Duncan Fletcher needs to go

[rkt.india]

Where did the old Duncan Fletcher go?

What's an innocent foreign coach to do in India? Where the game is run by an overweening board, teams are picked by parochial selectors, every player is a superstar who doesn't obey any instructions, and there's an out-of-control media that harangues the poor foreigner every waking moment. That's the easiest - and perhaps most lazy and clichñÅ - line that can be taken in favour of India's current coach, Duncan Fletcher. Particularly when England, the country he coached successfully from 1999 to 2007, have come touring. Fletcher's significance with the Indian team in his 18 months on the job is a bit of a cipher. That word, cipher, can be interpreted in one of two ways, either of which could fit Fletcher's impact on the team: cipher as in a secret code or cipher as in zero. It could well be that the code is playing itself out in the dressing room, which may well be full of earnest goodwill and jollity. To amateur, unprofessional eyes, these are unseen sophistications. Fletcher, after all, came to India on a very strong recommendation from the previous coach, Gary Kirsten, as the ideal man to handle India's difficult generational "transition". Fletcher is considered a repository of great cricketing knowledge, an astute tactician who can spot players' strengths and flaws at a glance, and a man in possession of a wry sense of humour. It sounds perfect, but in the results column, the code is hard to decipher. Under Fletcher, India's overseas record - their most palpable, visible improvement in the preceding decade - was suddenly upended into an 8-0 pasting in England and Australia. Eight defeats, not even one draw wrested out of the opposition. Leave aside the rash of injuries, nefarious pitches, and what insurance companies call random acts of god, the least these numbers indicate is that the transition is not going well under the man supposed to be shepherding it. Had 8-0 taken place ten years ago, either Sourav Ganguly or John Wright would have lost his job. Six years ago, pick between Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell. Sachin Tendulkar, whose captaincy is never lauded, led India in 13 away Tests (South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Australia) and returned with six defeats and seven draws. Not 8-0. Yet there has, in India, been a swift institutional moving on from 8-0. A combination of circumstances is responsible: a selection committee that saw out its term by living off the World Cup victory, ten Tests at home this season, every alternative captaincy candidate struggling for form. Along with this (to borrow a word from Rahul Dravid, though he was referring to a different aspect of leadership when he used it on ESPNcricinfo's next Time Out show) came a "cocoon" mindset. Think head, sand and ostrich. In May this year, at a working committee meeting, Anil Kumble, as KSCA president, made a civil inquiry about the questions to be put, post 8-0, to the Dhoni-Fletcher team. An equally civil reply followed, stating that the query would indeed be raised with Dhoni-Fletcher by the president, aka N Srinivasan. It is not known what has transpired since Kumble's query, or whether ultimatums have been issued. From the outside, though, Dhoni and Fletcher look like the Teflon Twins. The din around Dhoni's leadership has been misdirected, coming in the wake of the recent World Twenty20. Never mind having to dodge bullets, from the outside it appears that Fletcher hasn't even sighted the artillery, because, according to one informed opinion, "his reputation has saved him". Yes, Fletcher faces obstacles: his hands are tied, his powers are limited, and his authority is undermined. Yet he will have known this before he took the job. Kirsten would not have let his coaching mentor dive into the deep end without detailing these hardship taxes around what is not a bad salary: approximately US$250,000-per year, all-included, with five return trips to visit his family back home, a support staff of his choice, and a clause in his two-year contract that actually says he doesn't need to interact with the malodorous media unless asked to by the BCCI. Fletcher is therefore answerable only to those who pay him his wages. The problem is the results column that won't go away. Coaches may not score runs or take wickets but they are key components of progress, and India, the team, do not appear to be making any. In an interview to ESPNcricinfo last year during the England series, former England captain Nasser Hussain talked passionately about how Fletcher had changed the culture of English cricket and wondered how he would "take on players and make really important decisions that will really annoy a lot of people in India?" before saying, "He will view it as the right thing to do." Hussain spoke of the two varying environments around Fletcher the coach. "The biggest difference is [that] in English cricket, he was the main man. If he said he was going to do something, we did it. [in] India, it is how much they will let him do things off his own back. That will be the decision they will have to make and he will have to make: whether he takes on people in India or not." Eighteen months into a 24-month contract, Fletcher has annoyed no one and taken no one on. It is as if the Fletcher on the job in India is vastly removed from the Fletcher who worked with England, who was, in his old captain's words, a man who was "very stubborn, doesn't bow to the press, doesn't suffer fools gladly". In India, either age has melted down Fletcher's stubbornness or he has decided that some things and some people are worth suffering for two years. Individual players speak of his knowledge and expertise - whether it was Virat Kohli to the Indian Express or Irfan Pathan marvelling at how his run-up had been sorted out on a recent tour of Sri Lanka. The opinion on Fletcher ranges from, "Well, he's there" to an appreciation of his "cool and calm demeanour" and his responses to players seeking cricketing tips. Junior, fringe players, key components of transition, however, say he doesn't interact with them much, leading to a sense of overall "directionlessness". While it may not be all about making stirring speeches, in the dressing room there is much mumbling about Fletcher's shortage of "man management skills". An insider says, "You know Fletcher's ideal role in India? As a game-development in charge." Not coach. This is again, startlingly different from England's Fletcher, who was involved, Hussain said, "in a lot of the behind the scenes. If anyone needed reprimanding and having a quiet word, Duncan used to do a lot of that. [©¾ Fletcher plays the bad cop, I play the good cop, and then we swap around. But the captain-coach relationship is absolutely vital. You both must be singing from the same hymn sheet." It is where Fletcher's dynamic with Dhoni is important. The common note on their hymn sheet before the England tour was to send out a request to the selectors picking the India A team for England's first warm-up match - no spinners in there, thanks. Yes, Fletcher's hands are tied, his powers are limited, and his authority is undermined. Yet he would have known this before he took the job. Coaches may not score runs or take wickets but they are key components of progress, and India do not appear to be making any Beyond that, their equations appear at best, amorphous. "It's a bit vague," says one player, "Dhoni gets along with Duncan, respects him and all that. But the lines are clear. Dhoni has a final say in the XI and controls tactics on the field, but otherwise, off the field, he's hands off." It becomes the coach's job to take a team from disaster to recovery. Dhoni's detachment and calmness have long been celebrated. In the light of 8-0, though, this calmness appears to have become far too much of a distance from the internal workings of his own team and his coach. Fletcher for his part respects this hierarchy. The players believe, however, that when needed, their coach will not play the free-speaking messenger between the team and the captain - not even in private. The air around Dhoni and Fletcher contains far too much "calm". The dressing room that follows them is now static. Twelve months from now, no number of Test victories at home will change India's course on their next round of away tours, unless some hustle returns to the dressing room. It could be that Fletcher finds himself in this predicament because of the new arm's-length mantra adopted by recent Indian coaches. On Time Out, Dravid says he prefers the opposite method, "Over the last three-four years we've seen that coaches have taken a slightly more detached, or slightly more backward role to our selections I think a coach should be more involved in the selection process You want to give people powers and you want to hold them accountable, especially when you have senior, knowledgeable people like Duncan." The arm's-length business started with Kirsten, who successfully circumvented the Indian selection maze and the demands of its domestic cricket. He coached the teams he was given, and India got to the No. 1 Test ranking and won the World Cup. For Fletcher, managing transition in India would require getting his hands dirty and doing what he did with England - being involved in selection, taking people on, as Hussain said, annoying them. It is said Fletcher had indicated to the BCCI that he preferred not to be involved in the pointy end of coaching - selections, domestic cricket. The new selection panel says quite openly, though, that it wants him in selection meetings and to go to first-class games. It is not in his contract, though. There is talk within the board of "bold moves" should the series against England and Pakistan go badly. (Which, in all honesty, they are not expected to.) In theory, though, England, who made Fletcher's reputation as a coach, could undo it in India. Ultimately, says one official, Fletcher's fate, "is only in one man's hand. It is the president who will take the final call." Either way, any call around the Teflon Twins is better taken now rather than six months later, when Fletcher's contract runs out, with seven months left for the tour to South Africa. But that will mean cracking the cocoon

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/590919.html Dravid wants more powers for Fletcher

Rahul Dravid has called for giving more powers to India coach Duncan Fletcher, and for the role of the national coach to be made more hands-on and accountable. Fletcher, he says, has a lot to offer Indian cricket and needs to be more involved in team selection. "Duncan has a lot of strengths as a coach," Dravid said on Time Out, ESPNcricinfo's fortnightly audio podcast, which will be published on Wednesday. "He connects well with a lot of the players and works quite well with them. But, in some ways, the scope or power that he has to make decisions or to make selections has been a little limited." Dravid pointed out that India's earlier overseas coaches had played a more active role in team composition, a practice that changed in the Gary Kirsten era. "I remember John Wright or Greg Chappell consistently attending selection committee meetings, watching domestic matches. I think over the last three-four years we've seen that coaches have taken a slightly more detached, or slightly more backward, role to our selections. I don't think Gary watched a lot of domestic cricket. Duncan has not really done that as well." After the retirement of VVS Laxman and Dravid, India are looking to fill two spots in the middle order and Dravid said Fletcher's knowledge would be of great help in finding the answer. "He's seen a lot of players… who's a better middle-order player among Manoj Tiwary, an Ajinkya Rahane or a Shikhar Dhawan or Murali Vijay? At least, to have an opinion, an informed opinion by actually coming and watching some games…The fact that he didn't come and didn't attend the selection committee meeting tells you that maybe that's not in his scope of work, he doesn't have those powers." Dravid said that giving Fletcher an active role in selection meetings would be important. "You want to give people powers and you want to hold them accountable, especially when you have senior, knowledgeable people like Duncan." Conceding that he was not aware of Fletcher's own opinion on the subject, Dravid said, "I think his reputation is on the line as well. I think, knowing someone like him, he would want to get more involved and have a say in where his own career and his own reputation is headed." A coach like Fletcher, he believed, could easily bridge the gap between being a player's trusted confidante as well as his selector. "Some of these people [coaches] do have the maturity to be able to understand that when players come to them with a problem, they don't necessarily use that as a way to drop someone. But also the coach sees players from such close quarters, he understands players. So I think he [Fletcher] must have a say [in selection]." Dravid said Fletcher had put greater emphasis on fitness after India's losses overseas and hoped that would reflect in the forthcoming season. "Definitely after the loss, he has put a lot of emphasis on the fitness and certain disciplines of the players and knowing and talking to maybe some of them. Over the last few months, there has been a little bit more focus on fitness and disciplines and the basics in skill levels of some players. Hopefully we'll see some of that in these Test series." Fletcher got the India job on the recommendation of his predecessor Kirsten and Dravid said both men had strengths but were not similar coaches. "Gary was a terrific coach, a really good man-manager, very hardworking person who led with example in a lot of ways in the way he worked. Duncan, obviously because of an age difference, maybe doesn't have that personal connect with some of the players. Or the level of conversations that he can have with some of the guys are maybe a little different to what Gary could have had because he played with some of them. "But, I think, Duncan has a lot to offer in terms of a coach, in terms of the tactics, his knowledge of the game, he works well in that area, he works quite closely with a lot of players... I think the relationship is good within the team." Fletcher, he said, would eventually be judged by his results. "The results haven't been great in the last one year. That's why these questions are being raised."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/591023.html

[carnish]

Fletcher was a wrong choice from the word go ... he should never have been picked in the first place. Hope BCCI throws him out next year.

[Crookbond]

[1] Very important and insightful comment by Dravid without sounding critical. In some ways, he is clearly suggesting that Fletcher's powers are limited thanks to the BCCI. [2] Gary Kirsten was someone similar it seems, contrary to popular opinion.

"I remember John Wright or Greg Chappell consistently attending selection committee meetings, watching domestic matches. I think over the last three-four years we've seen that coaches have taken a slightly more detached, or slightly more backward, role to our selections. I don't think Gary watched a lot of domestic cricket. Duncan has not really done that as well."

This clearly shows - Fletcher is given as much power as Kirsten AND Kirsten did not have much say either. Finally, Dravid has immense regard for Fletcher's strategies/tactics and knowledge. I think we should allow more freedom to Fletcher. There is too much of a gag on him considering our team is in transition. BCCI does not want another Greg Chappell but I think it's time to change that.

[rkt.india]

Coach has to have powers. Otherwise, he is just a dummy. Coach cannot play on the field but can certainly pick players for that.

[vamos_rafa]

Old Duncan Fletcher reads like he has suddenly become young now. Should not the title be, where did the Fletcher of Old go? :hmmm:

[putrevus]

This guy was always overrated, not going for win in WI started his tenure on wrong note and it has been downhill since. Its baffling as what the team tactics are under this guy, there is no identity as what he wants this team to be and he is extremely lucky to continue as coach after 0-8 debacles.

[vvvslaxman]

The guy who backed Giles over Panesar consistently and came under criticism needs more power? No thanks. Just get rid of this guy.

[Tendulkar_Bhai]

Fletchers tactics have always been defensive even when coaching England the way he used to bowl Giles and also the start England used to make to an innings. He was never the right man for the India job, however regarding Dravid's comments he is spot on. The BCCI should decide what role the coach should play and hold accountability wrt that. If BCCI are picking the wrong players Fletcher or no coach can make them perform overnight and in some ways Fletchers career is at the hands of the players to some extent. A coach should have final say on the squad once the committee have highlighted new players, the nature of cricket means he can not attend even a small % of domestic matches. It is like the England football manager having his players picked for him and then fans calling for his head- this would never happen in England so why do we allow it?

[vvvslaxman]

Fletchers tactics have always been defensive even when coaching England the way he used to bowl Giles and also the start England used to make to an innings. He was never the right man for the India job, however regarding Dravid's comments he is spot on. The BCCI should decide what role the coach should play and hold accountability wrt that. If BCCI are picking the wrong players Fletcher or no coach can make them perform overnight and in some ways Fletchers career is at the hands of the players to some extent. A coach should have final say on the squad once the committee have highlighted new players, the nature of cricket means he can not attend even a small % of domestic matches. It is like the England football manager having his players picked for him and then fans calling for his head- this would never happen in England so why do we allow it?

But during Australia and England tour squad selection was not a great issue. They had laxman, dravid, sehwag, gambhir, tendulkar.

[Crookbond]

But during Australia and England tour squad selection was not a great issue. They had laxman' date=' dravid, sehwag, gambhir, tendulkar.[/quote'] Yes - they all played so magnificently!

[Number]

When did new Duncan Fletcher come ?

[vvvslaxman]

Yes - they all played so magnificently!

My point is he can't blame selections. He always is given excuse to hide behind. Players are bad, captain is bad, selection is bad.. but i am good.. That doesn't cut it . Time for India to move on. Two guys retired. Now he can hide behind the excuse "this is an young side". Dravid's bottomline is "he should be held accountable". He did say in so many words.

[putrevus]

Coach should never have any say in selection that is up to selectors,Coach job is to make the players he has been given better.Have we seen any improvement from any player under this guy.If guys like Duncan are given power then Giles over Panesar would be common occurrence.No player would approach any coach with his problems in fear of being dropped. This guy was a obstinate idiot who was so stuck in his friking beliefs that bowlers had to bat forgetting the main job of bowler is to take wickets not score runs. More over selection was never an issue so far for Duncan, as the team almost selected itself especially test team. Guys like Raina are looking for outside coaches to rectify their technical issues.May be it is Raina's fault but batting overall has taken a big dip under this guy. Chappell ruffled lot of feathers but he at least had some reasoning behind what he did and his policy of playing five bowlers to get more results , they might not have worked but at least he tried.

[Crookbond]

My point is he can't blame selections. He always is given excuse to hide behind. Players are bad' date=' captain is bad, selection is bad.. but i am good.. That doesn't cut it . Time for India to move on. Two guys retired. Now he can hide behind the excuse "this is an young side". Dravid's bottomline is "he should be held accountable". He did say in so many words.[/quote'] Before that - can you tell me how is a guy accountable if he does not have a say? It works both ways. Dravid and Manjrekar have made an excellent point - do go OTT both wrt Kirsten as well as Fletcher. This has been my stand since long - the coach has very little power in our setup and therefore, you can't draw a direct correlation. The least you have to do is to allow him complete his contract.

[vvvslaxman]

Before that - can you tell me how is a guy accountable if he does not have a say? It works both ways. Dravid and Manjrekar have made an excellent point - do go OTT both wrt Kirsten as well as Fletcher. This has been my stand since long - the coach has very little power in our setup and therefore' date=' you can't draw a direct correlation. The least you have to do is to allow him complete his contract.[/quote'] why should he have a say in selection. How is he qualified to pick players from the get go. THat is hardly a requirement for a coach. Dravid's point is valid if he were with the side for a very long time. There is no accountability on his part.

[Tendulkar_Bhai]

My point is he can't blame selections. He always is given excuse to hide behind. Players are bad' date=' captain is bad, selection is bad.. but i am good.. That doesn't cut it . Time for India to move on. Two guys retired. Now he can hide behind the excuse "this is an young side". Dravid's bottomline is "he should be held accountable". He did say in so many words.[/quote'] I agree he should go and dont want to defend him, just think bcci should clearly define roles for future coaches so we dont blame the coach for not giving chance to youngsters.. And if selections for those tours (eng/aus) were good/satisfactory did Fletcher make some of the most experienced players alive into bad players? Could he have said anything to guys who have been around the block 100x which would have helped..surely not. Maybe you can blame him for the tactics during the match or repeated mistakes by less experienced players. But i agree there is risk that the coach will never be wrong, his job safety has to be in line with team performance regardless of the variables outside of his control

[Rohit S. Ambani]

Duncan Fletcher must be proud of this English team! He always loved them! They are like his son's. He always backed FAST bowlers, actually he was the reason for arrival of like of Finn, Tremmlet, Broad on International scene. All risks were taken by Fletcher but Andy got all praises.

[Number]

Srini's expressions. :giggle:

[CSK Fan]

Kanhi to kuch dhang ka post karo bhai

[Malcolm Merlyn]

Yes please send Duncan back with the english team.