I am currently in Guyana preparing for the top of the table clash in the Caribbean Premier League. My Jamaica Tallawahs side have made a very good start and we want to keep that momentum going.
We were well behind the rate after ten overs in our last game against Trinbago Knight Riders but we always know that if Chris Gayle and Andre Russell can face 40 balls each then we can get any score.
We made it hard work for ourselves with the way we fielded. It was a very wet ball, there was a lot of dew and the ground was already wet having been damp for the previous two days. We missed the stumps with a couple of run-out chances and dropped catches we would normally take because it was like a bar of soap.
Dale Steyn did well for us, though. He could hardly stand up when bowling because the foot holes were so slippery but he kept control. We practise with a wet ball, though, to try to get used to it.
Guyana has been wet recently and you want to bowl first because of how damp it gets.
We didn’t keep to our game-plan against Sunil Narine and that’s an area of concern. We will discuss that in our net session but I don’t like to dwell on the negatives too much straight after a game.
Even though we were behind the eight-ball, we were never too concerned. Everybody in that team knows that Chris and Andre can hit three, four or even five overs for 20-plus, and that’s just what Chris did.
The power these guys have got is immense. They’re a pleasure to coach, though. We know the ability they have, it’s just a case of making sure they understand their own positioning and techniques against bowlers.
We try to make them understand where their weight goes when they are playing well and try to make that more of a go-to position. For the world stars it’s more a case of technical adjustments. Dale is coming over straight from Glamorgan so it’s just about getting him back in the groove of different conditions.
Working with these guys helps me as much as it does them. We try to put conversations in place between Kumar Sangakkara and our batsmen and then Dale Steyn and our bowlers. These guys have the experience and the younger lads listen to them. We have so many leaders on the pitch, which helps everyone.
We’ve been here for just over a week but the information these guys have blows everyone away. There is a lot of downtime and a lot of travelling time. We’ve had 13 flights in six days so the conversations people have on the plane and in the lounges are brilliant to see and hear.
The management group always have a chat at the end of the game and talk about certain parts of the match but we only talk about positives with the players straight after the game. We discuss the match in more detail at the next practice session, and that’s where we might focus on a couple of elements that didn’t go to plan.
Every surface is very different over here so you have to keep thinking and coming up with new ideas. Though pitches are different compared to those in England, coaching is coaching.
It’s about facilitating and developing people’s games. You’re trying to work out what is best for each individual and facilitate that. No two players are the same and you have to realise that to make the coaching effective.
If somebody’s struggling in an area then you give them different options that may help and then they will find the one that works best and that comes most naturally. There are a lot of younger players in each side and a lot of the youngsters are quiet, shy introverts. That may come as a bit of a surprise when you see the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, who are complete opposites.
It’s quite tough to get the young lads talking and opening up about their games. There’s been so much politics and so much negativity in West Indian cricket and it’s hard for them to open up and trust people.
But when we’ve got the likes of Steyn and Sangakkara around, they will start the conversations really well and get involved. The younger lads want to listen to Dale and want to listen to Kumar.
So for me it’s about prepping the experienced guys with areas to talk to the younger members of the team about. That helps team bonding as well and you can just see the knowledge oozing out of the experienced pros.
We had a nice opener in St Kitts. It was a lunchtime game with a smaller crowd so it let us bed in to the tournament. When we get back to the likes of Trinidad and Sabina Park, those places will rock. They’ll be full houses and the noise doesn’t stop. There are bands in every stand and you can’t hear yourself think.
We are building up to that, though, and there are plenty of different challenges along the way. We plan well and the bowlers are smart. Every run matters but I’m pleased with where we are and how we are going.
This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper, Friday July 8 2016
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