Sobers for master class

The legendary Sir Garfield Sobers heads a distinguished list of former Test players earmarked to be among the tutors for the first batch of students at the Shell Cricket Academy of St. George's University.

Academy director Dr. Rudi Webster said it was also hoped that others like Sir Everton Weekes, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, David Holford, Joey Carew, Gus Logie, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh would be available at some stage during the three-month programme starting on May 15.

One of greatest and most neglected assets here in the Caribbean is our former Test players, Webster said.

We don't realise what a gold mine we have in that area and it irritates me to hear people say that ex-cricketers don't know anything about coaching or they don't know anything about the game.

What Sir Garfield Sobers has forgotten, most of these young people wouldn't know.

In addition to the former West Indies Test players, Webster has secured the services of current Test leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine and two Australian coaches who were behind the success of champion state side Queensland for the past two seasons.

The state's coach Bennett King and assistant coach Terry Oliver will be here three weeks during the second month of the programme, which is geared towards 24 of the region's promising cricketers between the ages of 18 and 23.

The 35-year King, a former Australia Under-19 player, was assistant coach for a few seasons before taking over from current national coach John Buchanan, while Oliver is regional cricket manager with Queensland Cricket where he is also state co-ordinator of special programmes.

Bob Woolmer, who enjoyed great success as coach of South Africa, also expressed an interest in playing a part in the academy, but duties with English county Warwickshire will prevent him from doing so.

The former West Indies players are expected to join the set-up in the last month.

It was already disclosed that two Cuban coaches would be coming, mainly to deal with fielding and fitness, and there will also be the presence of a renowned sports psychologist from Havana.

The wide-ranging programme focuses on several areas, but it has been broken down into four main pillars: fitness, technical, tactical and mental.

The main thing that I am trying to achieve at the academy is to try and get those youngsters to start thinking for themselves, because this is the weakness in our cricket, Webster said.

We do not think very well under pressure. A lot of the training will be teaching these guys how to deal with pressure and how to manage their thinking and things like concentration and stuff like that.