Mission Impossible?
The Age
Tuesday December 11, 2007
BEN Cousins' chaperone. Tony Mokbel's image consultant. Santa Claus. All could lay claims to having the world's most demanding job at present. But in terms of the sheer enormity of the challenge confronting them, that trio would graciously defer to the assignment recently accepted by John Dyson.
On Monday, Dyson will leave Sydney to begin the task of coaching the West Indies. That's the same West Indies side that has won three of its past 40 Tests; victories that have come against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and a Pakistan side missing five leading players.Not since May 2005 have the Windies tasted success in the Test arena, and by the time Ricky Ponting's men arrive for their tour next year, the calypso kings may have abdicated entirely. As gruff as a nightclub bouncer, and every bit as uncompromising, Dyson, the former Australian batsman and Sri Lanka coach is not sugar-coating the task of coaching a team ranked a distant eighth in both Test and one-day cricket. "Over the last 10 years, by anyone's standards, the West Indies have been playing some pretty average cricket," Dyson said. "When I was coach of Sri Lanka I followed their performances closely, and I felt it was a squad underachieving. "Certainly, they should be higher up the ICC (International Cricket Council) table than they are now. At the moment, you would have to say that there is only one player in that squad who is playing up to their potential, and that is (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul. With the other guys, you look at them and think, 'He's a better player than what he's showing on the park'. I need to get there, sit down with the players and find out what is wrong." It was against the West Indies that Dyson achieved his loftiest perch as a player; scoring a career-best 127 not out and snaffling the "catch of the century" off Sylvester Clarke in the Sydney Test of 1982. Now, 25 years later, he hopes the Windies will provide him with the greatest triumph of his coaching career. He doesn't expect a return to the glory days of the 1970s and '80s. What he will insist upon is personal accountability among the players, many of whom have reputations for nocturnal prolificacy that far outweighs anything they have achieved on the field. "I'm not a big believer in putting the broom through a place upon arrival," Dyson said. "And I don't expect people to compare this West Indies squad with those of the '70s and '80s. What they did for international cricket was to introduce a form of professionalism and dedication never seen before. These guys have to develop their own personality and see what brand of cricket they can play. "I haven't spoken to (former West Indies coach) Bennett (King), but I have spoken to (stand-in coach) David Moores, and he felt the squad had more potential than what it has shown. I agree, and now it's about finding a way of bring that potential out." The position of West Indies coach could be viewed as the most poisoned of chalices. While Jamie Siddons (Bangladesh) and Robin Brown (Zimbabwe) are under moderate pressure to produce results, Dyson will take the reins of a team that has frustrated its supporters for a decade. Many observers, including former players, have already penned the West Indies' obituary, convinced that the poor sporting infrastructure, indifferent attitudes of the players and Amercanisation of the population have led to a terminal cricketing malaise. But Dyson hopes otherwise. Having been approached by the West Indies board while accompanying his wife, a chorister, on a concert tour of Canada, he believes there is music left in the calypso kings. "I don't see it as the toughest challenge I've had, just a different one," he said. "Every coaching job in world cricket is difficult, with the exception of Australia. With the depth and talent they have at their disposal, the Australian coaching job is the easiest in the world by a long way. "I'm looking forward to the Aussies coming over. People used to ask me when I was with Sri Lanka if it was hard coaching against your own country. It isn't. We'll be trying to take them down."
© 2007 The Age