mumbai: Shane Warne has spent a good part of his career shouting himself hoarse that Australian coach John Buchanan always got more credit than he actually deserved.
The champion leg-spinner’s allergy to coaches at the international level has been well-documented. When it comes to IPL, a discussion on Shane Warne can’t be far behind, particularly his most famous “international teams do not need a coach” statement.
“You can’t help but agree with Warne,” says Wasim Akram. “He proved it himself (by guiding Rajasthan Royals to the title as their captain-cum-coach). No coach taught me anything. I learnt everything through my teammates — Imran (Khan), Waqar (Younis) and others. At the international level, players are experienced enough to take their own decisions.”
Rahul Dravid agrees: “Learning through experience is the best way to learn. One should avoid too much coaching; it spoils your natural style. A coach can only create a proper environment for you to learn, but ultimately you learn yourself.”
Sanath Jayasuriya, while agreeing that a coach is only as good as his team, felt that proper coaching was a must at the grass roots level. “That’s where they help you and correct your flaws. But in the end, it’s your talent and hard work that takes you further,” the Sri Lankan dasher says.
Former India player Nari Contractor too felt that the word ‘coach’ was a misnomer. “A coach’s job is only to create the right background for his players to excel. Like look after their training schedules, judge their technical flaws at the nets, besides devising strategies to tackle the opposition. It’s up to the players how they take and implement his advice,” feels Contractor.
The IPL might have taken the world by storm, but Akram is least impressed.
“It’s not cricket, it’s entertainment. You can’t judge a player’s calibre by his performance in Twenty20. Here, bowlers are paid money to get hammered. Paise lo aur maar khao,” Akram said. “It’s a good platform for youngsters to claim some fame and money, that’s it. And it’s good fun to watch, what with all those cheerleaders and other distractions. But for the bowlers, and I am saying this because I can understand a bowler’s predicament, it’s painful,” said the Pakistan fast bowling legend, who was in the city on Thursday along with Dravid and Jayasuriya for an awards function.
“Test cricket is the ultimate. It tests a player’s real calibre. Tell me, how can you judge a bowler from just four overs? Or a batsman from, say 10-12 overs, when all he has been asked to do is go after every ball? We should not ignore the longer version of the game. That’s where a player can get groomed properly,” added Akram.
Despite his aversion to Twenty20 format, Akram felt it will help Asian cricket to prosper. “The crowds no more have the patience to watch five-day matches played on dead wickets. The cricket boards should look at this aspect urgently. Unless there are supportive wickets, the game’s going to suffer,” he said.
In a lighter vein, the Pak all-rounder said after seeing the exploits of Warne and Glenn McGrath in the IPL, he was tempted at one point to play the event next year. “I even went to the nets one day and checked my pace on the speed gun. My fastest delivery was clocked at 114 kmph. But that’s not why I gave up. There are too many distractions, cheerleaders for one. I won’t be able to concentrate. How could you do it buddy?” he nudged Jayasuriya, as both burst out laughing.
