Silverwood to play second fiddle while MJ calls shots?

By Rex Clementine

Yorkshire, a stronghold of English cricket, is known for its mean fast bowlers and larger than life batsmen. Legend has it that during a tricky run chase in Christchurch in 1978, Ian Botham deliberately ran out captain Geoff Boycott as he was batting too slow. Boycott is the finest batsman produced by Yorkshire.

Yorkshire’s legendary fast bowler Fred Trueman was someone who didn’t mince his words. When Raman Subba Row misfielded and the ball went for four, he went up to Trueman and apologized, ‘Sorry, Fred. I should have kept my legs together.’ Trueman replied, ‘Not you son, your mother!’

Once Rev. David Sheppard dropped a catch off Fred’s bowling. Trueman shouted. “Hey Reverend, you might keep your eyes shut when you’re praying, but I wish you’d keep ’em open when I’m bowling.’

Chris Silverwood, Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Head Coach is a former fast bowler from Yorkshire. What can you expect from him? Is he the one to tell off Niroshan Dickwella for trying to reverse sweep the first ball he faces or put Danushka Gunathilaka in his place for his off field excesses? Not quite. Silverwood is a gentleman to the fingertips and a gentle soul. With a strong captain, his kind of coaching style will work. But when both the coach and captain are too sweet men that could create a few issues.

Essentially, Silverwood is a people’s person and works hard at giving his players the best support they need. You will find him extremely friendly and caring. He is not confrontational so that might not work in a dressing room that has Dickwella, Mendis, Gunathilaka and the rest. That is why a coach similar to the approach of Tom Moody or Dav Whatmore would have helped with the current team.

Moody during his stint with Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2007 knew only two ways; my way or the highway. Many were the players who were thrown out of the system during his stint. As for Whatmore, he rarely completed a sentence without using the four letter word beginning with ‘F’.

Silverwood being a fast bowler can be of immense help for the up and coming quicks in Sri Lanka. He has just finished a stint with England and after a disastrous Ashes campaign down under; he may have learned a few things. So we may be wrong to judge a book by its cover. But, they also say that old habits die hard.

Silverwood was not Sri Lanka’s first choice. The think tank initially wanted Graham Ford or Paul Farbrace. Ford turned down a third stint as this wasn’t the appropriate time for him to return due to personal reasons. Farbrace got cold feet after agreeing to come over. Wonder why?

It maybe a case of where the Head Coach being a figurehead and all shots are called by MJ. All important coaching positions at SLC from Batting Coach of the national team to Head Coach of the Under-19 side have been filled by MJ loyalists. It seems that he will keep calling the shots behind the scenes and if things go out of hand then the head of Silverwood would go. A strong personality like Farbrace may have had reservations about such a role but Silverwood seems to be happy to play second fiddle.