Wanted: A Scientific Action Plan

Don't be fooled by the topic. It is not as complicated as it sounds. I believe that for the West Indies team to make any gains out of this tour or any other tour, it must approach the game in a scientific way.

Since this article is written from a coach's perspective, I should explain the background. Most coaches when in charge of a team, are usually more concerned with development rather than winning. Let me hasten to say, it is not that winning isn't important but that, whatever you may want to believe, is secondary to the overall goals.

Some tenets to consider: "Winning isn't everything, it's how you play the game." That is self explanatory. Vince Lombardi, one of the most celebrated coaches from American Football, had a lot of things to say about playing sport which have become little nuggets. The most popular one is "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." And we often leave a key part of that statement which is "worth fighting for." It is this "worth fighting for" part that coaches must focus on.

In an effort to achieve that, the coach must put in systems geared towards improvement over time. This brings me to the real problem of this West Indies team. I say real problem because many times after matches, statistics are published that show why the team has done poorly or well. (Sadly, in our case, it is the former) And we can dance around with achievements or lack thereof, of our players in a particular match but the important statistics are ignored. I dare say some aren't even collected. I am speaking about the 'nuts and bolts' like how many runs each player has given away in the field or how many mistakes a batsman has made while at the crease.

What are these errors and how can we improve our skills in these areas. How many bad deliveries has a bowler bowled, this is dependent of the pitch; the bowler may have a problem in a particular spell, whether it be, the first spell or coming back for a second or third. How many times has a batsman flirted with balls in what is called the 'corridor of uncertainty'?; the crucial question of catches; how many grassed? and why?; Is it a case of technique or positioning; the obvious problems with no-balls; wicket-keeping errors. Of course it would be this along with vital information on the opposition that would enable the coach to make a proper plan for training. Interestingly, they used to do these same statistics on TV when playing in Australia. I am not sure they still do.

This is only a part of the process. Constant records have to be kept and tracked to see if improvements are being made or not. The aim should be to decrease the number of errors until there is none or at least a number we can be comfortable with. This is the job of the statistician and I do hope that this is being done currently. Maybe that person needs to add some more columns on stuff that needs to be tracked.

An important question is how accessible is the footage shot by the television station is to the West Indian team. I ask, because during the coverage Simon Hughes identified some very important points on the good or bad things that players are doing. This is what is needed. Points need to be discussed and action plans put on place.

This may put a dent into the problem of making the same mistakes over and over which may be the single most cause of poor or mediocre performances of the players and the team as a whole. The next step is to take action based on how well or poorly a player is responding to measures put in place for improvement. If a player is not making the requisite improvement, over time, (and that time is dependent on an agreement between player and coach) then a decision would have to be made on withdrawal from the team or a change in the way things are done. It is debatable if this information should also be published with averages at the end of a series.

I note, with some pleasure that Chris Gayle in particular has improved in his batting as it relates to his stance at the wicket. He appears more balanced and making more use of his feet in recent times. It appears much work has been done and he and the coaching staff must be congratulated. But this is only the beginning. There is much more to do with Gayle and other players.

The current team has a lot of potential but it will only remain a promise if a scientific method is not put in place.

* Urel Sawyers is a Teacher/Journalist and qualified multi sport coach certified under the National Coaching Course of Canada.