Today we get the thoughts of Assistant Coach Shaun Anders on what he expects from the Tour and particularly what challenges the young players may face whilst in the Caribbean:
Shaun, what can the lads expect on the Barbados Tour?
Well, it will certainly be a fantastic cricketing opportunity and life-enhancing experience! The group is made up of some very talented players, but they will face some real challenges on this trip - they'll be away from home comforts for a fortnight and whilst most will have family members along as supporters, they will have to gel as a group and build team spirit to cope with the tough conditions. I have few worries on this score as they proved all last year and especially at the Taunton Festival in August that they are learning to play under pressure - they're a great bunch of lads and work well together towards individual and shared goals. However, the Caribbean will bring a different set of challenges to the boys, and also to Dave Leighton and myself as coaches - the weather will be hot, so planning and preparation for every game will be essential in keeping the players focused on the job in hand, injury free, hydrated on and off the field - to name but a few!!!!
The opposition is, as yet, a completely unknown quantity and we must be prepared for anything - given that Barbados has produced players of the calibre of Sir Garfield Sobers, Everton Weekes, Wes Hall and Joel Garner, we must be wary of the possibility that the next Barbados cricketing legend is presently playing at U13s level! Who’s to say, though, that we don’t have the next England legend in our Tour party!!! The pitches are also likely to be harder than we are used to in this country which in turn brings pace of the wicket to the equation and taking into account the outfields, which will be hard and uneven, there will be challenges not only with bat and ball but in the field also. From a learning point of view the lads will be exposed to some really extreme conditions which I think will help them learn and understand more about the game individually and collectively.
Our job as coaches will be to expect the unexpected and to prepare the players accordingly. Ultimately, though, this trip is about the squad experiencing a different culture whilst playing a game they love and have a real talent for. There will be no shortage of triumphs and probably a few disappointments but the main emphasis will be on the players gaining a quality cricket experience in a different climate and for them to learn more about themselves...
I can hardly wait!
Coming soon - Head Coach, Dave Leighton, gives us his thoughts on what lies ahead in the Caribbean.
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