25 August,2011 09:50 AM IST | | Clayton Murzello
In 2007, when the Indian cricket board were looking to appoint a full-time coach following the departure of Greg Chappell, England's John Emburey was considered. He was invited for an interview, but the job went to Graham Ford, the South African, who later refused to take it up.
It was reported that batting legend Sunil Gavaskar had recommended Emburey to the BCCI. Emburey had the experience of coaching the England 'A' team as well as Northamptonshire and Middlesex.
1971: A victorious England team carry their captain Ray Illingworth off
the field after clinching the Ashes
2011: Andrew Strauss and his side celebrate their series win against India
with the Test Championship Mace
The former England off-spinner has moved on since and is now a spin bowling mentor for the England and Wales Cricket Board.
At 59, he is still bowling for Lashings Cricket Club -- 'a cricketing equivalent of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters,' according to their website. Lashings' stars include some cricket greats like Gordon Greenidge, Curtly Ambrose, Richie Richardson and Inzamam-ul-Haq. Their line-up also has India's Wasim Jaffer.
Emburey claimed 147 wickets for England in 64 Tests. He captained England in two Tests against West Indies in 1988.
Excerpts from an interview:
Best team in 40 years
I think this England side is much better than the 1986-87 one (which won the Ashes in Australia). There is more all-round strength - the seam attack is better; they have a top quality spinner in Swann and the batsmen have performed very well. This is one of the strongest sides England have had for 40 years at least. You will have to go back to the 1970-71 team which won the Ashes in Australia. That was a quality side.
Andrew Strauss' men are always hungry. They set pretty high standards. England have not carried any player in this series -- each and every player has contributed.
Tough days ahead...
When England play in India and go to Sri Lanka, they are going to find it very tough. That is what will challenge the team.
We expected a tough series
India's performance has surprised everyone. We were all expecting a tough series. It is very difficult to nail down the actual reason, but obviously India underperformed on the tour. The pitches have been bowler-friendly -- the ball has swung around; there was a little more grass on the pitches and England have a very good, balanced bowling attack. It has been very difficult for the Indian batsmen because of the height, bounce and movement. It was surprising that no Indian player apart from Rahul Dravid showed form. Their overall cricket was disappointing.
Adjustment factor...
India were in the Caribbean before coming here and it does take some adjusting. When I came back from the 1980-81 tour of the West Indies, I played a county game within a couple of days and I didn't bowl well at all. It took me 10 to 12 days to adjust to the slower wickets. You bowl a different length here than the Caribbean and therefore it has been very hard on the Indian bowlers and batsmen in particular. The preparation was never ideal. They went to the West Indies on the back of the Indian Premier League and the World Cup.
I would imagine the players are too tired and when you are not winning, it compounds the problem. It became really difficult to overcome failures in such a scenario. The team needs to have a good REST.
Some soul-searching, please
There must be some soul-searching when the team returns home. I presume that will be done by the Board. They need to look at the structure of cricket and the amount of cricket the boys play.
You play a lot of one-day cricket and then are thrown in to Test match cricket. It is totally different. Of course, good players should be able to adapt to the conditions, but they do need the right preparation.
Easy to criticise, but...
Virender Sehwag came from an injury phase and virtually went into a Test straightaway when he probably wasn't ready. Sachin Tendulkar had a rest before this tour and he practiced in England, but there was only one warm-up game at the start of the tour.
It is easy to criticise the Indian team, but it (itinerary) has been very hard on them.
Bhajji, a disadvantage
English pitches do not suit finger spinners a great deal. I know Graeme Swann has done well, but although he and Harbhajan Singh are off-spinners, they are different types of offies. Swann gets a lot of drift away to the right hander and spins the ball hard. Harbhajan does not get the drift because his action is totally different as compared to Swann's. But he does spin the ball.
In English conditions, you need that drift to beat the outside edge of the bat and Harbhajan does not have that drift. He wouldn't get those wickets in the way Swann does, so in that respect, Harbhajan is at a slight disadvantage.
Ashwin is interesting
I have seen R Ashwin in bowl in the IPL and found him interesting. He does get drift and spins the ball as well, but I have not seen him bowl in other forms of the game. I was speaking to Scott Styris, who plays for Chennai Super Kings and he says Ashwin is a very, very good bowler.
Swann is so special
He simply has very good control. He also bowls an attacking line. He is getting players driving at deliveries and bowling batsmen through the gate to cause huge problems. His control is excellent.
Ind coaching job? No regrets
It was a great privilege to be invited for the interview. Graham Ford was offered the role. It was disappointing, but you move on and India have had a lot of success since then. They have had good performances in ODIs as well as Test matches. They beat the West Indies and came here a bit under-cooked. This series could be just a blip.
Still bowling offies at 59
Yes, I am still bowling them; still enjoying my cricket. I live 10 minutes away from Lord's and I travel to different parts of the country with Lashings. I also perform the role of a mentor with the ECB in their spin bowling programme which involves watching, mentoring and talking to spinners about tactics and preparation. I also interact with coaches and captains. It would be nice to get involved with the IPL.
