A head coach needs to manage players well

I find it hard to go past our bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are magnificent. On his favourite bowlers

NEWDELHI: Former Australia pacer Ryan Harris played only 27 Tests, taking 113 wickets, before injuries forced an end his career in 2015. Having settled into a coaching role with the National Performance Team Down Under, Harris spoke to HT on the sidelines of an MRF Pace Academy function. Excerpts:

What should be the role of a head coach?

It is a combination of man management and skill management. You have to look after every player. If a player wants to learn and the coaches make him feel better, that is the day they reach their peak.

How do you cope with multiple heads in the team?

The head coach basically runs the team. The other coaches look after the skills. The batting and fielding coaches will weigh in on their decisions with the head coach. It is important the head coach gets around all the players but he cannot be stuck doing one thing. He has to communicate with all the players.

Did the contract crisis distract Australia in the Champions Trophy?

There would have been some discussions (among players) but I do not think it played a role. We did not play well. One and half games were affected by rain, which did not help. When we did get a full game against England, we did not play well.

Who are your favourite batsmen currently?

I have bowled to Sachin Tendulkar, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen. They are all class batsmen. The job of bowlers is harder due to flat wickets. Pietersen was the toughest to bowl to as he was such a big guy. One had to change a lot of different things when you had to bowl to him.