Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Minadad doesn’t like that PCB advertised for a coach - What can a coach do with a computer… Malik shouldn’t be the Captain …Future of Cricket in Pakistan is dark…he says…
The article is in Urdu -
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
From the Funnies -
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Javed in the article states that he will not be making the application. I don’t blame him as he doesn’t meet most the the criteria.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
That’s also Imran Khan’s view. He does n’t believe in laptop culture either. A coach in his view can only really help a test team if he has played test cricket himself because he has seen that pressure etc.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^ I don't know about Imran Khan, but I think there is a fundamental difference between the role of coach as envisioned by Miandad and as envision by us/PCB/rest of the world. It seems to me that Miandad believes a coach is out there to improve physical fitness of the team (by conducting PT sessions and batting nets etc) and to guide the captain in terms of game strategy. Where as most modern coaches (yes, the ones with laptop) are constantly analyzing weaknesses of the opponents by reviewing how they got out - in case of batsmen, and what are their bowling strengths - in case of bowlers, so that a strategy can be made to get them out or to play them with confidence. All this is done through immense databases maintained on computers which records every out and every shot of all players in all teams. This is in addition to making strategy, looking at pitch conditions, weather patterns, own strengths as well as to coach own players to rid them of their technical flaws etc. Miandad plans to do it all through gut feeling and his experience of playing in the last century.
At the same time, I completely agree with Miandad that having an ad on the website/newspapers is absolutely a silly way of trying to attract a good coach for an international cricket team. These things are done through contacts, feelers and references. A short list of candidates should be asked to come and make presentations as to how they hope to achieve team goals.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^ Personally I think PCB has advertised the post in their quest to supposedly appear transparent. I am pretty sure they have a feel for what they want and who they want. The advert is just to quite those who might complain later that the board appointed someone using their under the table policies.
Lets see who get to wear the shoe.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^ I don't know about Imran Khan, but I think there is a fundamental difference between the role of coach as envisioned by Miandad and as envision by us/PCB/rest of the world. It seems to me that Miandad believes a coach is out there to improve physical fitness of the team (by conducting PT sessions and batting nets etc) and to guide the captain in terms of game strategy. Where as most modern coaches (yes, the ones with laptop) are constantly analyzing weaknesses of the opponents by reviewing how they got out - in case of batsmen, and what are their bowling strengths - in case of bowlers, so that a strategy can be made to get them out or to play them with confidence. All this is done through immense databases maintained on computers which records every out and every shot of all players in all teams. This is in addition to making strategy, looking at pitch conditions, weather patterns, own strengths as well as to coach own players to rid them of their technical flaws etc. Miandad plans to do it all through gut feeling and his experience of playing in the last century.
At the same time, I completely agree with Miandad that having an ad on the website/newspapers is absolutely a silly way of trying to attract a good coach for an international cricket team. These things are done through contacts, feelers and references. A short list of candidates should be asked to come and make presentations as to how they hope to achieve team goals.
Miandad was a shrewd cricketer who regularly got under his opponents' skin during his playing days. Imran would always consult him (and Mudassar) in the field not just because he was a senior player but also because he had a sharp cricketing brain, a real street fighter's mentality. To say that Miandad is stuck in the past and probably does not analyse the weaknesses of the opponents by reviewing their videos etc. to me is a bit unfair. He may not have the computer know-how and knowledge that Woolmer possessed but he is intelligent enough to know the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing batsmen and bowlers having played international cricket for 21 years (like Imran) from 1975-1996. The only problem I see with Miandad is his average inter-personal and communication skills. Because of his generally poor grasp of even urdu and average personality (too abrasive at times) he may find it difficult to command the respect of most players and therefore not be able to do the job as he would like to.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^ How would he know the weaknesses of a player he has not played or seen play? Especially the newer up and coming players in other teams. He can either ask other people or he can do video analysis of their game. Video analysis of opponents is precisely what the so-called "laptop coaches" do. The other alternative is to just ask your bowlers to go out there and do your "best". I suspect this is what Miandad does. It may or may not get the batsman out. However, it just puts more pressure on the bowlers since they are without the intel that the other team has.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
agreed to some extent but reviewing videos does not require technical know-how of computers (other people can download it for him) does it? Besides how do we know for sure that Miandad does not watch videos/dvds etc. of individual players?
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
As I said thats precisely what laptop computers are for. They have a database of shots and outs. Bowling actions are played in extreme slo-mo to understand variations in deliveries. Cricket team and coaches don't have the luxury of time to play DVD's of entire games, thats why these databases are created for each player. For someone who is so ardently against the so-called "laptop coahes", I just find it hard to understand what kind of guidance Miandad gives his charges: "Go out and do your best"?? I don't expect Miandad to be a computer guru to use these modern cricket coaching software (completely agree that any cheap CS student can be hired for that). Problem is I don't know if he even appreciates how much intel and knowledge these laptops and modern coaches bring to the table.
In Miandad's coaching days, my most interesting memory is when Miandad was sitting in the dressing room and was making hand gestures to the batsmen who were batting in the middle of the ground and was mouthing the words "dhiyaan se khelo, baray dhiyaan se!!". For an international batsman to be told "dhiyaan se khelo", how much improvement do you expect that makes in his batting??
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^ then again did that computer know-how really help Pakistan? I for one don't believe that Pakistan progressed under Woolmer. They were making precisely the same mistakes under him (be it fielding or opening dilemma, frequent batting collapses or lack of mental resilience). As Imran argues and quite rightly so, he and several other great players of his time (incl. Miandad) did not really need the services of a coach and polished their trade mainly thru playing county cricket in England and sheffield Shield Cricket in Australia. And I am sure that Imran would strongly dispute the view that the game today is more technically advanced or challenging etc. Sure some rules have changed and there are more games in a calendar year than before and more fitness and burnout issues as a result but there's also better protective gear now than his generation had back then. The bottom line is you still need essentially the same skills and discipline to excel in games and compete with the best teams.
The coach's role is over-rated. When Australian cricketers break into the national team from Sheffied Shield cricket or their academy team they are already proper cricketers who do not need any serious coaching. It's because their domestic cricket is so competitive. Likewise if Pakistan want to progress they need to improve their domestic cricket. Then everything - team, coach etc. will fall into place. Have you seen anyone credit Buchanan with making Australia the no.1 team in the world? It's their system not their coach that makes them world-beaters.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Again, I think we are missing the point of a modern day coach. Except in limited circumstances (like Yousaf's flawed technique that made him susceptible to moving ball) where the coach can take a player on the side and work to remove the error; at international level a well positioned coach provides valuable intel to his players about the opposition. Did you hear Ponting say after the semi that the SA top order played exactly like Aussies wanted/expected them to play. I can bet that the deliveries that got Smith and Kallis out were planned by Aussie team in their strategy meetings. An experienced coach preps his player and tells them how to get the opponents out. How the players execute the strategy depends on the abilities of the player. Whether Pak players were able to execute on the intel they had is up for discussion. I don't have the answer for that.
By the way, good domestic cricket alone can not make for a winning team. Look at England. Having a good coach or a few brilliant match-winners won't make for a winning team, either. Look at Pakistan. Having a great strategic captain alone won't make for a winning team. Look at South Africa and New Zealand. A team that consistently produces high quality game and wins, needs all of these and more.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
It's sad to see that some people still think that a coach's role is to "primarily" teach the players how to bat and bowl hence the arguments against 'laptop' coach. I don't expect Miandad to know and understand computer aided analysis but some of our fellow guppies are certainly capable and aware of how it's done.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Faisal bhai:
I know Ponting said after the match,"Their top order batted exactly the way we wanted them to."
Well Smith and Kallis both fell mindlessly charging Bracken and McGrath respectively. It's something that could not have been planned by Australia because Kallis in particular is not known to charge bowlers in that way. Smith charged Bracken after facing only 4 balls so that was reckless if anything. Those two dismissals apart, Australia deserved to win. Faced with an opponent superior to them in skill and mind, SA's batting disintegrated and descended to mindless adventure. They seemed over-awed by the occasion and over-anxious to take the game to Australia and fell to a succession of poor strokes.
Smith is over-rated as a captain. I only rate Ponting, Fleming and Jayawardene among the present captains.
And in England's case their decline mirrors the declining standards in county cricket. Pakistan need to copy Sheffield Shield Cricket and not county championship if they want to progress as a team
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
It's sad to see that some people still think that a coach's role is to "primarily" teach the players how to bat and bowl hence the arguments against 'laptop' coach. I don't expect Miandad to know and understand computer aided analysis but some of our fellow guppies are certainly capable and aware of how it's done.
Sir I don't believe a coach's job is to teach the players how to bat and bowl because those are skills the players should have already acquired (cf. Australia) when they break into the national team, a coach can merely highlight and polish certain weaknesses in an individual.
But ask yourself did that computer-aided analysis really help Pakistan? While I appreciate it may not be entirely Woolmer's fault, I really don't think that Pakistan progressed under Woolmer. The same mistakes (be it fielding or opening dilemma, frequent batting collapses or lack of mental toughness) were repeated day in and day out.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Sir I don't believe a coach's job is to teach the players how to bat and bowl because those are skills the players should have already acquired (cf. Australia) when they break into the national team, a coach can merely highlight and polish certain weaknesses in an individual.
But ask yourself did that computer-aided analysis really help Pakistan? While I appreciate it may not be entirely Woolmer's fault, I really don't think that Pakistan progressed under Woolmer. The same mistakes (be it fielding or opening dilemma, frequent batting collapses or lack of mental toughness) were repeated day in and day out.
I do think that Pakistan made great improvements under Woolmer (and despite Inzimam). The biggest proof of that is the widely accepted positive assessment of Pakistan's chances in this world cup at the beginning of the ODI series in England. It's just unfortunate that things fell apart thereafter.
But I don't want to argue that at the moment and keep our focus on the 'laptop" comment. It seems that we agree on the coach's role in a team's development. What exactly is then people's problem with the laptop. I know that Miandad gets intimidated by it and it's his inferiority complex that provokes him into making anti-laptop arguments, but everybody else, come on, just focus on how good or bad a person's coaching skills are. If they use a computer for easy record-keeping and analysis, it should not count against them.
In short, please focus on whether Woolmer was good or bad for Pakistan, and NOT whether his latop was. We didn't hire a Toshiba-2000, we hired Bob Woolmer.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^^ Abay have you ever watched a North American Sports documentary ?
In there they show the tools available to a coach
They use computers to analyze player movements, from which they can improve the player, use computer imaging to analyze the opposing team, etc....
These tools are needed....
Australia utilizes them and thats why they are so good....
Whats even more sad, Australia has a population of 20 million, less than 1 million play cricket as enthusiastically as 1.5 Billion South Asians and yet we still get our asses kicked
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^^ Abay have you ever watched a North American Sports documentary ?
In there they show the tools available to a coach
They use computers to analyze player movements, from which they can improve the player, use computer imaging to analyze the opposing team, etc....
These tools are needed....
Australia utilizes them and thats why they are so good....
Whats even more sad, Australia has a population of 20 million, less than 1 million play cricket as enthusiastically as 1.5 Billion South Asians and yet we still get our asses kicked
I think you were responding to Asif and not me, right?
But yeah, I agree, people make arguments against the use of laptop as if the laptop was supposed to teach our openers how to bat. It's just a piece of equipment that allows the analysts/coach to deduce strengths and weaknesses from players' previous performances. I can't understand why people have problems with the use of technology by the coaches. It's only a 'supplement' to what they already do, not a replacement.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
^^ Abay have you ever watched a North American Sports documentary ?
In there they show the tools available to a coach
They use computers to analyze player movements, from which they can improve the player, use computer imaging to analyze the opposing team, etc....
These tools are needed....
Australia utilizes them and thats why they are so good....
Whats even more sad, Australia has a population of 20 million, less than 1 million play cricket as enthusiastically as 1.5 Billion South Asians and yet we still get our asses kicked
^ Well Australia are a cut above the rest and it can't really be that bad for us Asians given that since 1992 one of the Asian teams has been in every World Cup Final. In Australia's case it's not just coaching but a highly competitive domestic season that produces mentally tough world-class cricketers.
Re: Wright, Boon possible candidates as coach?
Technology is very important. Bob was an innovative coach and his 'laptop culture' was adopted by all professional coaches after he came up with the idea. He did wonders for SA with that approach and even with Pakistan, his approach did good for the team. Sure, the results werent as good we Bob or the Pakistani fans expected but that has little to do with Bob using technology and more to do with our own players and their attitude towards the game and hard work. People like Intikhab Alam and Miandad are living in a fools paradise if they think that the tools and methods used during their own playing days can match the technological innovations of the modern day game. It just shows how narrow minded both men are.
Miandad, in particular, is the worst possible person to Coach the Pakistan team. In all his stints, he has failed in terms of results, innovations and even unity. Throughout his stints, the team has had internal squabblings due to the infamous Miandad politics. Its quite funny to see how desperate he is to become the Coach. He has a show on Hum tv and every night they run a poll that says ' do u want javed bhai to be the coach of the pakistan team' ... plus throughout the show he does his best to put himself in line for the job. So when the PCB...quite rightly...advertised for the Post and mentioned qualifications such as Certifications and Computer skills, Miandad immediately began dissing the move - because he knows his goose is cooked.
Every board advertises for the position of Coach...when India hired Chappell...they had also placed an add and then had their committee interview all candidates. Ex-Indian test cricketers like Amarnath and Gaewkad, Aussies like Chappell and Dean Jones, made Power Point presentations for the job. Eventually Chappell was chosen.
In Pakistan, the ex-test cricketers think they are 'Gods'...they dont want to be in line for a job, they dont want to learn new technologies and skills - they just expect jobs to be handed to them on a silver platter.
Good for the PCB that they set a solid criteria for the job. Let the job go to a professional with proper modern day certifications and qualifications - and not a narrow minded money hungry loser like Miandad.