Sheffield Shield-winning coach Tim Coyle has headed up a specialist fielding skills component to improve what the Launceston mentor feels is Australian cricket’s sagging standards in the field.
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The long-time No.1 Test nation was the envy of the rest of the world, setting a high mark during the Mark Taylor-to-Ricky Ponting era.
But Coyle said Australia like its middle-of-the-road world ranking has slipped well behind and the Cricket Australia consultant has a goal of making the nation the best fielders in the world.
“One of the things that has emerged in recent years is that overall fielding standards has probably declined from when we dominated – and had a presence when we were in the field,” he said.
Coyle has joined forces with former South Australian keeper Graham Manou and both a number of state high-performance coaches and ABL baseball figures, whose backers at the National Cricket Centre include ex-English bowling coach and Mowbray’s Troy Cooley.
The Brisbane venue held a week-long camp, included a wicketkeeping program, to focus on throwing techniques, power and accuracy.
“Throwing needs to get better at all levels, so we do make a priority of that,” Coyle said, “and that’s for reasons like the health of the athlete, we need healthy shoulders for longevity, and how to perform to our best.”
Coyle extended his coaching in April when he was named Melbourne Renegades WBBL coach in addition to his assistant role with Australia’s Southern Stars.