Cricket Coach or Greyhound Bus?
Shane Lee | July 20, 2023
Shane Warne once said “a coach is something you get on to travel to and from the ground.” I know Warney was being facetious when he referred to the Australian team coaching staff, but when you’re as good as he is, you can do that!
For us mere mortals, the right coach can play a significant role in your sporting development and performance of an athlete. It can provide them with technique, confidence and strategy. It sometimes can mean the difference between success and failure.
Throughout my sporting career, I was lucky enough to have many excellent coaches. From my school cricket days at Oak Flats High school to playing for the Oak Flats Cricket Club, Campbelltown, Mosman, NSW and Australia.
Having the right coach in your early developmental years is crucial and can mean the difference between being a child star or having longevity in the game. Also, having an open mind throughout your entire career is also crucial for long term success. You are never too old to learn!
In 1998 John Buchanan drafted in an American AAA baseball player and former Major League Baseball coach by the name of Mikey Young as our new fielding coach. Mikey was your typical fast talking, tobacco chewing American sports coach that wore a big bright white smile and an old leather baseball glove on his left hand.
The Australian Cricket team had arrived at the Gabba for a pre-season camp of which fielding was going to be a major part.
John Buchanan said with his slight lisp “Boyz Mikey Young is going to take us through some fielding drills today, and he will be spending the entire season with the team as our new specialist fielding coach. Please make him welcome.”
What Mikey said next in his broad American accent still makes me laugh but also still amazes me today;
“Hey Warno, I watched you on TV last night. The crowd loves you man. I watched you run after the ball in the outfield Warno (You’re not that fast Warno), then pick up the ball, off balance Warno and throw the ball into the catcher like a parabola. Do you know what that is Warno? That parabola throw means time. You won’t run anyone out and you will blow your arm out Warno and you won’t be going to the bank. I bet you like going to the bank Warno?”
The look on Warney’s face was priceless as all the boys sniggered.
“Hey Ricko (Mikey is now talking to Ricky Ponting), I watched you in the field. You’re good man. And faster than Warno. Why do you walk in every ball in the field?”
In 20 years of my then cricket life, no one had ever asked the question. Why do we all walk in, in the field?
“I start deeper in the field, then walk in to create momentum and try to anticipate where the batsmen will be hitting the ball to hopefully create a catch and/or a run out”
“So you’re talking about deception Ricko?”
“Yeah I guess so.”
“Only one problem with that Ricko, you do it every frigging ball. Where is the deception in that? You are also walking in ten metres every ball and if you spend one hundred overs in the field, you are walking an extra six kilometres you don’t need to be walking Ricko. Listen, think like a tennis player returning serve. Take two steps, split step and then go”
This refreshing new approach to fielding changed the way we addressed and looked at all other parts of our games. It made us think outside the square and look for other efficiencies and skills from other sports that we could incorporate into our skills sets. I have no doubt that Mikey Young had a major impact on the fielding skills of 20/20 players today.
So thank you to Mikey Young and thank you to the following coaches that helped me throughout my career.
Allan Bramble - Oak Flats and my first coach.
Jeff Gray - Oaks Flats and a wonderful enthusiastic cricket coach.
Jim Pettit - Oak Flats High School Cricket Coach. We won the Davidson Shield under Jim and he taught me how to be a good captain.
Barry Knight - Campbelltown - The best coach I ever played under. An amazing knowledge of the game and a brilliant technical coach.
Peter Philpott - Mosman - An excellent mentor and a wealth of knowledge on spin bowling. Loves a glass of Red.
Steve Rixon - NSW - Brillant coach and taught me how to win. A real innovator and strategist. Great company off the field and owns a number of Safari suits. Don’t ask!
Geoff Lawson - NSW - Best bowling coach I ever worked with.
Bob Simpson - Australia - Hard man with an all-round understanding of the game. A great technical coach for batting and slip fielding.
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