By BIPIN DANI
Dubai, October 25 : Andy Moles, who had to resign as a New Zealand coach on Saturday due to lack of support from players, didn't get proper backing from team's support staff also. This was revealed by Heath Mills, the chief of New Zealand Cricket Players' Association.
Speaking from Auckland on day after Moles' resignation, he said, "we need to work with NZC to get the right answer for cricket. NZC completed a review on the team that included player feedback but it also included feedback from support staff and NZC high performance staff so players are not the only group giving feedback on the coach….the review is about getting the team better so although it is sad for Andy… if he wasn’t delivering what NZC thought appropriate then they either need to up skill him or get someone else in the environment who can deliver what is needed". "When this became public he decided to resign which is fair enough….Whilst sad and tough… if this means the team gets better resources and direction then that is a good outcome for everyone", he further added.
Interestingly, 49-year-old Moles is not a member of the Kiwi players' association. No Andy is not a member of the players associations. Our constitution only allows those who are playing or have played first class cricket to be members. "It is not a case of the association backing anyone or not. Sometimes we have represented our members who are past players and are coaches but not on this occasion as Andy was not a member", he further added.
Elaborating more about the captain taking over the role on a stop-gap basis, he said, Dan (Vettori) is more than capable getting the team through this tournament – it is only 5 short form games in 12 days so there is little impact a new coach can make anyway".
"NZC now need to take their time and get the right coach appointed. You are better to let the captain and support staff run the team in the meantime than make a the wrong appointment in a rush. They should work out what skills they need in a coach and go and find the person who ticks the most boxes. From our point of view the new coach must have a good understanding that this is a workplace environment and they must have good communication and man management skills – they must be able to plan and review and write appropriate reports etc. Coaching an international team isn’t just about being able to teach someone how to bat and bowl at that level….obviously they must tick those boxes as well plus be able to help the captain with tactics and strategy but they must also be able to manage a group of 30 plus people in a workplace environment. Too often we see coaches appointed who know cricket but they do not understand or have the skills required to operate as a senior manager in a modern workplace high performance workplace and that is what often leads to their downfall".
"Andy is a good coach and he will get other jobs. He needs to reflect on what went well and what didn’t and then look to improve – just like players have to continually do", Mills signed off.
Surprisingly Moles had to leave his stints with the Keyna and Scotland teams for the same reasons. "I was actually surprised to read that a country like NZ would sign him as a coach (last year) after he had left Kenya", the former Kenya skipper Maurice Odumbe said from Nairobi. "As much as I would like to believe he was a 'good' county player. His coaching methods were suspect and insisting to be the know it all and doubling up as coach/team manager at times bordered on dictatorship and always had his sidekick Mark Allayne as a physical trainer, a man who many believe was a security steward in the stadiums in U.K was insulting to some Kenyan players including me. Therefore I am not in the least surprised by his resignation. I knew it a matter of time before he was shown the door", Odumbe added.
Dubai, October 25 : Andy Moles, who had to resign as a New Zealand coach on Saturday due to lack of support from players, didn't get proper backing from team's support staff also. This was revealed by Heath Mills, the chief of New Zealand Cricket Players' Association.
Speaking from Auckland on day after Moles' resignation, he said, "we need to work with NZC to get the right answer for cricket. NZC completed a review on the team that included player feedback but it also included feedback from support staff and NZC high performance staff so players are not the only group giving feedback on the coach….the review is about getting the team better so although it is sad for Andy… if he wasn’t delivering what NZC thought appropriate then they either need to up skill him or get someone else in the environment who can deliver what is needed". "When this became public he decided to resign which is fair enough….Whilst sad and tough… if this means the team gets better resources and direction then that is a good outcome for everyone", he further added.
Interestingly, 49-year-old Moles is not a member of the Kiwi players' association. No Andy is not a member of the players associations. Our constitution only allows those who are playing or have played first class cricket to be members. "It is not a case of the association backing anyone or not. Sometimes we have represented our members who are past players and are coaches but not on this occasion as Andy was not a member", he further added.
Elaborating more about the captain taking over the role on a stop-gap basis, he said, Dan (Vettori) is more than capable getting the team through this tournament – it is only 5 short form games in 12 days so there is little impact a new coach can make anyway".
"NZC now need to take their time and get the right coach appointed. You are better to let the captain and support staff run the team in the meantime than make a the wrong appointment in a rush. They should work out what skills they need in a coach and go and find the person who ticks the most boxes. From our point of view the new coach must have a good understanding that this is a workplace environment and they must have good communication and man management skills – they must be able to plan and review and write appropriate reports etc. Coaching an international team isn’t just about being able to teach someone how to bat and bowl at that level….obviously they must tick those boxes as well plus be able to help the captain with tactics and strategy but they must also be able to manage a group of 30 plus people in a workplace environment. Too often we see coaches appointed who know cricket but they do not understand or have the skills required to operate as a senior manager in a modern workplace high performance workplace and that is what often leads to their downfall".
"Andy is a good coach and he will get other jobs. He needs to reflect on what went well and what didn’t and then look to improve – just like players have to continually do", Mills signed off.
Surprisingly Moles had to leave his stints with the Keyna and Scotland teams for the same reasons. "I was actually surprised to read that a country like NZ would sign him as a coach (last year) after he had left Kenya", the former Kenya skipper Maurice Odumbe said from Nairobi. "As much as I would like to believe he was a 'good' county player. His coaching methods were suspect and insisting to be the know it all and doubling up as coach/team manager at times bordered on dictatorship and always had his sidekick Mark Allayne as a physical trainer, a man who many believe was a security steward in the stadiums in U.K was insulting to some Kenyan players including me. Therefore I am not in the least surprised by his resignation. I knew it a matter of time before he was shown the door", Odumbe added.
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