John Bracewell Interview
We talked to former BLACKCAPS coach John Bracewell about his experiences as an international cricketer and most recently as the national coach. 'Braces' took 102 test match wickets for his country, coached English county Gloucestershire to five championships and coached the BLACKCAPS from 2003 - 2008. He is now back coaching at Gloucestershire.
Q. When you played for New Zealand you had a reasonably strong side. What was your favourite moment in that side?
A. Any team we defeated away from home was a magic feeling, especially the likes of Australia and England.
Q. With all the teams you have played for, you have no doubt encountered plenty of coaches. Does any one of them stand out and if so, why are they so memorable?
A. Glen Turner was tactically head and shoulders above everyone else - no doubt. Bob Cunis was by far the most human. We had very few coaches who specialized in team coaching and the ones we did have struggled with the balance and timing of intervention. Coaching is a tough profession to master as there's an art and science to it - it would be rare to find a coach exceptional at both.
Q. Obviously there is a lot of pressure coaching an international side, what would you describe as the toughest part/s?
A. The media is by far the toughest role. Dealing with players who don't want to improve, but are good enough to get selected and have the over-eager ear of a lazy reporter.
Q. What was your favorite moment/s coaching the Black Caps?
A. The 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. It will go down in history as a fizzer but I think I was the only person who thought the tournament could have gone on forever. We put together a very good plan and nearly pulled it off.
Q. In order to coach on the international stage, do you think you need to have played at that level?
A. It's definitely a big debating point at the moment and a lot of past players are being fast-tracked on the coaching pathway so it is something that has a lot of support from current players and administrators. But I don't think it is necessary - not at all. However it would pay to have that feel for it within your coaching team or at least a reasonable idea of what it is about.
Q. Are there any areas of weakness you see in NZ cricketers across the board from the youth to the fringe first class players to international level?
A. Players in general lack the ability to practice with real purpose and review their practice in order to improve. Coaches are too fast to provide answers rather than ask the right question of the player so he has to find his/her own solution. This inhibits game sense. We need to get our players to take more responsibility and take ownership of their development - not rely on being spoonfed with instruction after instruction.
Q. You took 102 international wickets as an off spinner. What words of advice do you have for coaches with young spinners in their team?
A. Most importantly, let them spin the ball. We want and need spinners who can get a lot of purchase but often this is coached out of them for the sake of improved accuracy. Spin bowling is an art that takes a long time to master so be patient with your youngsters, ask the right questions of them and make sure they give it a rip!
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