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Our Bureau
Chennai, September 2
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will send pace bowlers to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai for training.
Both signed a five-year agreement in this regard today.
Glenn McGrath, director of the foundation and former Australian pace bowler, will train the players. McGrath who played for Australia for 14 years was himself trained in the foundation under Dennis Lillee in 1992. For a fast bowler, skill, fitness and attitude are important said McGrath.
Financial details of the tie up were not given at the joint press meet.
The BCCI will divide some of the India’s best and upcoming pace bowlers into two categories – Elite and Probables. Elite will include those selected by the BCCI to play official matches. There will be a maximum of ten trainees in each camp of two weeks.
The Probables will include pace bowlers as identified and shortlisted by national selectors of Indian cricket team with a total of 20 trainees split into two groups of ten each. The bowlers will fine tune their technique, develop special skills and match strategy, according to Rahul Mammen, Whole Time Director, MRF, which started the foundation 27 years ago.
Mammen said that 17 of the foundation’s trainees, including Javgal Srinath, have played cricket for India taking over 2,000 international wickets.
Shivlal Yadav, Interim President of BCCI, said the life span of fast bowlers is short. If they don’t learn the ‘fine points’ of the game quickly, they may not last long. Denis Lillee, from whom McGrath took over as the foundation’s director, taught the best techniques to Indian fast bowlers, he said.
If companies set up similar foundations in other areas like batting and fielding, the BCCI was willing to work with them as well. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) is taking care of these issues at present, he said.
Brijesh Patel of NCA said pace bowling attack is essential in today’s cricket. India shines in spin bowling, but pitches abroad are ‘green tops’ and wickets are set for fast bowling.
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