Sunday 25th October 2009
"IPL coaching different ball game"
Like most coaches around the world, Aussie Tim Nielsen too is fascinated by the IPL. Excerpts from an interview with Faisal Kamal.
Faisal Kamal: After losing the No. 1 ODI ranking to South Africa earlier this year, many questioned the invincibility of the Aussies. But after thumping England 6-1 and retaining the Champions Trophy, do you think the record has been straightened?
Tim Nielsen: Well! That's the way the world works. We have been very lucky to have the success we've had. But the channel wheel has come full circle for us. We have players like Cameron White and Mitchell Johnson, who are 26 and 27 years respectively, and have been in the side for a while. There are a bunch of young players who have shown a lot of promise and can become world class in the future. So the side is a good mix of youth and experience. I think we are getting back to our winning ways. There always is a time when a team goes through a rebuilding phase. I firmly believe we are back on track.
FK: It must have been hard after the Ashes defeat as a coach?
TN: Very tough. Look, we have a reputation to live up to and when we fail it is disheartening. To lose the Ashes is always a big loss. It was a difficult period. There were speculations that we picked the wrong combination and all our cricketing strategies. But at the end of it all, it's a game. You win some, you lose some. You have to move on though and that's what I did as a coach. The result after that reflected our positive approach.
FK: What are the pressures of being an Australian coach, the No.1 team in the world?
TN: Huge. The biggest pressure is the public expectation. The Australian public and the world public. One or two games we don't play well and we have the world screaming that we are broken. So it is difficult to pick yourselves up in those times and move on.
FK: Have you ever thought of coaching a team like India?
TN: (Smirks) who knows about the future? Not at the moment. At present I am very comfortable coaching Australia. I really enjoy working in Australia. I am very lucky that some of the young players in the current team have come through the Center of Excellence' in Brisbane. I was at this centre for three years and I had the opportunity of working with them and shaping up their careers.
FK: Are you keen to coach an IPL team?
TN: (Smiles) I am very busy at the moment. But yes one can never negate the possibilities of such a proposition. In the future, I would love to coach an IPL team at some stage of my career. Look it's a different ball game and I'd like to explore it. It will be interesting to see how the game is working and to get an understanding of how the Twenty20 game is developing in India.
FK: Do you think good players make good coaches?
TN: I don't really know what ingredients are needed to be a successful coach. I believe the most important thing about coaching success is to ensure that you put in the team's success totally at the forefront before your personal goals. It can't be about personal recognition; it can't be about people talking about you. If your team is performing well then it is recognition for you.
FK: How is your working relationship with Ricky Ponting? Coach-captain relationship is always very crucial.
TN: I have the highest regard for Ricky as a player and as a person. The kind of respect that I have for Ricky Ponting, I can't have the same respect for anybody in modern cricket. Any player could walk up to him at any given time as he is more than willing to listen to them and help them out. Every Aussie player regards the Aussie skipper as their hero; he's the man to look up to in the team. He always puts the game ahead of himself. I am honoured as a coach to have such a great captain with me. Ricky is the flag-bearer of our side no doubt.
FK: The 2011 World Cup will be played in the sub-continent. Are you taking this series as a preparation for the mega-event?
TN: Most definitely. I am aware of the fact that we will be playing the 2011 World Cup in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and in India. The players, of course, are looking forward to doing well in this series and make a slot for themselves for the sub-continent extravaganza. There will be an impact of this series on the formulation of our plans for the World Cup. It is a great opportunity for us to learn how to play in these conditions. Yes! I am targeting the 2011 World Cup as the series goes on.
FK: You have been a wicket-keeper yourself. (Nielsen has played domestic cricket as a wicket-keeper batsman for Southern Australia before taking up coaching as a full-time career). What are your impressions on Tim Paine?
TN: His performance speaks for himself. But he knows that he will have to make way for Brad Haddin when he recovers from his injury. It's unfortunate but that's the way it is. Tim is no doubt very safe behind the stumps, but also provides lot of flexibility to the batting order. But Brad's our top choice, he's got a Test hundred, an ODI hundred and has also got big runs in T20 cricket. Most importantly, we have confirmed our belief in Haddin. To me a team is not just about the eleven players on the field. A successful team is determined by the fact that its number 13, 14 and 15 are also good players.
FK: With leagues like IPL and CL T20, is there a club versus country problem for players that a coach has to deal with?
TN: I want to make this point very clear that country should always come first. I don't want players turning up 10 hours before an international game to join the side. The people responsible should also take care that such tournaments are well spaced out to accommodate enough time between international fixtures.
FK: Is the Future Tours Program too tight?
TN: One has to be prepared for it. It is the demand of modern day cricket. With three formats (Test, ODI and T20) to juggle with, things will certainly become a little tight. But the ICC should care about player burn-out. There is a limit to which a player can take or deliver.
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