Since starting my blog, I've sometimes felt a little cheap that I rarely have any stories which are down to my investigative prowess (unless you count finding vaguely Warwickshire related articles in the Hindu Times and New Zealand Herald).
So I was somewhat comforted this week that Cricinfo just ripped off an interview by George Dobell in the Post and made an article out of it; Harmison told Donald he was scared. Being as ripping off and regurgitating articles by George Dobell is a central pillar of the Raggy Bear, it made me feel a lot better. At least I have the decency to mention him by name when I trade off his work; Cricinfo just put "Donald told the Birmingham Post" - No he didn't, he told George in The Swan in Harborne - credit where credit's due. Although the fact their article is written by "Cricinfo Staff" might indicate they have a preference for anonymous journalism.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
In exalted company
Monday, 15 October 2007
Boyd Rankin Signs
The news hot off the press this morning is that Boyd Rankin has joined Warwickshire from Derbyshire.
He is probably one for the future rather than someone who is going to come in and do well from the off, but it is certainly more raw material for Donald to work with. Injury and form restricted him to just three championship apperances for Derbyshire last season, which in a county which did not have a wealth of fast bowling talent is not a promising sign. However he showed in the World Cup what he is capable of and he certianly seems to have a lot of potential. It will be another test for Donald to see whether he came mould Rankin into a top class bowler.
It will take a long time to get the grass roots of Warwickshire bowling up to scratch, by this I mean the age-group scouting and coaching, but it is certainly the right move in my opinion in the short to medium-term to recruit young promising bowlers and work with them, rather than go for much older short-term fixes.
This is the first signing of the Giles/Donald era and although not the big overseas signing many would have been hoping for, it shows the club is aiming in the right direction.
Meanwhile Nayan Doshi has sort of moved the other way, signing for Derbyshire (although in the Warwickshire squad for the championship game against Sussex he never played). It was largely expected that he wouldn't represent Warwickshire in 2008 after they signed Botha from Derbyshire.
Friday, 28 September 2007
All Change
Well, I go away on holiday for a couple of weeks and everything changes.
There is no doubt that Mark Greatbatch was no longer the right person to lead the team, if he ever was, and his departure is a blessed relief for almost all Warwickshire fans. Colin Povey has taken a brave decision in appointing Ashley Giles as director of cricket, given that he has virtually no qualifications, or experience of coaching at the highest level. It also seems slightly odd that only a few months ago Ashley was trying to forge a fledgling career in broadcasting. There is also a nagging doubt that Povey has gone for the popular choice to boost his own stock with supporters, rather than risk a prolonged hunt for a more qualified applicant. He may also have felt the pressure coming from the bungled attempts to land several players and felt a long application process could have led to more embarrassment as various coaches indicated they weren't interested. But of course this is all speculation.
Having said all this, I am of the opinion that Giles has never done anything without putting all his dedication into it, and I feel he has the professionalism and love for the club to make up for his lack of experience. I hope he'll be as great a success as a coach for Warwickshire as he was as a player. He has given a typically candid interview to the BBC, that can be watched here.
Today Warwickshire have announced an really big coup in landing Allan Donald as first team bowling coach. His exact role has not been clarified, but there is speculation that he will have a much wider brief than with England. Possibly being responsible for scouting as well as developing talent in the second team. Where Giles' appointment is a bit of a leap into the unknown, Donald is already a proven performer as a coach at international level and I can only hope he will have the same impact at Warwickshire as he had with England. With the likes of Anyon, Woakes, Daggett, Gronewald and Tahir the raw materials are there and the hope is that AD can mould them into consistent performers.
Although the season is barely over there is already cause for some optimism for next season. The next step will be for Warwickshire to land a quality overseas player who is available for the majority of the season. As well as someone with experience to take care of the batting side of the coaching, alongside Neil Abberley, who although an excellent coach, can surely not shoulder the whole batting coaching on his own.
Finally today the groups have been announced for the re-re-vamped one-day cup. Warwickshire are in "Midlands and East"; with Ireland. Make of that what you will.
VIDEO: Donald 6/53 against England
Before he was a coach Allan Donald was a pretty handy fast bowler.
Watch out for Chris Adams and Gavin Hamilton (two of the cheapest international wickets going!?! and Andy Caddick trying to hoist Donald over long on for 6)