Top Aussie guru defends Ashes strugglers Vince and Handscomb
WHEN The Cricket Paper catches up with Trent Woodhill he’s a frustrated man. And it’s not because of the Aussies second innings collapse that handed England an unlikely shot at victory at the Adelaide Oval.
No, his ire is directed at those in the Channel Nine commentary box who spent most of the morning of day four dissecting – or rather tearing apart – the technique of Peter Handscomb.
Woodhill’s exasperation is nothing new, hardly surprising given that his views on coaching are the polar opposite of those in the lofty commentary box seats at Australia’s main cricket broadcaster.
“Ch9 comms continue to be frightened by different batting techniques. Stick to talking about game management leave technique to the experts,” the IPL and Big Bash batting coach tweeted midway through the afternoon session as Aussie wickets tumbled.
Those commentators are unlikely to pay too much attention but Woodhill is a man well worth listening to.
He has worked extensively with David Warner and Steve Smith, helping to turn both from batsmen whose styles defy modern convention into two of world cricket’s most consistent run scorers.
Woodhill has also helped to hone the games of Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli and recently spent time in the nets with Joe Root.
His coaching skills have, though, been largely ignored by the Aussie cricket establishment, which makes him the perfect man to express a view on how the likes of Smith and Warner have thrived with techniques that would doubtless be pulled apart were they now 15-year-olds making their way in the game.
“It’s not so much about letting players play the way they want, it’s about letting players perform in the way that comes most naturally,” he says. “I’ve had a go at Channel Nine because if they don’t like what they see then they assume it doesn’t work. They don’t try and understand what they see.
“No-one from Channel Nine has ever rung me up and said ‘you worked with Steven and David – what did you allow them to do?’ When they don’t understand how a player looks, they immediately question every aspect of his game.
“Peter Handscomb has had a bad couple of Tests but before the Ashes he had scored two hundreds, four fifties and was averaging 50 in ten Tests. As many as six of them were on the Subcontinent so he must have been doing something right.
“Suddenly, now, they’re pulling his technique apart rather than identifying his strengths and weaknesses. They do it with the English players, too.”
Woodhill points to James Vince as a player who needs to focus on his strengths and what has got him into the Test team rather than listen to those who’d prefer him to never drive a ball again.
“He drives for fun but nicks off for fun,” says Woodhill. “He’s just got to get better at driving, he doesn’t have to change technique. It’s a strength not a weakness.
“That’s why Kevin Pietersen was so good in Australian conditions because his focus was on contact. He said during this Test he would work on his presence at the crease rather than changing his technique.
“That’s what you want to hear from these greats rather than Mark Taylor pulling apart a technique he doesn’t understand in the first place.”
VERDICT
Woodhill is a man with plenty of knowledge, and you can’t help but feel he is right. Just because you’re in a bad patch of form, doesn’t always mean your technique is wrong. There’s a reason these players are playing Ashes cricket – they’ve made runs. They haven’t changed their style just for this series.You need to play in a way that suits you – Woodhill knows.