By Champika Fernando
Sri Lanka’s new cricket coach Trevor Bayliss said that he would not intend to interfere in team’s selections — an approach he had maintained throughout his coaching career.
“I would be quite happy for the selectors to do the selection and for me to coach the team,” said the Australian at a packed press conference at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters last week.
Bayliss, 44, however said he would intend to give his view on the team but would not intend to have a vote on the selections.
“The attitude I had in New South Wales when I was coaching was the same thing. I didn’t actually have a vote on the selections, but the one rule we put in place for the players was that there should be no complains. Whatever you have been dealt, just get on with it,” Bayliss added.
Bayliss was responding to a question from the house whether he would follow his predecessor, Tom Moody, who had a larger say in the team selection.
Bayliss and his support staff, assistant coach Paul Farbrace, and trainer Jade Roberts started their reign with the national team last week ahead of next month’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Twenty20 World Cup
Bayliss, believed that Sri Lanka could give a good showing at the upcoming world cup, as the Twenty20 form of cricket suits best for the attacking style of cricket of the Lankans.
“Sri Lanka hasn’t played a lot of Twenty20 cricket. But the style of cricket they play can be suited to the Twenty20 game.
“Sri Lanka is a team that plays an attacking style of the game. With a bit of experience and playing a few practice games, I am hoping the players can learn fairly quickly. I’m confident that we can give a good showing,” Bayliss said. The new coaching staff had their first session with the national team on Monday, hours before meeting the press.
“Before we came here everyone was telling us how good these guys were, lovely people, hard trainers and hard workers. Certainly that’s what we got this morning. I am looking forward to working with them.”
A middle-order batsman and a brilliant cover fielder, Bayliss quickly made his mark as the head coach of NSW when he succeeded Steve Rixon three years ago before being appointed as the new Sri Lanka coach in mid June.
On Tom Moody
Bayliss admitted that he had consulted his predecessor, Tom Moody on several occasions before and after accepting his first international assignment.
“We have got fairly similar views on the way cricket should be played and the way it should be taken forward,” he said, adding that he doesn’t intend to bring in drastic changes to the national team. “Not a lot will change in the process.
Sri Lanka has been very successful in their last 18 months. I don’t want to change too much but think that it’s appropriate to continue along those lines.
“Tom’s opinion of the team was that they were a bunch of guys, very talented, easy to work with and easy to talk to.
They play an attacking style of cricket similar to Australia. From that point of view and coming from Australia, there won’t be a big change in the way we are going,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bayliss said that he was elated at the opportunity granted on him to train one of the most successful international cricket teams in the world.
“It’s a dream, I suppose, where you can reach the top in whatever endeavours that you try. I am honoured that I’ve been given the opportunity to coach the Sri Lankan cricket team,” Bayliss said.
Assistant coach Farbrace
Speaking on his deputy Paul Farbrace, Bayliss said Farbrace is a hard worker who shared a similar personality to him.
“Paul is a coach who knows his stuff and is a very hard worker. He is also a guy whom I can get on with.
He’s probably got a similar personality and similar views on the way the game should be played. I think it is important that the two of us should work together.” Sri Lanka Cricket had no second thoughts in enlisting former Kent coaching director, Farbrace as assistant coach on recommendation of Bayliss
“To work with Trevor and the other guys here, it really wasn’t a contest. It’s an exciting opportunity.
You don’t very often get the chance to work with exciting teams who are playing good cricket. “I really want to get into and get stuck in.” Farbrace said.
Meanwhile, the trainer Jade Roberts, who is also a dietician, said that he too had a chat with former Sri Lankan trainers Alex Kountouri and C.J. Clark before accepting the job.
“I am excited and thrilled to take this new position,” 29-year-old Roberts said. He was at the strength and conditioning position at the Queensland Academy of Sports before signing up with Sri Lanka Cricket. He has also worked for two years as a Performance Coach at the Australian Acceleration (Brisbane), the sports performance enhancing company in Australia.
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