Cricket: Black Caps accused of taking the soft options

Brendon Bracewell, former New Zealand cricketer and brother of Black Caps coach John, says the present players are too coach-dependent.

Bracewell, who coaches in Masterton, slammed the New Zealand side, claiming his brother has to teach the players line and length, "cover drives, block shots and what balls to play them".

Bracewell made his comments in an email to former New Zealand captain and newspaper columnist Ken Rutherford, which also reached several media outlets, the Press newspaper reported yesterday.

"Our players come up with stomach bugs, earaches, swollen glands at the mention of hard work," Brendon Bracewell wrote.

"The coaching resources should be going into the growth of the game. The test coach should be focusing on match-winning practices, preparation, game plan and tactics - not teaching a joker how to keep the seam straight, how to block or leave balls or even how to hit it. Our players will always opt for throw-downs and conversations of technique rather than action things themselves - the softest option available will always be the preferred option.

"Why? Because they have been ingrained into them via our development personnel. It makes the personnel feel indispensable because the players depend on them."

Brendon Bracewell said coach dependency was the number one problem because the coaching was lifting the bar for the players.

"True champions lift their own bar."

Brendon Bracewell said Australian coach John Buchanan did not have to teach Shane Warne how to bowl the flipper, or Glenn McGrath, line and length.

"He has not coached them on one personal aspect of the game's skills. He has, however, had a lot to do with the team ethos of every player lifting their personal bar and the team bar rises to new heights."

Brendon Bracewell also takes a swipe at fast bowler Ian Butler, whose omission from the series was questioned by commentators.

"Butler is a pea-hearted, selfish bloke who offers the team only the ability to bowl a ball every now and then over 140 km/h.

"This is the sort of character Johnny doesn't want in the team. He is one of those blokes who gets a dose of the sniffles and infects the whole team with his misery."

- NZPA