Role Of A Coach And Supporting Staff

1. Role Of A Coach And Supporting Staff "A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be."- Tom Landry. It's true, anyone can pick a bat or a ball and decide to 'play' cricket. It could be one of the ways to procrastinate, to bust the stress or a life defining moment to make a career out of! And if it’s something you can see doing for the rest of your life, then it's just the beginning. Out of many cricketers, we are using this term very loosely, only a few go on to represent their nation in the big-boy games. We are talking about major tournaments and series such as Test Matches, ODIs, IPL (or other major country-led leagues), World Cup, etc. It's not all about playing well, but also playing with the right people who guide & shape your career along the way. Yes, we are talking about a cricket coach. Aspiring players who excel in their cricketing journey depend heavily on a coach (or coaches) who help the players reach their full potential. They must ensure that the player feels motivated and help them succeed professionally. But that's not all a coach does. Let's go more into detail about what a coach does. Role Of A Coach In Shaping A Cricketer’s Career A coach, manager, or coach-manager's job is not only to guide probable players but also to recognize their true potential and help elevate their careers further. A unique way to spin or bat (helicopter shot, anyone?), or the ability to hit knocks like no other- a coach will watch you play to determine your strengths and nurture those skills accordingly. They are responsible for determining a player's unique capabilities and working towards turning them into their main, defining strength. Here’s how a roach can make a difference to a player’s life and ultimately, help them achieve their dreams. A great coach should… ● Ensure that a player chooses 'cricket' every day, even on the days they feel like giving up ● Devise a proper plan and training manual for all the upcoming & potential players

2. ● Deliver regular coaching sessions and organise similar exhilarating activities to boost morale ● Provide positive and constructive feedback regularly on each player's performance, including physical & technical skills ● Initiate and develop strategies for every individual separately and even encourage team play ● Encourage the players to keep a positive mental attitude, while inspiring confidence and utmost discipline ● Act as a role model- someone they can place their faith in when it comes to the sport ● Gain their trust and respect as it goes both ways ● Research and devise innovative ways of coaching to keep the environment afresh ● Ensure that the training grounds/centre is clean and safe Anyone can be a good player but in order to become the greatest player of all time, every player needs an equally great coach in their life. Off-Field Stories: Cricket Controversies That Shook The World When it comes to cricket, everything that glitters is not a shiny new World Cup trophy! While the popular sport is often regarded as one of the most popular and gallant of sports, it too has an array of shameful, controversial episodes that have threatened to damage cricket's long-held reputation throughout its history. Today, we are discussing a few of those controversial moments that will remind you that despite having a rich, influential history, there have been times when the sport has been the centre of many controversies! How many of these do you remember? Let’s find out… The Cricket Controversies You Probably Forgot About

3. When it comes to cricket, we mostly like to talk about the finest moments on the field that define the true spirit and brotherhood of the sport. But sadly, the game's integrity has been tested on more occasions than one. From match-fixing incidents to political protests to even the involvement of drugs and an 'alleged' murder of a beloved coach- cricket sure sounds like an all-star action-packed Bollywood movie, right? Well, here are some of the controversial moments that shook the cricketing world! 2008: The Famous Slapgate During a match between the IPL's Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in 2008, the world witnessed something no Men in Blue fan could've imagined in a hundred years. Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth got into a heated argument, which resulted in Harbhajan slapping his former teammate. Even though there is no video evidence of the same, the alleged confrontation led to Sreenath crying about the incident and therefore, confirming it. The fallout led to Singh being dropped off the tournament, while Sreesanth was called out for provoking him, allegedly. 2003: Drugs And Security Issues The 2003 Cricket World Cup was in the news for all the right and two very big wrong reasons! The first one being– The Aussies's World Cup campaign was a little derailed when their star batter, Shane Warne was accused of taking drugs to boost his metabolism. A mandatory drug test revealed the traces of a banned drug, diuretic, in Warne's system, and was sent home under embarrassing circumstances. His team claimed their 3rd World Cup title while Warne was slapped with a one year ban! Another reason why the tournament was regularly talked about in the news was due to the social & political situations in Kenya. The New Zealand team had announced that they will not play the scheduled match in Kenya due to security reasons, following the terrorist attack in Mombasa. This cost them a spot in the Semi-Finals as well. The Kiwis, along with the Aussies and England also denied playing in Zimbabwe.

4. They have had a first hand experience with something similar a year ago when a powerful bomb went off outside their hotel in Pakistan- despite them not being the 'targets' of the blast. 2008: The Infamous Monkeygate One of the most talked about controversial instances of 2008 has to be the infamous verbal altercation between Harbhajan Singh and the late Andrew Symonds. In a Test Match between India and Australia, Symonds claimed that Singh called him a racial slur, resulting in Harbhajan facing a ban. The monkeygate saga came into being when Men in Blue were celebrating their Semi-Final win over the Aussies. Andrew wasn't enjoying the way Team India was celebrating with jubilation, which made Harbhajan angry and allegedly called him a 'monkey'. In reality, Harbhajan had blurted out an Indian slur (teri maa ki) which Andrew mistook as him calling him a monkey. The on-field fight didn't stop there as during the next match, Andrew was the subject of loud 'monkey' chants from the teasing crowd, making him angrier. This drew a lot of attention from the media, especially from the loyal fans who couldn't believe how this unnecessary drama was brewing. Later, Harbhajan was slapped with a three-match ban as well, with a 50 % fine on the match fees as well. 2007: Match-Fixing And Stuff West Indies' Marlon Samuels was caught in the middle of a match-fixing scandal in 2007. Upon investigation, it was found that Samuels made a few suspicious dealings with an illegal bookmaker, a day before an ODI match against India, in Nagpur. Excerpts of telephonic conversations between Samuels and Mukesh Kochchar, the bookmaker, were obtained in which the cricketer leaked important team information in exchange for money. He obviously declined the allegations but was convicted and faced a 2-year ban! 2007: Bob Woolmer's Death

5. One incident that shocked the world was the untimely death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach for the 2007 World Cup tournament. Bob was found suspiciously dead at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, Jamaica. An immediate investigation was launched, which led to the Jamaican police performing an autopsy which was deemed inclusive. The same day, the police announced that the death was rather suspicious, and a full-blown investigation was ordered. The ‘murder of bob Woollmer’ led to everyone becoming a suspect, including Upon further examination, 'manual strangulation' was revealed as the cause of death. After a lengthy investigation, the Jamaican police retracted their comments and confirmed that he died of natural causes! Till date, not everyone is convinced of the final verdict, which led to a spiral of conspiracy theories surrounding his mysteries and sudden death.