5 10OUT OF
Q: SO, TREVOR, HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR WORK WITH ENGLAND? A: I’D HAVE TO GIVE MYSELF...
Trevor Bayliss responds quickly when asked to give himself a mark out of 10 for a coaching stint with england that reached its peak with the World Cup victory he was recruited to deliver but will end in the huge disappointment of an Ashes failure.
‘I’m a hard marker so I’ll say five,’ said Bayliss, who will take his leave after this week’s final Test. ‘I give the guys four, five and six for their fielding because there’s always room for improvement. If you give them eight, nine or 10 there’s no scope to get better.’
He is being harsh on himself because his four-and-a-half years in charge should bring at least a seven or eight simply because of that tumultuous day at Lord’s in July that saw the World Cup culmination of four years of white-ball planning.
It is just that Bayliss, 56, knows it would have been a nine or 10 if england could only have pulled off the dream double this summer and added another Ashes triumph to the one he oversaw in his first season as coach in 2015.
england’s lack of real progress in Test cricket stops the Australian getting top marks and it was that which he reflected on at the oval yesterday as he considered his eventful time in charge of his country’s old enemy.
Bayliss may have been recruited by Andrew Strauss for his whiteball acumen in the wake of the worst of all england’s World Cups four years ago but the quiet yet no-nonsense New South Welshman is old-fashioned at heart.
‘I’m a traditionalist,’ insisted Bayliss. ‘I prefer Test cricket. I’ve been lucky enough to be in charge of a few white-ball teams that have done well and that was the biggest area england had to turn around when I arrived here.
‘The way they played in the 2015 World Cup made a big deal of us having to do better and that became the focus. But when Straussy rang me the priorities were 50-50 for white-ball and Test cricket. The ultimate was to win both trophies this year but unfortunately that was not to be.
‘It’s true Test cricket hasn’t gone as well as we would have liked even though we’ve had more wins than losses. Trying to create the depth in our Test ranks we have in our white-ball side has been a challenge and will continue to be. The question is whether the domestic competition underneath is doing the job well enough in producing players.’
The question Ashley Giles has asked in the wake of losing the Ashes at home for the first time since 2001 is whether england’s Test side — and captain Joe root in particular — now need a more ‘hands on’ coach rather than the laid-back Bayliss?
For the only time in his valedictory address yesterday Bayliss slightly bristled. ‘I’ve probably taken a step back on purpose because we’ve plenty of coaches here and they’re all hands on,’ he said. ‘How do you find time for everyone to be hands on?
‘It’s not as if I just let it flow without anything happening. We are always talking and discussing individuals then I let the coaches go and do their jobs.
‘You’d have to ask Joe if he needs a different type of coach to me. I’ve got my style and I don’t think there’s one right way.
‘I made a pact with myself some time ago to keep doing things the way I’ve done them because it’s been successful over a long period. I like to think it’s been reasonably successful in these four years, too.’
Then it was back to reflecting on the ‘Trevorlution’ that began well enough in Test cricket with an Ashes win four years ago and a rare series success in South Africa before that white-ball focus pretty much became all consuming.
‘It’s the natural time to go,’ he insisted of his departure to the world of franchise cricket. ‘I’ve never spent more than four or five years anywhere whether I’m doing well or not. It’s time for the lads to hear a new voice.
‘You never want to become part of the problem and sometimes if you can stay too long that’s what can happen.’
Bayliss offered support for root, who has now been at the helm of two unsuccessful Ashes challenges. ‘Sometimes you can
only be as good as the players in the team and we’re still looking for players to make that Test 11 as strong as it could be,’ said Bayliss.
‘I’m sure Joe’s doing everything to put that right but I think he’s getting better all the time and the support of people like Ben Stokes is very important. Those two can take this team forward and I don’t think there are many others around who could do the job.’
Ah, Stokes. He has been a favourite of Bayliss ever since the first day he arrived in England.
‘You blokes laughed at me when I said he was a captaincy candidate,’ smiled Bayliss. ‘I picked up very early from his cricket nous and the way he went about his game that he was a tough character.
‘He’s got a lot of skill and we’re seeing that more than ever now. He’s grown off the field and that incident in Bristol was the catalyst for that. He’s been smart and mature enough to learn from it.’
Bayliss is now planning what he hopes will be one last Test victory against his native country and the consolation of a drawn Ashes series.
‘There have been so many highlights,’ he added. ‘The satisfaction from the World Cup comes from the planning and hard work that went into getting to that point. There have been a few series wins, too. The World Cup was the cherry on the top but there were plenty of achievements I won’t forget.’