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Test cricket needs Raina’s and Bairstow’s, says Ian Chappell. posted under: International | All news |
 Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has said that test cricket needs more players like Suresh Raina and Jonny Bairstow to keep it from losing out. Chappell was quoted saying that the right technique could do wonders to players like Raina, who has recently been losing out on a lot in test matches because of his lack of experience when it comes to short pitched deliveries. He’s been under a lot of pressure from team selectors because of this.
“Both Bairstow and Raina are talented players with the skill to make big scores in the Test arena. The game needs young players like them to succeed, because they are extremely entertaining cricketers. If they fall short of expectations, it could be the result of inadequate preparation for a future at Test level. If a young batsman isn't fully prepared, he faces the daunting prospect of trying to survive at the highest level while fighting with one hand tied behind his back,” he quoted in his column for a website.
"My South Australian captain, Les Favell, a fierce proponent of the horizontal bat shots, often said: 'At international level you must be able to hook or cut to succeed and it's better if you can play both'," he added.
Chappell later on said that cricket need not lose players just because they couldn’t pass the “short balls’ exam”. A proper technique could be taught. He also added that if a player was not prepared well enough for an international level match, he had a high chance of fading away in the future, even if he was talented.
"It's imperative that batsmen not only survive but prosper against the short ball. It's possible for a batsman to take a boxer's approach of bobbing and weaving for a while but against better attacks that method has a limited life span. Raina found this out in the series against England," he said.
The Aussie commentator also spoke about how coaches needed to spot young talent early on and start training them at a high level to get better results.
He was later quoted saying “Cricket has made some tremendous advances in the process of becoming fully professional at international level. However, I'm not sure enough thought has been given to the preparation of young players for a possible international future. Putting the best coaches in charge of the most talented young cricketers would be a good start.
“Cricket can't afford to have talented individuals fall short of the international level purely because their technique failed. Temperament can be a matter of fortune but skill can be honed,” he said.
“Hopefully Bairstow and Raina will get their games sorted out and go on to have successful Test careers.” |
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