Time for Specialist Coaches for each format of the Game : Rixon

Steve Rixon, Australia’s coach on the ongoing ODI tour of India feels the time has come for Australia to have specialist coaches for each format of the game.  

Earlier this week, Cricket Australia announced Craig McDermott as Test bowling coach and Ali De Winter as the ODI bowling coach. 

Rixon was asked if time has come for Australia to have specialist coaches in each of the format. Rixon replied “I’ve been saying that for some years now its happening more now, as you can see I’m here giving Darren a break and you do need a break, doesn’t matter how much you think you don’t but you do need a break.”

With Rixon taking over as the coach for the ongoing series, it allows Darren Lehmann to refresh before the highly anticipated Ashes series commences on the November 21^st in Brisbane. 

Apart from just the hectic scheduling Rixon also felt the strategies required in the ODI format and the Test cricket were completely different.“They are 2 different games and they need to different view points and theT20 sits alone as a different item all together, I see that is way of the future”

England was amongst the first nation to employ different coaches and the Rixon feels the appointment of McDermott as a specialised Test bowling coach is a move in the right direction.

England have done that quite successfully.  We have made moves in that direction and started the ball rolling. Falling in line with that that is why Craig has been bought on board”

Rixon a former keeper also felt the evolution of the shorter format of the game and the emphasis put on batting has meant the upcoming wicket keepers are spending less time mastering their wicket keeping techniques. 

Two examples Rixon gave were of Brad Haddin and Ms Dhoni. “Brad spends a much time on his keeping than any other keeper in world cricket. But working with MS Dhoni in the IPL , I haven’t hit a ball to him in the 4 years of the IPL so he doesn’t need a lot of keeping and he gets his keeping in middle and that’s the way he operates and he plays a lot of cricket.  Seem’s to work pretty well for him.”

With the schedules likely to get even tighter the chances are Australia could have specialist coaches in each of the format of the game over the next year or two.