Four Sixes
Dean Jones, cricketer, coach and now author, on the gentleman’s game, then and now
Q: I really enjoyed Cricket Tips. But aren’t coaching manuals hopelessly outmoded?
A: Outmoded? In what way? You tell me what coaching model has such gems from all the greats of the game. Q: Is cricket today still a fair contest between bat and ball (Given for example the size and weight of new bats)? A: Yes I do. The biggest change in the game is the better pitches and the smaller grounds. Just look at the last IPL final... not many sixes were hit there. Q: In an era of adventurous T20 strokemaking, why don’t batsmen dance down the pitch like Dean Jones did back in the day? A: Attitudes to batting have evolved. Players use the depth of their crease and the bowlers’ pace more. Q: Virat Kohli or Steve Smith? Or AB de Villiers? Why? A: Virat for me... then daylight between him and the next. I love his strokeplay and his charisma.