Cut the rabbit and the coach (26 May 1999)

26 May 1999

Cut the rabbit and the coach

Dickie Bird

I was astounded when I saw a couple of the South Africans wired up to their coach Bob Woolmer during one of the World Cup group matches. Whether the message was received and understood or not, I feel that such practices belittle the captain on the field and undermine his authority with the players.

If I were a captain in such a situation I would think to myself, 'Hey, I'm in charge out here. I make the decisions. I live by the sword and die by the sword.' I would certainly not want anyone rabbiting on in my ear, telling me what or what not to do.

The same applies to batsmen and bowlers. Having reached the top of their profession, with the three lions of England on their chest, they should be able to sort things out for themselves on the pitch, with the aid of the captain and a senior player.

I would go further. Call me a silly old-fashioned so-and-so, and tell me the game has moved on, but I see no reason why England should be seeking to appoint a new coach right now. Such a position is surplus to requirements.

In any case, there are two former England players on the selection committee, Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting, who can be consulted. Both have a wealth of experience at Test match level. Where is the need for a coach as well?

England, of course, have not been doing too well in Test series of late, and I think that the visit of New Zealand - one of the weaker nations - this summer provides an ideal opportunity to blood some of our younger players. The talent is there.

Not many people may realise it, but England are world champions at under-19 level. So why not give some of these lads a chance? Critics may say they have insufficient experience, but the only way they will gain that experience is by playing at senior level. If they're good enough, they're old enough, and we should take this opportunity to have a look at them. See how they react. See how they cope.

I'm talking about such players as Alex Tudor (Surrey), Andy Flintoff (Lancashire), Darren Maddy (Leicestershire) and a lad who has impressed me a lot whenever I've seen him, Graham Swann, of Northamptonshire, who bowls off-spinners and can bat as well.

Then there's Alex Morris, 'Mr Longshanks' himself, from my home town of Barnsley, who had a spell with Yorkshire before joining Hampshire. He's bowling well just now, and at 22 can hardly be described as 'too young' any more.

There are two more batsmen at Yorkshire, Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath, who may have flattered to deceive on occasions but have loads of potential and deserve to be given a chance.

These are the youngsters we need to be looking at, and encouraging, alongside the established internationals.

I would also like to see Leicestershire's Chris Lewis given another opportunity as the all-rounder in the team. It's a slot that has never been adequately filled since Ian Botham's glory days.

Failure to find the right man for that job has caused lots of problems with the selection of the England team. I know Lewis has been his own worst enemy on occasions, but he is a very talented cricketer and I believe the selectors should persevere with him. A good all-rounder is crucial to the balance of the team and this fellow fits the bill.

All this talk of good young players - and believe me, there are a lot of them in England right now - reminds me of my own early days as a teenager when I first went to the Yorkshire nets at Headingley. The coaches then were those two great Yorkshire and England stalwarts Arthur Mitchell and Maurice Leyland. It was Mitchell who took me to one side when I arrived. "Nar then, lad," he said. "What does tha do?"

"I'm a batsman, Mr Mitchell," I replied. "Hmm," he reflected. "A batsman, eh? Well, let's see just 'ow good a batsman you are. Put pads on and go and bat in that net. Those fellas over there will bowl a few at thee."

I looked across and who should 'those fellas' be but that great England trio of Freddie Trueman, Bob Appleyard and Johnny Wardle. Players I worshipped. To cap it all, it was a rain-affected strip. I took guard with some trepidation. And for 20 minutes I never laid bat on ball.

I went forward to Appleyard; the ball pitched on off-stump, turned and knocked leg and middle out of the ground. I played forward to Wardle; it pitched leg and middle, turned and knocked the off-stump out of the ground. I played back to Trueman, so late that the ball knocked all three stumps out of the ground.

It was with a bowed head that I returned to Arthur Mitchell. He looked at me and said: "Did tha say tha were a batsman? If tha gooin' ter play like that tha'd better not bother coming back."

Needless to say, of course, I did go back and eventually played alongside my tormentors on that day in the Yorkshire side.

Michael Parkinson went to Headingley shortly after me, having played with me with Barnsley at Shaw Lane in the Yorkshire League. And Parky suffered the same fate.

"Who's this lad?" Mitchell asked me. "That's Michael Parkinson. He's a mate of mine from Barnsley," I said. "What is he?" queried Mitchell. "A batsman like me," I told him.

So Parky went into the net. It was a disaster. As he was taking off his pads Mitchell muttered to me: "What does this lad do for a living?"

"He's a journalist with the local newspaper," I said. "Oh, is he indeed," scoffed Mitchell. "Well, pass on this advice from me. Tell him to stick to journalism."

Always was a good judge, old Arthur.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)