The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Moxon happy

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Saturday, Dec 01, 2007
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Moxon happy

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Martyn Moxon, the batting coach with the England Performance Program (EPP) training here at the MRF Pace Foundation, said he was happy with the improvement his wards have shown in playing spin during their time in India.

The EPP has been designed for the twin purposes of shadowing the English Test team touring Sri Lanka, providing elite backup in case of injury, and developing the skills of the young side in sub-continental conditions.

“We’ve been working on a couple of areas for playing the spinning ball,” said Moxon. “We’re looking at rotating the strike and hitting safely over the infield. It’s about relieving pressure by getting off strike if you can’t get the ball away.”

Reading spin

Moxon added the batsmen were working on reading spin, having had a session with Merlin, the special-purpose bowling machine at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough, before flying out.

“It’s an individual thing, and you can either read it from the hand or from the rotations on the ball,” said the 47-year-old former England batsman. “If you leave it till it pitches, it’s sometimes too late.”

The EPP spent two weeks in Mohali, playing two duration games, before travelling to Chennai. “It was cooler in Mohali,” said Moxon. “It’s a little more humid here. We talked before we left about handling the conditions, the sweat, the fatigue, making sure we look after ourselves by staying hydrated. And it has been excellent. No praise can be too high for the facilities both here and in Mohali. ”

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