Veteran cricket coach Mendis laments junior standards ‘deteriorating’
Nelson Mendis continues to groom the younger generation
Nelson Mendis, a veteran cricket coach with well over six decades of experience, producing a number of national players, was highly critical about the standard of school cricket in Sri Lanka, which according to him is “deteriorating” day by day.
A popular figure among aspiring cricketers and a respected coach among many national cricketers, for his uninterrupted service as a coach, Mendis said the standard of school cricket has dropped drastically compared to the 70s and 80s.
“Earlier only a few schools played the game and the quality was there as the quantity was small. But now it’s the opposite. Earlier a school played about ten matches per season and now it had gone up to over 20,” he pointed out.
He feels that coaches have to play a major role in improving the standard of cricket at schools. Identified as a giant among the dedicated, disciplined, honest, loyal and hardworking coaches in the calibre of Gerry Gunaratne, P.W. Perera, Bertie Wijesinghe, and W.A.N. Silva, Mendis formed his academy from which many national cricketers launched their careers.
“Sad to say that the knowledge of the game’s history is not known by the present day coaches. Their main task is to win more matches and to safeguard their jobs as coaches. A coach should produce at least one outstanding player a year. So his services will be very vital for the team and for himself. Their philosophy will have to be ‘cricket first, winning second’. The role a coach has to play in improving the standard is immense and should be able to recognise the players and to advice them in attending to their problems,” Mendis explained.
Mendis elaborated that in the earlier days every schools team had at least one outstanding player, and said “nowadays very rarely you get one”. The reason as he points out is standards failed to develop after the era of passionate coaches. “There should be competition among equally good teams. It is no point in increasing the number of teams of different standards. According to the present set-up, a strong team plays against a very weak team. The best example is that sometimes a single player scores 400 to 450 runs in one single inning. There are instances a side is dismissed for below ten runs,” he further explained.
Mendis points out the importance of “competitiveness” and “quality”. According to his observation, when teams play against equally quality sides a talented batsman or a bowler improves immensely and he will become that outstanding player of the side, one is looking for.
“In the earlier days the quality of cricket played was very high. Most schools produced great players who ended up representing the national team, sometimes while at school or soon after leaving.”
He said coaching a player in the Under-13 age group is the foundation. The basics of the game should be taught carefully. For that a coach must possess a very good knowledge of the game. The coaching methods should be systematic, demonstrative and with explanations, which help make the boys ask questions.
“This is not happening now. The youngsters should be taught the correct basics that will be with them for life,” he added.
Nelson Mendis is a firm believer of the three basics in cricket that has to be taught to a youngster. They are – holding the bat or the grip, the stance, the back lift along with the eye level watching the ball and see if the head of the player is steady. “He should be taught the proper way to watch the ball with their eye level keeping the balance. Without learning these basics how can a child learn to see the moving ball if his eyes are not at a level. These are the most vital basics for a youngster.”
Commenting on the rivalry and competitiveness in schools cricket, Mendis went on to say that healthy rivalry and competitiveness was there earlier because all schools were at a certain level. Today, he said, a low standard school plays against a strong school which has no rivalry or competitiveness. Mendis points out the importance of having the balance, good knowledge of the game and the maintenance of the spirit of the game, to preserve quality in cricket.
Speaking on the Sri Lanka Under-19 team’s failure to enter the knockout stage at the Youth World Cricket Cup, Mendis said the formation of the team was a major cause for the setback.
“With the standard of school cricket not in a satisfactory level, you can’t expect a good team coming from Under-19 level,” he reiterated.
“To a big event like this the coaches who are selected to handle these teams are not given ample time to understand the ability, the commitment, dedication and application of the boys. To develop a good team a coach needs at least three to four years. It should not be the practice to change coaches for every tour or competition,” he explained.
Another important aspect Mendis pointed out was the fitness level, which was lacking among the Sri Lankan youth side. Mendis also observed that the National Youth side were below par in fielding at the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
“It looks like the basics of the game and the fundamentals which they learnt at school were forgotten in all departments of the game. Today countries like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan are better and our standards had gone down. To compete in a world event like this, players must possess fitness, spirit and attitude,” he said.
To make cricket more glamorous, the veteran coach advised the youngsters and coaches to be passionate towards the game. He was of the opinion that individuals who do not come near that attitude, should stay away from the sport. He also outlined the role Sri Lanka Cricket should play in organising seminars in coaching, which in return the coaches could make use of and contribute to the improvement of school cricket in the country.