Parsons' new spin

England Lions arrive in Mumbai on Thursday for their four-week tour which sees them playing in the Duleep Trophy. They are being coached by a man or never played international or even domestic cricket, but David Parsons has always been earmarked as a coach with huge potential. He tells the Times about the pros and cons of coming into a high-level role without having playing experience.

“I think it can be an advantage [not having played professionally],” Parsons said. “To acquire knowledge and experience I have to use other people’s knowledge. I don’t take any ego into those relationships. The other advantage is I developed skills I would perhaps not have been able to develop if I spent those years playing cricket.”

The disadvantages are more predictable. “I think back to a Level 3 that I ran. I was doing a spin module and I looked around the room and there’s people like Tom Moody, John Bracewell and me talking to them about spin bowling,” Parsons said. “I found it quite a difficult experience.”