A Coach needs to know the
nuances of the game too well – should evaluate the players, encourage their
strengths, ensure bonding and empower their performing as a team…….. need not
be a great performer of hey days …and need not be a foreigner perforce. The island Nation has now has its first
full-time local coach in 15 years - the
man a vulnerable starter, struggled to
make ground in his debut but showed immense strength of character accumulating
runs and scored six double-hundreds in his career, a feat bettered only by Don
Bradman (12), Wally Hammond and Brian Lara (seven each).
Before that Kolkata Knight
Riders chased and won against Perth Scorchers keeping the winning habit in
tact. When India relies on pace bowling
options and plays part-time spinners in T20 (and in ODIs too) – KKR plays with
Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla…. ..interesting !! yesterday too, led by Sunil Narine, their
spinners were un-hittable. Perth Scorchers realised that after much huffing and
puffing that amounted to only 151 for 7.
KKR batsmen faltered and eventually a good innings from Suryakumar Yadav
and his twin sixes in the 19th over saw them through. Earlier he had hit 2
sixes in 15th over too. Kuldeep Yadav, the 19-year old left-arm chinaman and
googly bowler in tandem with mystery
carom balls of Narine made Scorchers fumble.
For Sri Lanka it is Marvan
Atapattu- appointed as first full-time local coach in 15 years. The executive committee "unanimously
approved and appointed Mr. Marvan Attapattu to the position of National Head
Coach of Sri Lanka Cricket with immediate effect," an SLC release said.
Atapattu was always a strong contender for the position, thanks largely to his
intimate knowledge of the Sri Lanka set-up and its players, as well as his
success as interim head coach. Sri Lanka's last local head coach, aside from
brief interim appointments, had been Roy Dias, in 1999.
Atapattu played 90 Tests
scoring 5502 runs with 16 tons; in ODIs – in 268 he made 8529 runs and he
played two T20s too. He had a forgettable debut in Nov 1990 at Chandigarh out
for duck in both innings at Chandigarh – India made only 288 and yet enforced
follow-on …….. won by an innings and 8
runs - Venkatapathi Raju had dream
figures of 17.5-13-12-6 in the first and 36-25-25-2 in the 2nd. His
next chance came in Aug 1992 at Colombo against
Australia; he made 0 & 1 – in Feb 1994 at Ahmedabad, he bagged a
pair again. After that he next played in 1997 at Dunedin, where he made 25 & 22
and back home in Apr 97 at Colombo, he made another duck and 25.
Ken Rutherford, the New
Zealander had a similar streak – he made 0 & 0 in his debut in Mar 1985
against mighty West Indies; followed up with 4; ,0,2; 1,5; 65; 0; 0,50*;0;24…..ended
up making 2465 runs in 56 tests.
Atapattu had earlier been
named interim coach following the resignation of Englishman Paul Farbrace in
April. Paul Farbrace from Kent enjoyed
considerable success as head coach of Sri Lankan Cricket Team, winning the ICC
World Twenty20 2014 and Asia Cup 2014; but deserted ranks to join at Assistant
coach for England. Remember the stocky Whatmore who toured India under Kim
Hughes later became the successful coach of Lanka. He played just seven
Test matches and one One Day International. Whatmore was born in Ceylon; his
family migrated to Australia in 1962.; retired from Tests, coached Lanka,
Bangladesh and later Pakistan too.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
25th Sept. 2014.
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