Campbell’s parting words to batsmen

[Banglaguy]

Outgoing Australian batting coach of the GP-BCB Academy Allan Campbell urged the Bangladeshi batsmen to know where their off-stump is while facing the fast bowlers in bouncy wickets.

Campbell will return home today after ending his month-long training camp during which he not only worked with the Academy batsmen and wicketkeepers, but also had a close look at the national batsmen.

‘I have noticed that they [national players] have a tendency of not covering their off-stamp. That might be because of the sub-continent wickets though I can’t comment as I haven’t seen enough of them,’ Campbell told New Age on Sunday.

Campbell saw the same blemish in the Academy batsmen and claimed that he will return happy as they have corrected their faults during the past one month.

‘In the first week when I was here the players just played without covering the off-stamp and most of them nicked in the second slip.

‘We made some pretty strong improvements in the areas of covering the off-stamp.

‘We had a lot of practice to ensure that the batsman gets across and behind the ball while batting against faster bowlers in bouncy wickets,’ he said.

Campbell also found a serious a problem in running between the wickets of both national and academy batsmen, which he said need to be improved immediately.

‘I think it is one area that needs continual improvement.

‘Calling, backing up at the non-strikers end, running the first run first, communication between the batsmen in order to complete the running between the wickets are always important,’ he said.

‘It’s a technical issue as well as tactical too because technically you can teach them how to call but when you go out there it is more tactical than technical.

‘I saw it when Bangladesh team were in Australia and the commentators also pointed it out.’

Campbell, the former High Performance Manager of Cricket New South Wales, was very impressed with some of the academy batsmen and hoped some of them will find a place in the national team very soon.

He was particularly impressed by Alahuddin Babu, who led the academy side against the national team in the two-day warm-up match earlier this week.

Known as a fast bowling all-rounder, Babu was sent to bat at number four and repaid the faith with 63 off 95 balls.

‘I think there are two to three players in the squad who could be very shortly seen with the national players,’ said Campbell.

‘Alauddin Babu is just one of them. We brought him out of his comfort zone and he batted beautifully at number four, though when I came here he was basically a fast bowler and used bat at number eight,’ said the Australian.

‘That is needed, to try and see whether he can be an all-rounder,’ he said.

He touches on some key issues here, including the running, and playing players in positions they are not comfortable in...

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/sports/27442.html

[jisaan]

good words on alauddin babu!
oh! how long we have been craving for a seaming all-rounder!

[Shubho]

Can someone (anyone?) tell me what the hell an off-stAmp is? How do English-language dailies get spellings wrong?

Posted via BC Mobile Edition

[Banglaguy]

Originally Posted by jisaan
good words on alauddin babu!
oh! how long we have been craving for a seaming all-rounder!

Dollar Mahmud was good, but is just a slogger.. We need a Watto...

Originally Posted by Shubho
Can someone (anyone?) tell me what the hell an off-stAmp is? How do English-language dailies get spellings wrong?

Posted via BC Mobile Edition

They're trying to mail him out by post to save money? That's my best guess lol

[roman]

Babu could be thé fast bowling allrounder we have been waiting for so long...very excited about him...

[Banglaguy]

Originally Posted by roman
Babu could be thé fast bowling allrounder we have been waiting for so long...very excited about him...

His stats don't show much... ¬_¬
But that's probably due to lack of officially recognized games.

[MohammedC]

Alauddin Babu and Abul Hasan Raju is on my list of future pace prospect but never thought Babu will also become a good batsmen. Which is major plus++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Banglaguy]

Originally Posted by MohammedC
Alauddin Babu and Abul Hasan Raju is on my list of future pace prospect but never thought Babu will also become a good batsmen. Which is major plus++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks Chachu.. They don't seem to be bowling with the best pace , but the first is faster than the second...

Off topic, but what is Sky sports x?

[al Furqaan]

i like Babu's action...looks nice and he seems to have a bit of pace.

[Shayaan]

Can someone (anyone?) tell me what the hell an off-stAmp is? How do English-language dailies get spellings wrong?

its a simple typing mistake, we all make mistake and even you did one here. They had just one spelling wrong here and you said ' spellings'. So---

[IanW]

www.damnyouautocorrect.com sums up how it happens

[AsifTheManRahman]

What the bloody hell is an off-stamp?

Edit: Didn't notice it's already been picked on.

[LBW103]

‘I have noticed that they [national players] have a tendency of not covering their off-stamp. That might be because of the sub-continent wickets though I can’t comment as I haven’t seen enough of them,’ Campbell told New Age on Sunday.

‘In the first week when I was here the players just played without covering the off-stamp and most of them nicked in the second slip.

‘We had a lot of practice to ensure that the batsman gets across and behind the ball while batting against faster bowlers in bouncy wickets,’ he said.

Campbell also found a serious a problem in running between the wickets of both national and academy batsmen, which he said need to be improved immediately.

‘I think it is one area that needs continual improvement.

‘Calling, backing up at the non-strikers end, running the first run first, communication between the batsmen in order to complete the running between the wickets are always important,’ he said.

This is something of a massive inditement on Jamie Siddons' 4 years as national batting coach who would always blame the pitch conditions to cover some of the failings to coach basics. The (national) batsmen do not move their feet around off stump and this makes them all vulnerable. The running between the wickets and calling (basic schoolboy skills) are also missing.

I recall reading that the support coaches implemented some running between the wicket drills after the NZ series last November when Siddons went back to Australia on one of his holidays for 10 days. Looking back, it does seem odd that the fielding and bowling coach did this as soon as the batting coach left.

Campbell has simply said what many observers already know, that BD batters are missing some basics skills to be successful. It also highlights why BD hasn't been able to be consistent in the batting department and that the 58 and 78 low scores at the WC were not flukes. The opposition simply have to bowl at the off stump.

I sincerely hope that when it comes to appointing national coaches, that the BCB actually recognize it is understanding how to improve basic skills like this that a coach needs to implement, and not a 'leave it alone' approach. I am unsure just how many more signs we all need to keep on proving that.

[Dhakablues]

Originally Posted by LBW103
‘I have noticed that they [national players] have a tendency of not covering their off-stamp. That might be because of the sub-continent wickets though I can’t comment as I haven’t seen enough of them,’ Campbell told New Age on Sunday.

‘In the first week when I was here the players just played without covering the off-stamp and most of them nicked in the second slip.

I sincerely hope that when it comes to appointing national coaches, that the BCB actually recognize it is understanding how to improve basic skills like this that a coach needs to implement, and not a 'leave it alone' approach. I am unsure just how many more signs we all need to keep on proving that.

\\

I would actually ask, why would the national coach be fixing that type of basic things? Wouldnt it be rather coach like Cambell or Lawson of the Academy, U19 etc. fix them? At the national level, we would rather want players to exploit their skills or master the variety of attacks. Granted, we have to accept where we are but I think we definitely need to hire more technical coaches at the age group level, let them apply that skill at the First Class matches.. That is the only way we can have a solid squad of technically sound players.

Having to fix national players technical flaws ruined whatever strategy Jamie Siddons couldve brought in to the team when he joined. Or he shouldve hired as a batting coach.. but thats a different discussion.

[Rabz]

Thanks for the video Mohammed bhai.
Excited to hear about the prospect of a pacer allrounder.

[LBW103]

Originally Posted by Dhakablues
\\

I would actually ask, why would the national coach be fixing that type of basic things? Wouldnt it be rather coach like Cambell or Lawson of the Academy, U19 etc. fix them? At the national level, we would rather want players to exploit their skills or master the variety of attacks. Granted, we have to accept where we are but I think we definitely need to hire more technical coaches at the age group level, let them apply that skill at the First Class matches.. That is the only way we can have a solid squad of technically sound players.

Having to fix national players technical flaws ruined whatever strategy Jamie Siddons couldve brought in to the team when he joined. Or he shouldve hired as a batting coach.. but thats a different discussion.

Dhakablues.. I appreciate what you say except Siddons had 4 years as head coach and batting coach and could have addressed this at national training and nets (I am purely talking about the national players now). It looks like Campbell has in just a month and said himself there are improvements now.

Also, what do you feel a batting coach should do? If they coach in the nets then surely they would spot those weaknesses and help? Players like Alistair Cook, AB de Villiers, Virat Kholi, Ross Taylor etc etc, all have their techniques worked on. Cook for example, changed his back lift three times during a six month period. These guys don't just leave things as they are if they need coaching. They change them and work at them, ever improving. If you have a technical flaw you work at it to be better don't you?

So I don't quite understand why BD players would be any different, unless the coach doesn't now how to make the changes? Siddons said on a few times that he was the best coach in Bangladesh. Yet we still see the most very basic errors according to Campbell.

Your comment about mastering the bowling attacks and basically leaving players' techniques as it is not the job of the batting coach, is not really a good one. The 58 and 78 all out show you what happens. Failure to be able to get past 300 shows you what happens. Not being able to win T20 matches shows you what happens. Losing series after series after series at Test level shows you what happens. Of course it is not all down to one thing, but if the opposition management, coaches and players can spot the weaknesses in the ENTIRE national squad that commentators, the media and now Campbell has quickly done, then a batting coach should start to wonder what he has been doing.

We wonder why we only have two high level batters. We wonder why BD batting averages lag way behind other teams despite us playing on batting friendly pitches. Maybe the truth about our successive batting coaches is starting to be realized and that is they have failed consistently to address the most basic of errors and issues. We pay a huge salary to the Head Coach (batting coach). I want to hear that coach say he is going to get the batsmen up to the standard of opposition batsmen rather than say he is going to leave the batters to do what they want. We have already had that and it clearly hasn't worked. Perhaps the truth is now emerging and instead of being told what to do, the batters haven't actually had this guidance.

The conclusion is that if our batters have been told how to bat then the former coaches have been missing the most obvious basics. If the coaches haven't been telling them, then they are fault for not coaching the basics. Either way, it is indeed an inditement on the quality and standard of batting advice and coaching for the national team. I feel that Campbell's comments reveal far more than just the words they use. They reveal a lack of basics expected at international level. Someone has had that opportunity to correct things (which hasn't taken Campbell long himself to start doing). Perhaps the previous batting coaches didn't want to be shown up and so just left these problems then they could blame the batters. Sadly the truth has been all along the batters didn't have the techniques to win matches, because the coaches never developed those skills.

So I sincerely hope Law is actually going to coach basics and the yawning gaps in what is needed, and not stick to his plan of just 'observing and chatting' to players. It is quite clear we need coaches who can actually coach. Campbell inadvertently, has just proven it in a way that Siddons couldn't or didn't.

[Dhakablues]

LBW: What you are saying is absolutely right.. I was pointing out that we need to invest more into our age groups and junior level cricket so that these 'Basic' flaws can be corrected before a player comes to national team. That was the point I am making.. Coach like Cambell, Pont, De Winter, Mccinnes and now Turner are the keys for our success, we need more of them to ensure that when the national coach comes on board, they dont have to work too much on the 'basic' technique like Siddons had to do. Watmore was brilliant enough that he brought in Owen Matao to help the senior batters which helped Bashar, Pilot, Javed etc. to a certain extent but he too complained that the batters need to really understand some basic stuff... I think unless we build the right batting foundation ( knowning where the offstump is) in our young players, we will not see a Dravid, Strauss, Amla or even Gambhir in our squad soon..

[LBW103]

Originally Posted by Dhakablues
LBW: What you are saying is absolutely right.. I was pointing out that we need to invest more into our age groups and junior level cricket so that these 'Basic' flaws can be corrected before a player comes to national team. That was the point I am making.. Coach like Cambell, Pont, De Winter, Mccinnes and now Turner are the keys for our success, we need more of them to ensure that when the national coach comes on board, they dont have to work too much on the 'basic' technique like Siddons had to do. Watmore was brilliant enough that he brought in Owen Matao to help the senior batters which helped Bashar, Pilot, Javed etc. to a certain extent but he too complained that the batters need to really understand some basic stuff... I think unless we build the right batting foundation ( knowning where the offstump is) in our young players, we will not see a Dravid, Strauss, Amla or even Gambhir in our squad soon..

Agreed and fully understand your point. However, Siddons STILL could have done this with the national players, as he had 4 years, which was MY point. Yes, it should come from coaches below national level but like Pont and Fountain had to do AT national level, many basics were corrected which is why fielding and bowling improved at WC. The batting didn't. Pont and Fountain didn't say 'this isn't my job', they simply got on with it. Both expressed their surprise at the lack of basics skills in the national team. However, they set about correcting it.

Given the situation therefore, and the lack of basics being taught, the national coaches have to coach what's missing as part of the routine. This is why when Law said what he said he was not going to coach the players on technique, it was the wrong thing. He just has to listen to his buddy Campbell to discover what needs to happen.

The national players are not going to be 'sent back to school' by being coached at academy level, so it is up to the batting coach at national level to give them what they are missing. Also, there is no benefit from leaving them to just get on with it themselves if they haven't or don't understand what is wrong with their own game. If you leave people to do what they want, and they haven't asked for help on technique, then they will carry on with what they have. This is my real and genuine concern. Siddons didn't see it and Law has made a statement he isn't going to tell players what to do. Campbell on the other hand saw it immediately.

These month long training camps and reporting are only any good if something happens off the back of them. Let's see what happens because the record of all those before running the national team has hardly been impressive when it comes to making a competitive international batting line up. If the country is still worried about losing to the Associates then something is fundamentally flawed with the batting coaching.

[tkandi4]

How do we know that SJ didn't tell this to our batsmen. At the end of the day, players have to apply whatever they learned. After two years, we will say the same thing about Law.

Disclaimer: Not a JS supporter nor hater.

[Shubho]

Originally Posted by Shayaan
Can someone (anyone?) tell me what the hell an off-stAmp is? How do English-language dailies get spellings wrong?

its a simple typing mistake, we all make mistake and even you did one here. They had just one spelling wrong here and you said ' spellings'. So---

Uh...spellings is the plural of spelling. Did I miss something?

[Banglaguy]

Originally Posted by Shubho
Uh...spellings is the plural of spelling. Did I miss something?

He said spelling because the article spelt off stump as ''off stamp'' multiple times, which means a plural of spelling must be used.