You are off target, Mr. Murray (11 May 1999)

11 May 1999

You are off target, Mr. Murray

The Jamaica Gleaner

Former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray is not a man who speaks a lot, but whenever he does, he usually makes sense.

Last week, however, was not one of those occasions?

A release out of Port of Spain quoted the former Windies vice-captain as saying that with a manager, a bowling coach, a fielding coach, and a psychologist there are too many people in charge of West Indies cricket, and that somewhere along the line, the captain will lose control of the team.

According to Murray, the focus of the West Indies team should be on the captain, and the more his role is diminished, the more problems are created for him which will ultimately affect his control of the team on the field of play. Murray even went as far as to say that there may now be divided loyalty in the team and that captain Brian Lara will have to be concerned about who the players are loyal to - whether it is the manager or one of the coaches.

"The captain should have full and final responsibility, he must not have anyone interfering with that because it weakens his position," said Murray.

There is no question that the captain should have full and final responsibility for his team. There is, however, also no question that the team needs coaches, and there should be no reason why the presence of coaches should create problems for the captain or have anything to do with the loyalty of the players.

There was a time when the responsibility of captains included organising and running net sessions, and when, with the captain also responsible for motivating the players, a psychologist was not considered important. Things have changed, the game has become more professional and demanding, captains have complained about the pressure on them and the effect on their own performance, and coaches and psychologists are now necessary.

Is there a need for a fielding coach assigned to the West Indies team? Maybe not. There is no question, however, that there is a need for a manager, a batting coach, a bowling coach, and also a psychologist, and once there is proper job description, there is no reason why that should create problems for the captain as far as loyalty and his control of the players are concerned.

The only way that could create a problem for the captain is if the ego of the people around him is such that they want to call the shots - on and off the field, and if that is so, then it is the personnel which must be looked at.

The captain is the man in charge, and the players' loyalty to him and his level of control have nothing to do with how many people are around him. It all depends on how good he is, how successful he is, and most importantly, the respect the players have for him.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)