Ted Dexter's proposals for the future of English cricket
ER Dexter - 24 March 1999
Once again our cricketers have flattered to deceive in Australia.
There were moments of glory, of course, but too often the key
passages of play went against them and the result of both the
Test and One-Day International series came out predictably badly.
If we start looking for something or someone to blame then we
will still be arguing the toss next Christmas, so it may be more
productive to make some positive proposals for the current
captain, Alec Stewart, to consider.
1. He should understand that the captaincy of England is not a
popularity contest, not with his team, not with the selectors,
not with the England supporters and definitely not with the
press. The only way to give satisfaction in all these quarters is
by inspiring his men to win more cricket matches than they lose.
2. He should therefore start to make his own rules of conduct
which all around him ignore at their peril. As did Douglas
Jardine, Len Hutton and Raymond Illingworth, who succeeded where
he, Alec, has just failed. If Illingworth had not put a personal
bomb under John Snow, those Ashes would never have been won.
3. This means setting himself sufficiently apart from his
players, and especially from the large supporting cast of
backroom men and women, to allow him to lay down the law without
fear or favour. In this vein I recommend that he spells it out
once and for all to Graeme Hick that just one more soft
dismissal, hitting the ball airily into waiting hands early in an
innings, will be his last.
4. If he has not done so already, he should read all there is to
know about man management and getting the best out of each
individual. It is always a matter of carrot and stick and the
sooner he is sure in his own mind of who responds best to which,
the better it will be for all concerned.
5. He must debunk immediately the idea that Test matches are won
by increasing dollops of team spirit and togetherness. It can
surely be taken for granted that everyone backs each other for
the common good. But it is contrary to all evidence to talk about
'building partnerships' as a recipe for more effective batting
than England managed this winter. What is needed is for
individuals to take personal responsibility for their
performance, as did Geoffrey Boycott in 1970/71. To take another
example, Pakistan's victory over India recently in Calcutta was
due to one man, and one man alone: Saeed Anwar, with his 188 not
out.
6. There needs to be serious discussion about the whole matter of
individual risk taking so that it is more of a crime to stay in a
rut than to try to break out with some really imaginative play.
The captain more than anyone must be seen to be leading in this
respect by his attitude to the opposing batsmen on the field and
by encouraging his bowlers to trust their own judgement in how
best to unsettle them. Nothing has done more harm to the
prospects of taking 20 Australian wickets in a Test than that
much repeated phrase 'bowling in the corridor of uncertainty'.
Uniformity of approach amongst bowlers is a certain way to ensure
big scores.
7. Alec is the only person who can resolve the vexed question of
the team coach's role. Whatever the organisation, there must be
only one boss and in cricket that person must be the captain and
nobody else. Nothing causes me more real anguish than to hear
that it has sometimes been left to the likeable David Lloyd to
read the riot act to a player or to the whole team after a
particularly disappointing performance. The captain should offer
his resignation if it is not agreed that the coach is his
right-hand man, no more, no less, and only operates under the
captain's direct control. No more television appearances, no more
newspaper articles and lots more time in the nets - maybe just
picking up the balls!
8. It goes without saying that just a very few sessions spent
under professional tuition in front of a television camera would
enhance Alec's personal standing and that of his team
considerably. He has a nice, straightforward approach when it
comes to the content of what he has to say but there are
improvements to be made in delivery, and every extra smile he can
muster will definitely be worth its weight in sound-bytes.
9. A trip to Las Vegas is definitely a must. There he will meet
very peculiar people who will swear blind that there is more to
tossing a coin and simply calling heads or tails if he wants to
have first choice of innings. Exposing himself to professional
odds players could break his current miserable run with the coin.
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