BCCI cut ties with MRF Pace Foundation

[Manee]

OLD SCHOOL NEW BEGINNINGS

For 20 years, the MRF Pace Academy has been shaping uncut stones into fast bowling gems. But the future looks uncertain after the BCCI cut off all links with the home of fast bowling in India.

Source: Indian Express

My views on the matter

I initially thought that this is a poor move by the BCCI to cut ties with the MRF Pace Foundation. However, the decision does make some sense to prevent bowlers recieving too much conflicting advice. The BCCI are correct to attempt to create a uniform directive for fast bowlers as the biomechanics of such is so complex that you can get several different schools of thinking from equally qualified coaches. However, what sets Dennis Lillee apart is that he has created and run studies into fast bowlers, contrasting quicker and slower bowlers to attempt to find out what makes a quick bowler different from a medium bowler - he has also concentrated on the physical build, paying attention to fast and slow twitch muscles - the former make it easier to bowl quicker but both Akhtar and Gillespie possess slow twitch muscles and so it is not impossible to bowl 150kph or 160kph with slow twitch muscles. Theories which are proved through scientific study cannot be rebuked as incorrect and many of Lillee's theories have been proven and tried throughout his own career.

Dennis Lillee is the number one fast bowling coach in the world in terms of coaching reputation and this reputation is not gained for nothing. It is foolish of the BCCI to cut a resource that they have with such a famous and outstanding coach.

The article notes that TA Sekhar is no longer a coach of the MRF Pace Foundation due to committments with Delhi Daredevils. However, I suspect that the BCCI will look to hire him as the head of their NCA Fast Bowling wing. I am unsure whether they will be able to capture Dennis Lillee though, as he has previously shown unwillingness to be involved in an official venture for any country, especially one which is not his home country.

In their attempt to create a uniform fast bowling coaching process, I hope they create an uniform directive too, outlining the priorities, the techniques...etc. I would be thrilled also if the BCCI could partake in scientific biomechanical studies too in an attempt to 'break the mould' of fast bowling coaching and add some new techniques to the mix. If they could work with Lillee for a new scientific study, it could herald an era of long term fast bowling improvements among Indian bowlers.

...or perhaps I am too optimistic.

One must also not forget the important role that MRF Pace Foundation has in spotting talent as all talented youngsters from all over India gather to join this one foundation and so it is a great way to scout fast bowling talent in a quick and efficient way.

 

[Goughy]

“Earlier, there have been cases when a bowler got confused by too many suggestions. Now, since we have the resources, we can avoid such a situation,” he says.

On this level it makes great sense. Conflicting advice is worse than no advice. Maybe coaching and knowledge at MRF is superior to NCA, but the coaching can only come from one source.

If NCA exists to work with the quicks, then even a potentially superior academy like MRF must no longer be used or risk muddying the waters and giving conflicting and confusing advice (even if correct)

 

[Manee]

Indeed, it does seem like a decision with its pros and cons.

 

[honestbharani]

for me, it is stupid. They could have simply made the MRF pace foundation the NCA pace academy or something.

 

[itduzz]

Name 1 world class fast bowler MRF have produced in last 20 yrs

 

[funnygirl]

Name 1 world class fast bowler MRF have produced in last 20 yrs

Glenn Mcgrath .

 

[bagapath]

how about vaas? and srinath was not too bad either

asif can be good too, after he stubbs out his smoke....

but mcgrath, for sure, was a product of MRF

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

MRF has given us some gr8 fast bowlers........

i don't know what are BCCI's plans

 

[Perm]

Admittedly I'm no expert on pace bowling, but from my understanding the MRF Pace Foundation was quite a well-respected academy for fast bowlers. It seems slightly odd that the BCCI want to distance themselves from it, given how quite a few of the young Indian bowlers have been coached there.

 

[Lambu]

I remember reading somewhere NCA fast bowling wing is going to be massive..that they are goign to spend a lot of money on it.But i'm not sure about cutting ties with Lillee.This could turn up to be good or bad.I atleast hope they will keep TA Sekhar in the thick of things.

 

[Sanz]

MRF Coach - Some noname called DK Lillee
BCCI Bowling Coach - B Arun.

I mean isn't this a no brainer ? Why does BCCI need MRF pace foundation now that it has hired the greatest bowling coach ever. B Arun, you are the man.

 

[silentstriker]

MRF Coach - Some noname called DK Lillee
BCCI Bowling Coach - B Arun.

I mean isn't this a no brainer ? Why does BCCI need MRF pace foundation now that it has hired the greatest bowling coach ever. B Arun, you are the man.

I have no clue who this B Arun is, so I won't judge him either way, except to say that there is a vast difference between being a great coach and a great bowler. You can be one without being another, and being one does not necessarily make you the other. Of course, Lillee has been doing this a long time and has turned out a lot of good bowlers, so I'd say he is both. But that doesn't mean this other fellow isn't a great coach either.

 

[Manee]

Lillee is a great coach though or at the very least a knowledgable one.

 

[Sanz]

I have no clue who this B Arun is, so I won't judge him either way, except to say that there is a vast difference between being a great coach and a great bowler. You can be one without being another, and being one does not necessarily make you the other. Of course, Lillee has been doing this a long time and has turned out a lot of good bowlers, so I'd say he is both. But that doesn't mean this other fellow isn't a great coach either.

Ofcourse. But DK Lillee has proved that he is a good coach (if not a great one) esp in the kind of system that MRF pace foundation works in. In last 10-15 years - The Indian bowlers who have come out of MRF pace foundation are - Srinath, Prasad, Irfan, Munaf, Zaheer, Sreesanth etc. Doesn't seem like an organization which is bad for Indian Cricket.

MRF has not failed in producing talents, BCCI has failed in nurturing those talents.

BCCI's coach 'B Arun has proved nothing as a coach to be taken seriously . He used to be a decent Ranji Trophy bowler back in the 80s, played for Tamilnadu and also play for India in a few matches.

 

[silentstriker]

Ofcourse. But DK Lillee has proved that he is a good coach (if not a great one) esp in the kind of system that MRF pace foundation works in. In last 10-15 years - The Indian bowlers who have come out of MRF pace foundation are - Srinath, Prasad, Irfan, Munaf, Zaheer, Sreesanth etc. Doesn't seem like an organization which is bad for Indian Cricket.

MRF has not failed in producing talents, BCCI has failed in nurturing those talents.

Not really disputing any of that.

BCCI's coach 'B Arun proved nothing as a coach to be taken seriously . He used to be a decent Ranji Trophy bowler back in the 80s, played for Tamilnadu and also play for India in few game.

Do you know of his coaching qualifications?

 

[Top_Cat]

I have no clue who this B Arun is, so I won't judge him either way, except to say that there is a vast difference between being a great coach and a great bowler. You can be one without being another, and being one does not necessarily make you the other. Of course, Lillee has been doing this a long time and has turned out a lot of good bowlers, so I'd say he is both. But that doesn't mean this other fellow isn't a great coach either.

Yup. Troy Cooley has one of the worst bowling averages for any state side for a career yet look at his record as a coach.

Still, losing DKL as coach will cost India. How much depends on the new guy.

 

[Sanz]

Do you know of his coaching qualifications?

From what I have read - He seems to be a level III bowling coach, dont know what that means. He was working with Tamilnadu and Bengal Ranji team for a while as a coach.


Has been working with Dave Whatmore @ NCA for a while now.

 

[Sanz]

Yup. Troy Cooley has one of the worst bowling averages for any state side for a career yet look at his record as a coach.

Not saying that you have to be the greatest bowler to be a great coach. Even MRF's resident coach TA Shekhar wasn't the best bowler either but still groomed the best bowling talent for India @ MRF.

 

[Manee]

On a side note, isn't it interesting how it is the express pacers who go into coaching: Cooley, Donald, Pont, Sekhar, Lillee, even Gibson are all high profile coaches.

 

[Top_Cat]

Not saying that you have to be the greatest bowler to be a great coach. Even MRF's resident coach TA Shekhar wasn't the best bowler either but still groomed the best bowling talent for India @ MRF.

Oh I know; I'm more on your side anyway. Like I said, Lillee has the pedigree, the results and the street cred that will surely be impossible to replace.