Greats line up to succeed Cooley

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Donald keen to take England role

Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald believes he has the necessary attributes to succeed Troy Cooley as England's next bowling coach.

Donald has applied for the position Cooley vacates in May when he returns to his native Australia to take up a similar role with the world champions.

"I don't come in with a lot of coaching badges but I do have lots of experience and passion for the game," he said.

"England is not new territory for me, I played against a lot of the players."
Donald, who took 330 wickets in 72 Tests and 272 one-day international wickets from 164 matches in an illustrious 12-year international career, said frustration with the South Africa management structure led him to apply.

"At the moment I get the feeling there is no way in for me to South African cricket, so that's one of the reasons I applied," he told the Reuters newswire.

"I have a passion for being around international cricketers. I love being in the dressing room and I love dealing with players at the highest level.

"There is an opportunity for me to grab onto something I love, whether it's the South African cricket team or the England cricket team, it doesn't matter.

Donald, who spent four seasons with Warwickshire and has coached their young bowlers, praised the work done by Cooley, who forged a close bond with England's premier seamers Stephen Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard.

"The majority of the work has been done by Troy," Donald said.

"I think he has done a magnificent job with the four quicks and to take over something like that would be taking it a step further.

"I think it's just fine-tuning them and playing a bigger role in the dressing room. That would also be a challenge for me as well."
 
Former England bowler Phil DeFreitas is to apply to succeed Troy Cooley as England's bowling coach.

DeFreitas, 39, is currently working as a coach in Hong Kong after retiring from playing last September.

He told BBC Sport: "With my 21 years of cricket knowledge, playing at the highest level, I think I can contribute something to this job.

"I'm sure I can bring my vast experience and knowledge about the game, and bowling, to the party."

DeFreitas, who retired last year after 21 seasons of county cricket and 44 Tests and 103 one-day internationals for England, said he was persuaded to apply for the job by some of his former team-mates.

"I had a few emails saying I should apply, because I'd be perfect for the role," he said. "So I thought, 'why not?' I've just retired from playing first-class cricket and have played against most of the guys in the England team.

"Now I'm coaching and am really enjoying it.

"'I've worked with some wonderful coaches over the years, including Bob Woolmer (now the Pakistan coach) and I've learned quite a few things from them."

Cooley vacates his position in May and former South Africa paceman Allan Donald has also announced his desire to succeed him.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has received "several applications" for the job, from "a mixture of backgrounds".

The Guardian claims Lancashire's current coach Mike Watkinson is also in the running, along with Somerset's Academy director and former first team coach Kevin Shine.

But one man who has failed to be tempted by the job is former Australia paceman Bruce Reid.

He told the Syndey Morning Herald: "I had a phone call [from the ECB]. It's a difficult one because of the family and the relocation."

The closing date for applications is Friday 27 January and interviews will take place on 11 February.

The ECB is asking for the following criteria from applicants:
  • high-level fast bowling coaching experience
  • a good knowledge of first-class and international cricket
  • a minimum coaching qualification of ECB Level III international equivalent
  • extensive experience of performance-analysis systems
  • a detailed knowledge of bowling biomechanics
  • a sound understanding of injury prevention and conditioning for fast bowlers
Cooley finishes as England's bowling coach on 1 May to take up a similar job with Australia.
 
The ECB is asking for the following criteria from applicants:

* high-level fast bowling coaching experience
* a good knowledge of first-class and international cricket
* a minimum coaching qualification of ECB Level III international equivalent
* extensive experience of performance-analysis systems
* a detailed knowledge of bowling biomechanics
* a sound understanding of injury prevention and conditioning for fast bowlers


Reading Dennis Lillee's autobiography I was pretty taken aback by how much specialised technical knowledge a modern bowling coach needs to have.

Donald is taking the piss if he think he can walk into a job like that without the coaching qualifications. It's not league cricket.
 
Donald has pulled out... Sounds like he might have been using the application as a bargaining chip with the SA board.


Donald out of England reckoning

Allan Donald has withdrawn his application for the post of England bowling coach after being assured of his place in South Africa's hierarchy.

The former fast bowler, 39, had blamed his application on his frustration with the South Africa structure.

But he said in a statement: "I have given much thought to the matter, and have withdrawn my application.

"My heart lies with South African cricket, and I want to do everything I can to make us the best in the world."

Troy Cooley finishes his contract as England bowling coach on 1 May to take up a similar job with Australia.

The closing date for applications is Friday and interviews will take place on 11 February.

Lancashire coach Mike Watkinson and Somerset's academy Kevin Shine are thought to be leading candidates.

Donald's change of heart came after what was described as a "full and frank discussion" with Cricket South Africa bosses Gerald Majola and Vince van der Bijl.

"I will also be writing to the board of Cricket South Africa to apologise for making a public statement about my England application before discussing the matter," added Donald, who is under contract until May 2007.

"I want to put the whole matter behind me, and carry on working with the high performance structures in South Africa."

Donald's current job as specialist bowling coach involves identifying and grooming promising young fast bowlers, and to assist established bowlers if they lose form.

He will also be available on request to help out with the national team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4653598.stm