PakPassion.net spoke to former Australian Batsman Dean Jones. Currently batting coach for South Australia, he talks about the potential for a similar role with the Pakistan national team.

By Saj Sadiq (3rd November 2012)

A couple of weeks ago the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after much deliberation advertised for the role of a full time batting coach. The vacancy has a deadline for applicants of 4th November and the purpose of the role is listed as “To Plan and implement programs which facilitate Team Excellence and accelerate Individual Skills.”

The role is seen by some as crucial in the development of young batsmen in Pakistan, an area that Pakistan has struggled in of late particularly in the shorter formats. A number of the up and coming talented batsmen have failed to fulfill their potential for one reason or another and with the appointment of a full time batting coach, the PCB will be hoping for the various flaws to be ironed out and under the guidance of the batting coach looking for more consistency from the batsmen.

Whilst the likes of Graham Gooch have been commended for playing an integral role in the success of the England Test team, Pakistan has opted for temporary appointments such as Shahid Aslam who is a coach at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore and more recently Javed Miandad who was asked to assist the Pakistani batsmen during the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka. The appointment of the batting coach will also confirm Chairman PCB Zaka Ashraf’s plans to have professional appointments in place for the Pakistan cricket team.

The announcement of the batting coach vacancy has brought a mixed response from fans, media and ex players, with a large proportion saying that the role is absolutely necessary in order to put an end to the recurring problems amongst Pakistani batsmen. A minority however, including former coach Mohsin Khan have stated that the role of the batting coach is unnecessary and should fall under the domain of the head coach Dav Whatmore.

PakPassion.net spoke with former Australian Batsman Dean Jones who recently worked as the technical director of Chittagong Kings at the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League and is currently the batting coach for South Australia and asked him if he had applied for the position of Pakistani batting coach and whether he felt that a full time batting coach was necessary for the Pakistan team.

“No I’ve not applied. I’m willing to help the Pakistani batsmen but not on a full time basis. I’m too busy with other work at the moment as I’m currently the batting coach for South Australia and working with other players in Australia also. In addition I’m coaching in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Sri Lankan Premier League and maybe in the Indian Premier League too, so I’ve really not got the time to be working as a full time appointment” stated Jones.

Jones added “Several of the Pakistani cricketers asked for my help during the Sri Lankan Premier League and I was more than happy to give them advice and guidance. It’s well known that I’m very fond of some of the Pakistani cricketers and love being in the country and they are a great bunch of guys. If there is an opportunity for me to work as the batting coach on a part time basis I would look at that opportunity, but my understanding is that the Pakistan Cricket Board is advertising for a full time appointment, but unfortunately I’ve not got the time for a full time role”.

Jones who made eighteen Test centuries and sixty half centuries in an international career that spanned more than a decade also questioned the necessity for a full time appointment by the PCB, as he feels the role can be undertaken and carried out effectively on a part time basis.

“I don’t think the Pakistan cricket team needs a batting coach to accompany the team during every series, whether that be a Test series or just a limited overs series. What I think they need is a batting coach working with them before the series starts to work out their plans. You have ball throwers for practice sessions on tour and don’t really need anyone for that purpose and if any of the batsmen need any help on tour then they can always phone or email the batting coach. I just don’t think you need a full time batting coach with the team on every tour. Golfers don’t have full time coaches with them all of the time and I don’t think batsmen need them either” stated Jones.

Jones continued “The batting coach can make assessments at the end of the series and work out how well the players performed and look at areas of improvement and remedial work and set out the plans for the batsmen for the future. I don’t think you need a batting coach to teach you how to bat during a Test match. I never needed a batting coach to tell me how to play during a Test match or a series and if you look back at the greats of cricket over the years they also never needed a batting coach telling them what to do during a match or a series. Where a batting coach can be more effective I guess is when some players need to have some sort of planning and strategy before they come into a series and how they are going to play certain bowlers.”

The former Pakistan captain and previously banned Salim Malik is the only confirmed applicant for the batting coach vacancy, although reports indicate that former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas has also applied for the role. A committee headed up by Intikhab Alam and aided by Colonel Naushad Ali and Rameez Raja has been given the responsibility of selecting the batting coach.

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