New Man In Line To Coach Cricket's Next Generation
The Sunday Age
Sunday July 16, 2006
Cricket Australia has rubber-stamped its choice for the man to succeed John Buchanan
THE 2007 World Cup will signal the end of John Buchanan's reign as coach of the Australian cricket team and the rise of a new generation of players.Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hogg and Damien Martyn may all end their one-day careers after the Caribbean tournament. It will be time for a new direction, with names such as Mark Cosgrove, Dan Cullen, Cameron White, Chris Hartley and Mitchell Johnson to step forward under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and his likely successor, Michael Clarke. The intriguing question is, who will be the coach?The inside word is that head coach at the Australian cricket centre of excellence, Tim Nielsen, already has been rubber-stamped for the position. It is yet to be advertised, but succession planning is paramount and indicators are that Cricket Australia already has its man.Nielsen, who played 101 first-class games for South Australia as a wicketkeeper-batsman, is well equipped to take control. He has served his apprenticeship, firstly as state assistant coach to Greg Chappell and then as Buchanan's right-hand man with the Australian team between 2002 and 2005. He worked with the players physically and technically and managed the computer data of the Australians and their opponents as high-performance analyst.More recently, he was appointed head coach at the centre of excellence in Brisbane. At the time, some considered it a backwards step - after three years as assistant coach with the big boys, he was going to manage the minnows. It was a move perhaps orchestrated by Cricket Australia to allow Nielsen time as the main man as opposed to the second-in-charge. Is he the right man to take Australian cricket forward? Without doubt, he has the curriculum vitae for the job and his apprenticeship is complete, but coaching the Australian cricket team is not as easy as most would like to think. It is not just about running net sessions any more. The job description includes being chief motivator of a highly strung and very successful group of players. Managing the group is as vital as coaching it.The areas that Nielsen must deal with before he steps into the role include whether he has the respect of the current group. Does he have the presence to manage the varying egos within this squad? Is he experienced enough to manipulate his captain (Ponting) into his methods and way of thinking? Can he provide sound tactical advice when required? Can he create his own stamp on the team?The biggest hurdle is influencing the captain, as the coach-captain relationship is the most crucial element of modern cricket. The captain must live and die by his tactical awareness, but a good coach puts the polish on the product.Ponting is still developing as a captain, so a tactically smart coach is crucial. Nielsen filled in a few times as captain of SA but has minimal experience in this capacity. If he has a weakness, this is where it may lie. Ponting is a good captain but not great; he needs a tactically smart coach at his side.In the unlikely event the job doesn't go to Nielsen, then who else would be in the mix? The list of state coaches does not have a standout candidate, although some believe Wayne Phillips of SA would make a good coach at the next level.Other candidates include Steve Rixon, who has coached domestically and internationally. He is a hard taskmaster with an excellent cricket brain.John Inverarity, who has been coaching in the English county system, has been mentioned but perhaps his time has gone. Rodney Marsh, who has the strongest claims of all, is apparently not interested. Jamie Siddons, one of Nielsen's assistants at the centre of excellence, was an excellent state captain-coach. But he has run second too many times for various coaching positions and is unlikely to jump over his close friend Nielsen for the main role.The only other name being touted is Tom Moody. He is the coach of Sri Lanka but would jump at the chance to come home for the national job. Moody has all the ingredients for the job, including a sound tactical brain, and has captained Western Australia and Worcestershire to titles. He is highly respected and popular with players and administrators.It will be an interesting 12 months in Australian cricket. At the end of it, we will have a new coach, and if I were a betting man, I would be placing all my money on his name being Tim Nielsen.
© 2006 The Sunday Age