Pakistan cricket needs coaching of the youth

Despite immense interest in the game of cricket in Pakistan, Pakistan’s men cricket team is currently number 7 in ICC Test ranking, number 4 in the ODIs and number 7 in the T20s, whereas Pakistani women are equally unimpressive, as they are number 10 in the ODIs & number 8 in the T20 ranking.

The appeal of Cricketers in the country is so intense that despite poor ratings in the international circuit, they enjoy tremendous support of media, corporate and the government. In the absence of credible sports heroes in other sports, these cricketers have attained the status of demi-gods in the eyes of general public, thus their poor performances are forgotten and forgiven easily on one pretext or the other.

The critiques give various reasons for such unimpressive show by the professional athletes, ranging from lack of cricket infrastructure, nepotism in the selection process, disregard of merit, management inadequacies in the team and PCB hierarchy, differences amongst the players on leadership issues, and lack of coaching culture at different levels of game.

All of the above factors count towards our downfall in the international cricket, but the biggest cause of our cricket disaster is the over indulgence in tape ball cricket in the streets and roads, which is presently acting as the cricket nursery in the country due to the lack of structured school cricket.

The absence of school cricket has also given way to the culture of “Cricket Academies” where young and aspiring cricketers pay heavy fees to get limited net practice opportunities in crowded sessions. There are only few Cricket academies in the country where young players get exposure to scientific coaching and systematic training.

In the absence of extensive coaching culture at the grass roots, the players pick bad habits that goes along with them for a very long time and dominates the players style of play in later ages.

During my personal search to find worthy cricket academies and coaches who can teach correct fundamentals and install good cricketing habits in the young cricketers, I came across a wonderful resource by the name of “Coaching Youth Cricket”. This 185-page book, developed by Australian Cricket Board, is published by American Sport Education Program (ASEP).

Coaching Youth Cricket is a prodigious tool for new and inexperienced coaches working with 6 to 14 years old players. The resource helps in understanding the fundamentals of coaching, and the most effective methods for teaching cricket skills and strategies to young athletes.

We all understand that coaching young people is an exciting way to be involved in cricket. But it isn’t easy. Most of the coaches are overwhelmed by the responsibilities involved in helping young players through their early sport experiences. And that’s not surprising, because coaching youngsters requires more than bringing a bunch of youngsters to the net, putting up the stumps, and letting them practice without any road map of development.

In fact, it involves preparing them technically, tactically, mentally and physically to compete effectively, fairly, and safely and providing them with a positive role model to follow. While deliberating upon the basic cricket skills the author states, “In becoming a coach, you take on the role of educator. You must teach your players the fundamental skills and strategies necessary for success in cricket. That means that you need to go to school again.”

The book also clarifies a long standing debate that keeps popping up in the Pakistani cricket circles, about the necessity of being an outstanding cricket player to become an effective coach? The author in response to this question clearly states on page 36 of the book, “Many people believe that the only qualification needed to coach is to have played the sport. It’s helpful to have played, but there is much more to coaching successfully”.

This valuable resource presents more than 50 innovative and easy drills that helps in improving player’s skills along with team tactics and practice games that promote leadership and team spirit. Filled with 154 helpful illustrations the book covers areas such as role of coaches, effective communication in the game of cricket, and how to introduce new skills to young players systematically.

Other topics include training methods, how to identify and correct faults in techniques, how to promote leadership and team spirit, sport science concepts, and tips for basic first aid.

A very interesting aspect of the book is introduction to “Modified Games” for the youth of different age groups in the book. These games incorporate all or most of the basic skills of batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket keeping. Modified games like “Double Chance” suitable for age 7 to 10 years, “Paris Cricket” for ages 10 to 12, “Diamond Cricket” for the ages nine and up and KANGA 8s are just few of the example.

“Coaching Youth Cricket” is an excellent resource not only for aspiring Cricket Coaches, but equally important and informative for the parents, who want their wards to take up cricket seriously. As a parent your responsibility doesn’t end by sending your children to a cricket academy or supporting them financially to take up the game.

As a parent you have the right to know about the progress of your child who is being sent to any cricket academy after paying heavy fee. This is only possible if you educate yourself as a literate sport parent so that you can play your part effectively.

The future of Pakistan Cricket will remain uncertain, and its rating on international table will remain low till the time a comprehensive cricket coaching culture is installed at the grass roots, and school cricket is revived to develop technically correct and physically robust athletes capable of playing modern brand of cricket in all situations and cricketing conditions.

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