Coaching is more than just formulating tactics and helping players tighten their techniques. At the International stage, players need more man-management than few tweaks to techniques. The coaches who have been successful have been always hailed as laidback characters who allow players to express themselves on the cricket ground. They forge good healthy relationships with players and build a comfortable atmosphere in and around the dressing room.
As the Board of Control for Cricket in India is looking for a new coach for the National team, we look at 5 coaches who have tasted success for more than one team.
Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten will always be remembered as arguably the best Indian coach. He came into the Indian Team after the fateful 2008 Australian tour and immediately yielded results.
His first official assignment was against his home country South Africa. The series ended in a stalemate but a precedent had been set. India did brilliantly in Test matches during his tenure. They beat Australia at home to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
The purple patch continued as India won its first bilateral series win in Sri Lanka. Also, India won the One-Day International and Test series against New Zealand after 40 years. India became the number 1 Test Matches.
However, the biggest and most important moment in his coaching tenure was when India won the World Cup in 2011. The sight of him being lifted by the players all around the Wankhede Surface will always be etched in memories.
However, he did not renew his contract due to family obligations. MS Dhoni hailed him as the 'best thing to happen to Indian Cricket.'
Kirsten then took over the reins of his home country South Africa from 2011 and although he did not enjoy as much success as he enjoyed with India, but the South African team reached number 1 in the ICC Test rankings, by defeating England 2–0.
A cool, calm and composed man, Kirsten believes in forming bonds with the players and treating them like friends. No wonder he is held in high esteem by the players all over.
Bob Woolmer
The late Woolmer was perhaps one of the first coaches to use computers and technology in cricket and use more technical analysis.
He had a lot of coaching experience before he was appointed the head coach of South Africa in 1994. After a slow start, South Africa won most of their Test (10 out of 15 series) and One Day International matches. The biggest blip of his tenure with South Africa was the fact that they failed to win either of the 1996 or 1999 World Cups, despite the fact that South Africa was the most successful ODI team during that period.
After this stint, he took a break and then returned to International fold as the head coach of Pakistan in 2004 replacing the enigmatic Javed Miandad. Here too, the start was not entirely promising as Pakistan lost the home series against India (3-2 in ODIs, and 2-1 in Test Matches).
The results were reversed when Pakistan toured India as the won the ODI series 4-2 and drew the Test Series 1-1.
Pakistan then defeated a touring England side after they had beaten Australia in the 2005 Ashes. The winning run continued as Pakistan then beat Sri Lanka 2–0 in a 3-match ODI series and achieved a 3rd consecutive Test series win with a 1–0 win in a 2 test series with Sri Lanka.
Woolmer led his side to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies, but it proved to be a nightmare tournament for Pakistan and eventually was the last tour for Woolmer. After Pakistan lost their match to unheralded Ireland, Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica on March 18, 2007.
Due to lack of evidence the case was eventually closed, even as many former cricketers cried foul.
Trevor Bayliss
The New South Welshman tasted success as the coach of his domestic side New South Wales.
He was appointed coach of the Sri Lankan National team in 2007, replacing Tom Moody. The start was not very promising as Sri Lanka were knocked out in the super-eights of the 2007 World T20.
Sri Lanka then lost to Australia in a 2-Test Match series. Bayliss tasted success when Sri Lanka beat England 1-0 in a three-match Test series in Sri Lanka.
In 2009 they beat Pakistan 2-1 in a three-match limited overs series and drew the Test series 2-2.
Sri Lanka then reached the finals of the 2009 World T20 held in England but was outplayed by one Shahid Afridi in the finals. The team then won the home Test series (2-0) and also the ODI series(3-2).
However, the best part moment under his tenure arrived when Sri Lanka entered the finals of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, but once again could not take the final leap, as hosts India shrugged off their challenge.
Bayliss stepped down after the World Cup.
He then coached Sydney Sixers and Kolkata Knight Riders, before he was appointed head coach of England. He replaced Peter Moores.
The results were almost bang on. England won the Ashes in 2015. The limited overs team too turned a corner as specialists were introduced in the set-up. He has allowed players to play with more freedom and the results have come their way.
England beat South Africa in South Africa and then made it through to the finals of the 2016 World T20. They are also leading 2-0 in the ongoing 3-match Test Series against Sri Lanka.
Phil Simmons
Simmons started his coaching career as the head coach of Zimbabwe in 2004. This was a forgettable one for him as Zimbabwe was hit by a mass exodus of players because of political reasons. Zimbabwe lost to Bangladesh and this led to the sacking of Phil Simmons as the head coach.
He was appointed coach of Ireland after the 2007 World Cup and this proved to an inspired selection. Simmons did wonders with Ireland and coached them in a record 224 matches. Ireland's stature grew in World Cricket as they won 11 trophies, qualified for every major ICC event, beat England at the 2011 World Cup and the West Indies and Zimbabwe at the 2015 World Cup.
In March 2015, Simmons returned home and was made the coach of West Indies. He has had to face a lot of difficulties because of the growing mistrust between the players and the board, but he has managed to build a formidable team. Also, he is not afraid to voice his own opinion from time to time.
Under his stewardship, West Indies became the World T20 Champions this year, which is no mean achievement considering the fact that were not among the favourites.
Dav Whatmore
The Australian has had a very distinguished career as a coach and is also very well travelled all around the globe.
He shot to fame when he was the head coach of the Sri Lanka which won the 1996 World Cup.
Whatmore then travelled to Bangladesh and was their head coach from 2003 to 2007. This was a rather fruitful period for Bangladesh as they began pulling off upsets against bigger and well-established names.
Bangladesh the won their first match in Tests when they beat Zimbabwe by 226 runs in Chittagong. They also defeated Australia, South Africa and India during that period.
Whatmore was then appointed head coach of Pakistan in March 2012. Pakistan won the Asia Cup during this period.
Many Indian cricket followers will remember that Whatmore was the coach of the India U-19 team led by Virat Kohli when they won the trophy in 2008.
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