5 most impactful cricket coaches in modern era

There has always been a debate whether a coach can really create an impact on the on-field performance of a cricket team. The answer to this popular argument has already been addressed by some of the most successful coaches in the past who played a crucial role in some memorable victories of the teams that they have coached.

In essence, the role of a coach is to assess the skill sets, strengths and weaknesses of the individual players and help the team in designing the road map for success. In this process, a few coaches tend to get their plans executed well due to their impeccable ability to communicate with the team members by giving adequate freedom which plays a major role in motivating the team members.

The impact the coaches have had on the teams has helped them raise the level of their game by winning crucial tournaments when the teams were going through a tough phase. Let us discuss the contributions made by such effective coaches whose outstanding efforts brought laurels to the respective cricketing nations.

#1 Dav Whatmore – Mastermind behind Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup win

The best moment in the history of Sri Lankan cricket is undoubtedly the famous 1996 World Cup win when they successfully defeated the mighty Australian side in the finals at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore. Dav Whatmore was the key architect behind the resurgent cricket played by the Sri Lankan team throughout the tournament by taking the advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first fifteen overs. This later became a hallmark in one-day internationals.

The vigorously aggressive batting strategy adopted by the opening pair Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana has set a new benchmark in the history of the game. A special mention has to be made with regard to the improvement in the ground fielding of the Sri Lankan side during the 1996 world cup campaign.

Whatmore’s undeterred attitude combined with the aggressive game plan executed by the Sri Lankan cricket team had resulted in a memorable victory for them, which they would cherish for years to come.

#2 Gary Kirsten – A low-profile coach with high profile success rate

The Indian cricket team was going through a lean phase during the year 2007 after their shocking exit from the World Cup. The BCCI in a sudden development of scheme of things appointed Gary Kirsten as the coach of team India despite the fact that he had concerns about the full support of the members of the Indian cricket team.

Gary’s sedate yet effective approach of mentoring the Indian team has brought a significant improvement in their all-round performance, which is largely associated with his ability to infuse confidence among younger players.

Gary Kirsten has been praised by all players for helping them to improve their techniques, motivating them and discussing the game plans to be executed on the field. The Indian cricket fans would never ever forget the 2011 World Cup triumph by team India under the mentorship of Gary Kirsten.

Indian cricket team’s limited-overs captain M.S. Dhoni once described Gary as "the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket” which shows the respect that Dhoni has towards the South African.

#3 Mike Hesson – The radical Kiwi coach

Mike Hesson took over as the coach of New Zealand when the erstwhile coach John Wright resigned in July 2012. Hesson is one of the few full time coaches of a test nation who has not played a single first-class match. Hesson, a rare breed of coaches, started his coaching career at the age of 21 when he was offered a contract for a club in Cambridgeshire in England on a pre-condition that he was involved in coaching his fellow team members.

His natural aptitude for coaching brought him an opportunity to work for Otago as a coaching director. His successful stint with Otago along with his exemplary organizational and interpersonal skills made him the chief contender for the role of the head coach of New Zealand cricket team after the exit of John Wright.

Hesson took some tough decisions in his initial days as a coach such as recommending Ross Taylor to surrender his captaincy which later proved to be beneficial to the team.

Under Hesson, New Zealand cricket tasted fair bit of success with ODI series wins against South Africa and England away from home during the 2012-13 season. The Test series victories against India and West indies at home in 2013-14 helped the Black Caps transform into a match winning and competitive playing side.

The biggest test for Hesson came in the year 2015 when Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the World Cup. Hesson’s bold approach of mentoring the team worked exceptionally well during the 2015 World Cup campaign. New Zealand entered the finals of a World Cup for the first time in the history of the game.

The strategic changes made by Hesson during the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2016 stood out when he opted to play with 3 spinners against India on a dry Nagpur pitch. The latest rankings released by the ICC is a reflection of the team’s performance during Hesson’s regime. The Black Caps are ranked as the number one side in latest T20 rankings and they are in second position in the ODI rankings.

#4 Bob Woolmer – One of the most progressive coaches of the modern era

When South Africa returned to competitive cricket in the year 1991 after the deconstruction of apartheid, the team needed to go through a grueling process to establish itself as a strong competitor in all forms of cricket. For a team to perform well at the highest level in cricket, a mentor who can change the team’s fortunes with a long-term vision plays a pivotal role.

In one of the most positive developments that happened to South African cricket till date, Bob Woolmer was appointed as the coach of South Africa in the year 1994, three years after the team made a comeback to International cricket. Woolmer, a technologically savvy coach, was one amongst the few coaches to use computer analysis effectively to the benefit of the team.

Under Bob Woolmer, South African team made a significant progress as a team in both forms of the game. During his stint, South Africa won 10 out of 15 test series and the team’s success rate in one-day internationals was over 70%. Though South Africa did not win the World Cup under Woolmer, the performance of the team improved significantly and they were able to challenge some of the best performing cricket teams in the world.

#5 John Wright – The coach who played a major role in Indian cricket’s transformation

John Wright was assigned to take up the role of a coach of the Indian team during a period when the team was in a transitional phase. Indian cricket was going through torrid times after a series of disastrous defeats in late 1999 and early 2000.

The BCCI was looking for a coach who can transform the side by instilling the required confidence and by improving the skill set of the team members. John Wright was appointed as the coach of India in the year 2000 and it did not take much time for him to produce the results that an average Indian cricket fan desired.

John Wright played an integral part in some of the famous victories in the history of Indian cricket which included the home Test series win against Australia in 2000/01 season. In addition to that, team India successfully levelled the test series against Australia in 2003/04 season. It was during his stint that the Indian team started winning Test matches overseas.

The notable performance of team India in ODI’s during John Wright’s tenure came during the 2003 World Cup where the team entered the finals of the prestigious tournament after a gap of 20 years. Indian cricket stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul David, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman mentioned the contribution made by John Wright in transforming Indian cricket on several occasions.