Play well in the subcontinent and you can play anywhere - Rod Marsh
 

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Rod Marsh is a name synonymous with Australian cricket for many years. As wicket-keeper of the Australian Test team he set up a world record of 355 dismissals from 96 Tests (since broken by compatriot Ian Healy who succeeded him with 395 from 119 Tests).

With fast bowler Dennis Lillee, Marsh formed a deadly combination that was feared the world over and made Australia the No. 1 team in the world. Since his retirement from the game he has been involved with keeping Australia on top of the ladder by becoming the head coach of the much-famed Australian Cricket Academy. For the past three years he has headed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Academy in Loughborough and England's cricketing stocks has gradually risen with him being in charge.

The Daily News caught up with this cricketing great who is presently in Sri Lanka as the coach of the England 'A' team for his forthright views on world cricket.

Your impressions of Sri Lanka as a Test playing nation?

I have great respect for Sri Lanka cricket. I can't believe that they don't play better away from home. It is the only thing. I think they've got some fine players. Just look at the series against Australia (2004 which Australia won 3-0). That was one heck of a series. It could have gone all the way but it is a matter of being able to get yourself into a winning position and then win. Sometimes it's not easy unless you have confidence in yourself and the players around you.

Any particular Sri Lankan cricketer who has impressed you most?

If you ask me who are the three best cricketers in the world I would say Adam Gilchrist, Kumar Sangakkara and Kamran Akmal. I am totally biased towards that obviously (having been a wicket-keeper/batsman himself). I think I can get a lot of people to agree with me that Gilchrist is devastating.

I've only seen Sangakkara on limited occasions. I saw him in the tsunami game in Melbourne. I was on television and I was really impressed with his keeping. I think he can become a very good wicket-keeper. He is obviously a fine batsman.

What makes Australia remain the top cricket nation in the world?

They've got two bowlers who have taken nearly 1100 Test wickets between them (Shane Warne - 573 wickets and Glenn McGrath - 488). It has never happened in the history of the game before. That is the starting point. That is what makes them so good. It is possibly a record that may never be broken. I don't know how many they will finish up with. When you've got those two guys playing in the same team it is one helluva advantage.

Then you probably look at the best cricketer in the world Adam Gilchrist. No matter what sort of situation you get yourself into you get out of it in about an hour or so with Gilchrist batting. The number of times he's done it is just incredible. He can change the course of a Test match in an hour and plus he is a good wicket-keeper.

Can you explain England's rise in world cricket?

I don't think it is a sudden change but a gradual one. The England team is playing better and better each year. If they keep it up 2005 should be a very good year. They have some good young players with some very good habits emerging. The boys are starting to play some nice cricket.

With players like Andrew Strauss, Andrew Flintoff who is growing in stature as a player, Robert Key who has done very well when given the opportunity, Ian Bell, Simon Jones, and Kevin Pieterson has done well in the one-dayers in South Africa, there is a lot more depth in English cricket than it was 3-4 years ago.

The ECB Academy plays its role in the overall development. It's an infrastructure that has been there. It has been working for some time. The academy is the icing on the cake.

Why did you leave the Australian Academy?

I needed a change from the Australian Academy. It was time for me to go and make way for someone to bring in new ideas from mine. I enjoy a challenge and I was approached for the ECB Academy the magnitude of the position appealed to me. It's been an enjoyable 31/2 years. I am finishing at the end of September and going back to Australia. I made that decision last December.

Do you think England is in a better position today to beat Australia in the forthcoming Ashes Test series? It's a long time to go before the Ashes series starts and a lot of things can happen. I prefer not to make any predictions of what is going to happen at this time of the year.

What are the ingredients that go to make a successful Academy?

It is not rocket science. It's a matter of getting the right people responding to the program. If you've got people really willing to work hard and willing to test themselves, then you'll get the most out of it. It's like anything in life.

The more you put in the more you get out of it. The facilities in Loughborough are second to none in the world. The coaching staff is very good. We bring people in. We don't spare any expense in getting our coaches and giving the boys every opportunity to develop as players. Then it's upto them really. It always has been and always will be.

How do you identify potential cricketers at the Academy?

What you look to in a cricketer the first thing is talent. If they have it they should have the competitive spirit. If they don't want to compete there is no point in them training. They might as well go and do something else because they are never going to be good Test players unless they know how to compete. They can't be frightened of failure and neither can they be frightened of competition. A lot of it is very much a mental thing. This is one of the reasons why we go away on a tour to sort out the players.

You see the ones that are desperate to compete. You want to put players under conditions like this (in Sri Lanka) then you sort out the men from the boys. When it is hot and 95 per cent humidity these are trying conditions under which the player can be tested. I have always been a big fan of bringing Australians, the English Academy to this part of the world. I always prefer to be on the subcontinent than anywhere else because if you can play cricket here you can play cricket anywhere in the world.

Your advise to other Test cricket nations?

The culture of being able to come here and adapt is something that all cricket teams should do. There are four Test playing nations within very short distance of each other and there are millions of people in the region. All of them love cricket. It's common sense.

You don't have to be on hindsight to work out that at some stage and in the not too distant future with the ICC moving to Dubai as well, the centre of cricket is changing. I think there will be more and more cricket played here in this part of the world and you've just got to be good at it to succeed.