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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 18:48:30 GMT
The one essential requirement with a Director of Cricket and a Head Coach is that the roles are properly defined.
Sussex has a Director of Cricket (Keith Greenfield) but nobody knows what he does and there was a notorious video interview last season in which the DoC himself seemed unable to tell his interviewer what exactly he does (there's a thread about it somewhere on here in which I recall hhs offered a withering critique).
But it has worked spectacularly well at Yorks, where the Moxon/Gillespie partnership won county championships, and at Middx where the teaming of Angus Fraser and Richard Scott delivered the championship penant to Lords last season. In both those examples, Moxon and Fraser played what were essentially boardroom roles and left the track-suit stuff to their head coaches. Indeed, Fraser said in a Sky interview that he does not even visit the Middx dressing room on match days so as not to distract from Scott's role.
In Kent's case, I'm not sure they can afford to ignore Donald's coaching skills and, as gmdf suggests, they will need him in a tracksuit rather than a collar and tie and in the nets i/c fast bowling - because apart from Coles, the cupboard is pretty bare. Claydon is a whole-hearted trier but after that there's a mini-squadron of injury prone and erratic seamers who seemed to make little progress under Adams and are all in the last chance saloon. I doubt any of them are ever going to run through sides; but if Donald can sign an overseas quick and coach one or two of the resident under-performers into at least offering reliable support as change bowlers, Kent's promotion prospects will be dramatically enhanced.
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 4, 2017 20:02:00 GMT
hopefully he will bring an SA bowler with him. converting any of our fringe seamers into world beaters seems a step too far.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 12:01:29 GMT
hopefully he will bring an SA bowler with him. Duanne Olivier is his most favoured fast-bowling protege right now after he coached him at the Knights last season. He hasn't yet played international cricket so I guess he would have to com as a kolpak, although he might fancy his chances of making the SA touring side next summer. One problem for Kent is that it seems Donald may not be able to join until after the end of the IPL, unless Royal Challengers Bangalore can be persuaded to release him from his very lucrative coaching role with them...
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 5, 2017 13:09:10 GMT
Olivier in the squad for the final test now that Abbott's kolpak confirmed.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 13:18:43 GMT
Olivier in the squad for the final test now that Abbott's kolpak confirmed. Just seen this. The other three pace bowlers in the squad- Rabada, Philander and Parnell - have all played for Kent. As has Morne Morkel, who is likely to be fit to return for the final test. So Olivier would make it a nap hand!
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 5, 2017 13:36:21 GMT
Olivier in the squad for the final test now that Abbott's kolpak confirmed. Just seen this. The other three pace bowlers in the squad- Rabada, Philander and Parnell - have all played for Kent. As has Morne Morkel, who is likely to be fit to return for the final test. So Olivier would make it a nap hand! Well spotted! Must admit that Mornel is another that looks of the age that he might cash in on a kolpak
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Post by gmdf on Jan 5, 2017 13:56:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 14:24:08 GMT
Very pleased for Matt, who is as down-to-earth as they come. Over the last couple of seasons there were times when even as the assitant he seemed far more proactive than Jimmy Adams. The latter's laidback demeanour may have been deceptive ; but Matt certainly did far more of the media chores than Adams ever did, for example.
Perhaps Donald intends to continue working in the IPL and so will not be available to Kent all season? If that is a factor, it definitely makes sense to give Walks the top job with AD in the support role.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 15:43:53 GMT
Now the coaching team is in place, Kent really needs to make up for lost time on the signings front to take advantage of what must be their most realistic chance of promotion in seven seasons.
There are only four counties that haven't got overseas/kolpaks already contracted for 2017 - Durham, Kent, Middx and Somerset. The latter two will certainly be announcing huge names soon (last year they had the likes of McCullum and Gayle). Durham isn't allowed to sign anybody... and so that leaves Kent.
Meanwhile, 14 counties have already registered at least 31 overseas/kolpaks betweeen them by my very swift (and probably incomplete) headcount...
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 5, 2017 16:02:52 GMT
Middlesex do have that "Irish" new zealander James Franklin.
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A.S.
2nd XI player
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County club member: Kent
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Post by A.S. on Jan 5, 2017 17:10:21 GMT
Well, if you give any credit to the report in The Times today, now is not the time to be standing near the entrance gates of county clubs if you want to avoid being trampled by the gaderene rush of S African players seeking to beat a perceived risk that at some stage in the Brexit process Kolpak arrangements will go out of the window. A top of the page headline reads "Brexit sparks Kolpak county rush" and the article starts "Uncertainty over Brexit has prompted an exodus of South African players to county cricket on Kolpak contracts, with more expected to agree terms before the start of the season". If Kent somehow contrive not to sign a decent bowler from tha apparent queue of candidates, they won't deserve promotion.
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 5, 2017 19:43:31 GMT
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Post by longhops on Jan 5, 2017 21:54:59 GMT
Really pleased to hear that Matt Walker is our new head Coach! As it happens, I was in Canterbury yesterday having a Daddy/daughter day before she returned to school. We popped into see a couple of the office staff at the club who know my daughter. As we came out we bumped into Matt. We had a little chat and then he said he had to go "I've got a meeting," he said. We both wished him all the beat and hoped he was going to get some good news!
So there's my little part in the announcement!
Good news for all Kent fans!
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Post by hhsussex on Jan 25, 2017 14:49:14 GMT
I'm sure Donald is a lovely man, a fine coach and all sorts of excellent things. But something about him and his expression in the photo much used at the time of his appointment struck me as uneasily familiar and then it dawned....could he be related to the chief of the Reich Main Security Office and sometime Reich Protector of Boehmia and Moravia, the late and unlamented Reinhard Heydrich?
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Post by tigertiger on Jan 26, 2017 9:31:22 GMT
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