Sri Lanka has ideal conditions to excel in T20 Cricket– Coach Ford

By Ranjan Anandappa

Come, December 6, the Sri Lanka cricketers will take wing to the UAE to meet Pakistan in two T20, five ODI and Three Test match series to be played in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. At the end of the series, Sri Lanka cricket coach South African born Graham Ford will also bid Adieu to take up his new coaching job in the UK at the Surrey CC.

The 53-year-old Ford took the job as the Sri Lanka cricket coach two years ago, and was not keen in renewing his contract further. During his tenure he has silently served Sri Lanka cricket.

The Sunday Observer had an exclusive interview with Graham Ford who has never played Test cricket in an era where apartheid policies prevailed in South Africa.

Excerpts of the interview.

Q: With the 2015, 50-50 overs World Cup not so far away do you think that the Sri Lanka team is going in the right direction?

A: Lot of my focus these days have been on the 20-20 World Cup to be played in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka has a fantastic chance of winning that. We have conditions to our liking. The Asia Cup is played before the T20 World Cup, so we’ll be in a good position. Unfortunately we have not had lot of T20 games, but the people are well aware of the Sri Lanka team’s capabilities.

Q: What about the World Cup 50-overs format to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2015 ?

A: The 50-over World Cup is a little further away. That is also a championship that has to be really focused on.

The new coach has to be focused on that. There have been planning sessions on the different conditions required while playing in New Zealand and Australia.

The balance of the side is quite different and the selectors are aware of it and the coaches have been talking about that, and some of the tours and “A’ team tours, are focused on it, and the authorities are really on the way in preparations.

But the series with Pakistan in the UAE is going to be a really tough one in the UAE conditions. They have just beaten South Africa so we can expect a tough challenge there. If we play well it will certainly help to push the momentum for the T20 World Cup.

Q: What do think of the young set of players who have been included in the side?

A: Well, I am not a person who wants to keep talking about individuals to the media, but I feel there is a tremendous amount of talent, and I have enjoyed working with the guys. It is fantastic working with the guys.

People don’t realise how committed and how hard they work as they are representing the country and if the players handle the situations properly, they are in for fantastic careers.

Q: Your next coaching assignment is in England in charge of the Surrey team, isn’t it? and have you played Test cricket for South Africa?

A: No, no not at all. I have played club cricket ,but not good enough to play international cricket unfortunately. I wish I was.

Q: How do you rate Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, let it be T20, ODI and even in Test cricket.?

A: In certain conditions the attack is very good ,but in some conditions they are not that effective.

But the skill levels are pretty high and the spinners create a lot of pressure, we saw that against the South Africans and in the T20’s.

We got Lasith Malinga one of the best pace bowlers today in world cricket.

Nuwan Kulasekera swings the ball quite appreciably, so we got a very good one-day and T20 attack and should be very effective in Bangladesh conditions.

Q: As a top cricket coach what kind of advice do you like to give youngsters?

A: What I have to say is, look at the example set by the senior players like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dilshan and looking at them the way they set about themselves and try to emulate them. And practice as hardy professionals.

Q: What type of impact has T20 cricket made in the past few years. Don’t you think that this format has made cricket more advanced?

A: There is no doubt that 20-20 cricket has made a big difference to the game. Everybody is much more positive in their approach to the game. We see that in Test matches too. In the good old days if a spinner comes to bowl on the first day in a Test match just before lunch, he will bowl a couple of maiden overs, but now the batsmen will take him on and hit him over top for runs just before lunch. Lot of those come from the confidence built and developed from 20-20 cricket. The Test matches are much more result oriented because of the positive approach to the game. We see Test matches finishing on the third or fourth day.

Q: Do you think that the T20 format of the game should be played at school level or junior level?

A: I am pretty happy to see T20 cricket been played at all levels because it helps the players to learn to adjust themselves to play in different formats of the game.

They will have to learn at the young age that T20 cricket is not all about just smashing the ball all around the park, it requires really good fielding, quick running between the wickets, it also requires attacking the bowling without taking too many risks. If that is taught at a young age, it can be only good for the youngsters and it is important that the coaches sent the right message to the young players at that stage.