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The Rediff Interview /David Trist

'We are a nation of 35 million sheep and three and a half million people!'

David G Trist, coach of the current New Zealand cricket team touring India, returns to the country where he came closest to playing Test cricket. Trist, interestingly, has toured India last even during the 1996 World Cup -- as coach of the Holland cricket team.

The man with the walrus moustache comes across as a very witty, yet subtly assertive, individual who is seemingly unfazed by the fact that he takes over from Steve Rixon, arguably one of the most successful coaches New Zealand has had.

In an exhaustive interview, Trist tells Faisal Shariff about his high-tech support team of computer specialists, and discusses the Kiwi prospects on the ongoing tour of India. Excerpts:

The New Zealand team has arrived here with a 6-member support team. What are their functions?

Well, obviously, we think that there is a lot of value in the new technology that has come with some interesting software and aspects of preparations that are not easily handled by one person. And as time has evolved over the past 18 months, the situation that has developed is that all these players I believe play key roles -- our sports psycho and team motivator as well as the gentleman who is in charge of the sports sciences co-ordinating. He will be returning before the first Test match and the others will be staying back here. We think this is advancing our game and we are pleased with the way we are going with it.

Whose brainchild was this?

I think its a number of people who have been involved. John Reid, who is the operational manager for cricket, a former cricketer himself; Chris Doig, who is the CEO of our cricket board. And just reviewing where all the other teams have gone with technology, especially South Africa and to an extent Australia has also helped us develop our own ideas. Developing our own software in one or two areas and developing key performance indicators, which we hope can provide substance to players who are still learning the game, is what this is about. Even though they are Test cricketers, there is a lot to learn in the sub-continent, as one of the great learning stages for cricketers. And this must be remembered that although many of them have played many one-dayers, few have played on the sub-continent before. And everyone in India can recognise that only 7 sides have ever won a series in India. In this side, very few have played on the sub-continent, and quite frankly there are technical issues which need to be addressed, some of them will take time and at all times you have to be positive and confident that you can take on one of the best sides in the world in their home conditions and compete.

What are these technical issues which need to be addressed?

Obviously, playing spin on slower pitches and on pitches that offer turn. Often the Indian team has used three spinners, that offers a whole new rhythm to the game. Indians of course play spin very well. They are very light on their feet and have their own technique for playing it. The game is one of patience on the subcontinent, and I believe that the Indians know their style very well.

What we are trying to develop is a clear gameplan and an individual understanding of how each player will cope both defensively and in their shot selection based on the demands of the bowlers who are able to utilize the conditions that prevail on home territory. Here it is about subtle variations of pace, sometimes one does not get great visual rewards like in England where the ball moves around a lot. Here in India, once the ball has lost its shine, the bowler has to show courage and determination and quite frankly from our perspective we have some very good opening bowlers in Nash and Cairns. And if they can keep steaming in at the Indians, we 're optimistic that we can create some problems for what is an extremely talented batting line-up.

Don't you think you will miss the services of Simon Doull and Geoff Allot?

Its not a perfect world, and to have all your fast bowlers available all the time is ideal, but in our case Simon has been injury-prone and not available very often. He had a marvelous series against India at home, but I have to reiterate that that's not India.

As for Allot, magnificent one day bowler who hopefully sooner rather than later will make the same adjustments to his game that showed him as the star act of the World Cup along with Shoaib Akhtar. I wish Geoff had been on this tour of the sub-continent because this is a great place to learn your cricket. I think every one should accept that if you can play on the sub-continent, in some ways, you complete your cricket education. And that is in part what I am trying to develop with a lot of these players who are inexperienced here -- we know that we are not favorites and the record books tells us clearly that. But we have our own thoughts on how to go about the series and although we are going to be challenged, we think its a great challenge.

You are conscious of the fact that spin is going to be the key element?

Yeah, I think that spin plays a role but if you look at teams that have at times done well on the subcontinent, pace has also had its moments. And we think we have a couple of good pace bowlers, while you have a very good one in Srinath, who is a world class fast bowler. Quite clearly, your spin as always is an important force here, and we don’t have the same depth of spinners to call on. But having said that, adaptability, the ability to learn quickly and adjust to Indian conditions will be a huge benefit to us. Vettori I believe even at his tender age has shown great maturity and the ability to develop quite quickly. And here in the sub-continent, with the likes of Bedi, Prasanna being able to guide him, the tour will help further his promising career.

So what according to you is the key to succeed in India?

Understanding each individual's role, patience, absolute determination to compete at all times no matter how difficult the situation. Its quite clear that the first innings is of vital importance and batting time is the aspect of Test cricket that is critical. And I don't mean that this undervalues aggressive play, good shot selection, and sound defensive work to take the singles etc, but it does suggest to me that teams have to be prepared to bat for long. It is not about just putting up 300 in the first innings, because you could always get knocked over quite cheap in your second innings. I think the trick is to knuckle down, bat for long periods in the first innings, make it as easy for yourself in the second innings as you can.

Going back to your six-member support team, won't this be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth?

Well, that’s a comment from an outsider who knows very little about the working of the infrastructure. I think the strength of our operation is that Jeff Crowe on one hand and myself on the other co-ordinate and interact with all parties. We support each other, it’s a team not only in the management sense but the players are aware that there are a number of responsibilities which may sometimes overlap but there are no professional jealousies, and part of my job is to man-manage that as the coach with the overview of that holistic approach. To develop our cricketers and the utilisation of our resources is one of my responsibilities.

Having said that, our preparations to date has not been all that pleasing because of the rain. We can't expect to have a game completely wiped out. That’s a disappointment but a reality. I understand the vagaries of the Gods will always supercede mere mortals but at the same time it hasn't helped our preparations. I am not complaining, its just a fact!

What are your earliest memories of India?

That’s a good question. I came as a replacement, I had never travelled outside New Zealand. I was given two days to prepare. I had massive injections and arrived here completely shattered by the flight. Two days later, after being very sick, I was asked to play in a game against the All India Universities team. I actually managed to go up to the wicket and bowl and that was in hindsight quite an achivement. That’s on the playing note. I don't think I learnt anything as a cricketer here on that trip. But I enjoyed watching as the 16th man of a tour party.

I left India not understanding it, nor did I manage to appreciate it. But in later years, when I was able to come here as a coach -- I came here in 1995 -- I had this sort of affection, I am not sure how it developed, but somehow, the whole of the Indian culture and the progress it is making in many spheres charmed me really. And I think it has been part of our strategy to prepare our players for what I call the Indian experience.

This is a great country for cricket. Everyone loves the game, understands the game and respects the game. And we as cricketers, especially myself, see it as a priviledge to be part of a touring party to India. And I also think that it’s a great place to develop your cricket, you have to play a lot of spin, the pitches vary quite a bit, the conditions are demanding, the weather can be hot, you could find dusty, bumpy outfields, noisy, boisterous, fun-loving crowds that are synonymous with India, very colourful, and I love that.

Its all part of the Indian experience. If you embrace it you are enriched by it. And that is our approach. And whatever happens here in Iindia, we're gonna be a better team for it.

How has it been taking over from Steve Rixon? He has enjoyed a good run, does that help when taking over from him or does it put additional pressure on you to keep up the good run of the team?

It makes no difference to me. I was asked to apply for the job. I applied for it, went through the selection process. And they decided that I was the man that would carry NZ cricket forward. We have made some progress in England and I think that was a plus. The job is a demanding one and the honeymoon period for me is about to end. And I guess the Indian challenge is appropriate, because I have never ducked away from difficult challenges. And I am hoping that I can carry the advances of the Steve Rixon era. The gains started in the World Cup, which is not a surprise -- the Kiwis are a competent one day unit, and I think everyone has accepted that over a number of years. Test cricket has been another issue -- there have been some advances there too, we won the series in England and that was fantastic. But I don't believe that one series win means we have conquered the world. There is much more to be done. And one of my jobs will be to further advance that process.

Why do you think the New Zealand team has been unable to make its mark as a top Test side in world cricket, despite having boasted of world class players from time to time? What would you attribute this to?

I can't really put my finger on that. I think they have had periods, and I am going back to the fifties, there was a little bit of an inferiority complex in front of the might of Australia and the grandeur of England. And through the periods of the Crowes and the Hadlees, we were unlucky at times not to have won more than we did.

There was a growing confidence and a belief that the side was capable of performing in the international arena. But we could never string more than one good perfromance together. This is a sign of immaturity and lack of confidence. We have advanced slowly. As a coach, I guess I am cautiously optimistic that this side has the capability in the next one to three years to significantly improve their standings in Test cricket. We have short term and long term goals, and as far as this tour is concerned, we are hoping to show the Indians that we can play good Test cricket. And at the end of the day, if we can hold our heads high, having performed well on the subcontinent, I will be pleased.

You think that New Zealand has not been able to achieve the heights in world cricket because it is not the number one sport back home, and also that its lack of popularity, as opposed to rugby, restricts the pool of players to pick from?

We have about 35 million sheep and three and a half million people. And seventy thousand cricketers including children, women and men! I don't want to rest my case there, but that is a significant statistical fact and it means that if you have a small pool, then the rationale behind the technlogical push, and a desire to get ourselves on the cutting edge as we perceive it, is one of the few ways we can perhaps elevate our status. We cannot do it by importing another million cricketers. The government won't allow it.

You think the domestic circuit at home could do with some changes?

There have been comments made about it. I think we are trying to build, develop a strong A side. And I will be recommending to the board that the New Zealand 'A' team tour the subcontinent as a regular feature, based entirely on the learning opportunities here and the willingness of India to provide quality 'A' sides to play against. And that will in turn give us another tier to draw from, closer to the level of Test cricket. As of now, our provincial teams don't have internationals in the side, so there is a gulf particularly in the four day game.

As coach, what will you be telling your players -- what weak links do you see in the Indian team?

Sachin Tendulkar is not the only quality player you have. There is also Rahul Dravid, Ganguly, and Srinath to name a few. We think there is the need to apply a general strategy, besides looking at some of your key individuals more closely, we think we need to utilise technology to see where they have got out in previous innings, and where they are vulnerable. But that is of course in theory... *laughing*

Why are you amused by your own theory? Sign of a lack of faith in it perhaps?

I am supporting it, yet reminding you that it is only theory. At the end of the day, each game is an entity in itself. A batsman who has got out in one area in previous innings may get most of his runs in that area, in this particular game. The batters may play entirely differently from before, and the bowlers may not play to their plan. You can set your plan in place, but to succeed, you have to adapt, you have to learn to go with the game's flow. We can use technology and planning, but the team also should have the capacity to adapt on the field of play. I believe you cannot have a set plan -- this is how we are going to get them out -- because 'X' will adjust his game to that possibility. That's what Test cricket is all about. It's about thinking, adapting, reacting instinctively to the ebbs and flows of the game.

In the current New Zealand side, who are the key players you think will make a difference?

I think it is absolutely vital that each one fulfils a role. We probably don't have players of the absolute world class that the Indian team has. So it's going to be strength in numbers. Everyone will have to perform to the best of their ability and know their roles -- hang in there in tight situations, keep fighting, show determination, show courage. All of those things you want to see in a side.

If I was to single out one or two players I would say, Chris Cairns remains a gamebreaker. He is number two in the rankings for world allrounders. I know that he believes that he can improve further, and it's a wonderful opportunity to do so in the sub-continent under trying conditions. Perhaps Kapil Dev might have a couple of tips to give him on how to do it.

What do you reckon is the reason that Cairns has not been able to fulfill his potential?

I think that is being a bit unkind. I think Chris came to the international scene at a very young age and, like a lot of young cricketers, he took time to mature, not just on the field alone. The need at that age is to gain all round experience to cope with a demanding lifestyle. Professional cricket may seem very glamorous, but it's very demanding. And Chris has reached a stage in his career where he knows who he is and what he's about, and is challenged by the fact that he has unfinished business. That creates a potency in his play, which I believe will certainly be a force in this series.

We have got a team which contributes. Nash has bowled well in England and he competes well with Cairns. Vettori is another contributor, one or two of the batters are lovely to watch. I hope they will develop appropriate strategy for batting for a long time and building tall scores. Stephen Fleming comes into that category, and also Adam Parore, who I think is an outstanding player who we need to utilize not only as a very good keeper but as a batter who will hold the middle order together. He has good balance and technique and we are looking for him to play a senior role.

Is the New Zealand team rattled by the latest allegations of match fixing?

I have got no comment about match fixing and corruption. The team has been reminded of their responsibilities to the ICC regulations pertaining to such things. And we the members of the managing team are sure that these regulations will be enforced in the strictest of manner.

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