveness of topclass bowlers.

Why has it not happened in Warne`s case? Because the England players do not have either the wherewithal or the nerve to cause Shane to change his tactics. Instead, they prefer to sit back and wait for Warne to bowl indifferently and only then do they score off him with any ease. That only happened at Edgbaston and the rest of the series he exerted a great influence on each England innings even when he was not taking a bundle of wickets. If top-class bowlers are not forced or frustrated into changing their tactics, then batsmen can be left waiting a long time for a bad ball.

In 1968 I was told by a player in England that I would reduce by one the methods of getting out if I stopped leaving my crease to the spinners. Obviously that type of thinking still persists, in which case Warne may well get his wish - to be still bowling well at 50. With the quickest of footwork (both leaving the crease and us- ing it by going back) there is no guarantee of success against Warne, but without it batsmen have no chance.

The modern gurus can come up with all the gimmicks they like, but the old-fashioned way is still the best for improving young cricketers; to bat, bowl and field whenever possible. The more competitive the training and the match play, the quicker the good players will improve.

The blueprint appears to be on the right track at the lower levels, but the problem is that it will take at least 10 years to bear fruit. In the meantime, England have to find a way to improve in the short-term. This will happen only if the players are given the best chance by teaching them correctly and instilling in them the right positive approach.

When a team or an individual is struggling, the best place to find a solution is in the nets. Practice does not have to be boring or take a long time; if it is done competitively and with a purpose it can be fun and, most importantly, beneficial. Then afterwards the players can relax in a manner of their own choosing.

England have succumbed to the pace of the West Indies, the swing of Pakistan and then the guile of Warne. This inability to confront the best bowlers the opposition produce is conclusive proof that something has been wrong with English batting techniques for some time, and there is no sign that any worthwhile progress is being made in overcoming the problem.

There is no doubt that under Atherton`s captaincy England have improved. However, they still rank at best in the middle of the pack and they could well have trouble holding that position when some of the senior players retire.

There is a good chance Lord MacLaurin`s blueprint will bring about some improvement, but years of negligence mean it is more likely to be a gradual take-off rather than a moon-shot launch.

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