The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Chappell should be backed: Lillee

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Wednesday, Aug 31, 2005

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Chappell should be backed: Lillee

Special Correspondent

Chennai: Pace bowling legend Dennis Lillee said Indian cricket team coach Greg Chappell required the support of the players, the authorities, the press and the public to bring about the changes needed to lift the national side from the doldrums.

"India needs to embrace the changes," Lillee said here on Tuesday. He was at the MRF Pace Foundation, honing the skills of yet another bunch of aspirants.

"Greg (Chappell) is very shrewd. He also should be backed by everyone," said Lillee, Chappell's long-time mate in the Australian teams of the 70s and early 80s. "First, you have to pick your best team. Then you work on it and get the best from the side. All this takes time," he said.

"You see England started an academy and pinched Rodney Marsh (wicket-keeping great) and Troy Cooley (leading bio-mechanist) from us and look where they are now," said Lillee.

The Australian, who had spent a day with India pacemen and those in contention during the pre-season camp in Bangalore, said Chappell had wanted him to test the bowlers.

Tie-up would help

The pace bowling legend said both he and Chappell had agreed that there should be a tie-up between the Board and the MRF Pace Foundation, which they felt would help the Indian pacemen considerably.

He said he could not review the progress of the Indian fast bowlers since he had not seen them in action lately. "Assessing them without being with them would be like walking on a moonless midnight," he quipped.

To a question whether he would accept the role of the Indian bowling coach, Lillee said he would consider such an offer, but would take into account all the factors.

The focus at the MRF Pace Foundation was on grooming fast bowlers between 16 and 20 years who would push the senior bowlers with "performance or promise or both," he said. Pace Foundation head coach T.A. Sekar would be on the lookout for young talent, he added.

Switching his attention to the engrossing Ashes series, Lillee said if Australia, trailing 1-2, did not begin the fifth Test well, England "would run away with the series."

Lethal English attack

The English bowling was the difference between the two sides, he said. "This is the best English bowling combination since the days of Bob Willis, Ian Botham, Graham Dilley and Derek Underwood."

On the English pace attack, he said, "It is bloody fast, keeps the pressure on and can bowl at the death. The batsmen have to take chances against Ashley Giles, the lone spinner, and he gets wickets in the bargain."

He said the Australian opening combination of Mathew Hayden and Justin Langer "was under the microscope," and felt Adam Gilchrist's lacklustre form with the bat had affected the side's cause. The injury to pace spearhead Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie's loss of form "has not helped matters for Australia," he said.

If Australia lost the final Test it would take some time for the team to find its feet again, said Lillee. "I don't see too much young depth back home. Talent was abundant 10 years ago. It's not the case now."

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