Former South African cricketer and current Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford will head to English county Surrey, ending a successful two-year coaching tenure with Sri Lanka Cricket.
The third and final Test against Pakistan starting tomorrow will be his last assignment as Sri Lanka cricket head coach. In an interview with Ceylon Today, Ford says that Sri Lanka cricket is in good hands and should lead to a very exciting future.
Excerpt of the interview:
Q: You will heading to Surrey after this series. Do you think you’re leaving the team in a good place?
A: As a coach you’d like to win every single game that you play. Through my time we’ve had some very good moments – some really satisfying moments. But we’ve also had our share of disappointments – particularly the loosing of the World Twenty20 final. Overall the process that have been put in place and the gradual improvements and the foundations that have been set should lead to a very exciting 18 months or two years ahead for Sri Lanka cricket.
Q: What are the biggest improvements in your time?
A: A lot of that has been about individual preparation. Players have taken on the responsibility of ensuring that they prepare in the best possible way for the situation that they are in – for where they are with their game. That’s come on a long way.
From a performance point of view we’ve seen some of these young players really start to put their hands up and make runs and some of the Test match records for some of the younger players have been great. At the same time the old guards have been good.
And also very pleasingly, we see some of the seam bowlers really start to construct spells, particularly Test match spells. Hopefully they can keep their bodies fit through that extra workload.
Q: We have seen a number of young players coming up in the ranks during your period. Do you think these young players are ready to fill the shoes of retiring greats?
A: It’s not easy to fill the shoes of the retiring greats because they are real talents – special greats. There’s enough young talent within Sri Lanka to ensure that the team will always be a competitive international team. Already we’re seeing young players put in outstanding performances – look at your Test statistics of Chandimal and Thirimanne and now we see Kaushal Silva coming into Test cricket. Dimuth’s developing.
There are young guys who are really starting to show what they can do and from a bowling side of things, with the seam-bowling unit developing, it certainly seems as if things can go well away from home and they can cause problems for opposition on more seamer-friendly wickets. From that point of view, down the line, they’ll always be a good time.
Q: Do you think the underlying structure in Sri Lanka helps the game in the long run?
A: There’s a huge amount of talent and also a lot of passion – which is a big plus factor for Sri Lankan cricket. Possibly the one thing that could change is that the Premier League could be a bit more competitive so that the step up from domestic cricket to international cricket is not as big as it is right now. That’s not easy to change domestic formats – it’s quite a challenge for the administrators, but if they can put that in place, it would probably ensure young talent can make that step up a bit easier.
Q: Could you explain the specific steps that Sri Lanka should take to bridge this gap?
A: That’s not for me to go into. That’s for the administrators. There are practical problems. There are traditional problems as well that would have to be addressed. It would be nice if they streamlined it and made it a little more competitive.
Q: There is common belief that Asian countries are a tough place to work? How did you find your two year-stint here?
A: I can’t say enough about the group of players that I’ve worked with. I’ll have the fondest memories. It’s a very sad time for me to be leaving them. It’s been very, very special for me. I’ve coached a lot of teams but this group of players stands out as being absolutely fantastic. It’s pretty tough as far as that’s concerned.
Q: Interference plays a major role in sport in Sri Lanka? Did you enjoy a free hand?
A: Wherever you go in cricket, that’s one thing I’ve learned in cricket – there will always be views that will come from different angles. But as I say, the group of players is what made it all worthwhile for me – it made it very special. I will sit at home for many years to come thinking about the great players and great people who I’ve worked with in Sri Lanka.
Q: Will you consider another stint if your services are requested by Sri Lanka Cricket?
A: In this career of mine you never say never. Anything is possible. I’m just very grateful for the opportunities I have had. Hugely privileged and honoured to have worked with these guys for the two-year stint. I’ve also been lucky to have some other opportunities as a coach along the way, so who knows in the future?
Q: What was the biggest satisfying and disappointing moment in your coaching stint with Sri Lanka?
A: There have been a lot of satisfying memories. Beating South Africa in a one-day series was something special for me. The Twenty20 World Cup was very special, and the fact that the boys worked and got themselves into such a good position – a lot of that went to plan and it was something to be proud of. Unfortunately it was also a massive disappointment having been so well placed. That’s probably the most disappointing time. At the same time there was a lot for the players and the coaching staff to be proud of.
Q: Do you think Sri Lanka is well placed for the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia?
A: I would say they are not quite ready yet – got to be realistic about that. I think they are certainly ready for the T20 World Cup, and we’ve got an outstanding chance of winning that in those conditions. The 50-over World Cup – there’s quite a bit of cricket to be played. There’s cricket in England which will help preparations. There’s cricket in New Zealand before the World Cup. I would think that with quite a number of the players that would be key to that challenge – the progress they are making, by the time the World Cup comes we should be in a good position?
Q: How do you look at the challenges in Test cricket in the lead up to the World Test Championships in 2017?
A: I think that’s going to be really exciting for the players. It’s going to be a good opportunity to gauge where they’re at – especially being able to play in foreign conditions. The Australia tour was a disappointment, but if they can go and play very well in England, which I believe they can, they’ve got the players to do that. That’s going to show just what a capable Test unit they are.
