The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is on his way and he has one thing in common with the character created by L Frank Baum and turned into the 1939 film, which reminds us that it’s Christmas: very few people on this side of the globe seem to know what he looks like.
Trevor Bayliss hails from Goulburn in rural New South Wales and if the Aussies can be trusted (they usually can be) England have taken possession of a diamond, albeit one that does not shine too conspicuously. There have been glowing references from everywhere. Jason Gillespie, in a gracious response to his being preferred, said: “His track record is unbelievable. I’ve got absolutely no qualms about that. If I put myself in Andrew’s [Strauss’s] shoes I’d probably make the same decision.”
His opposite number during the forthcoming Ashes series, Darren Lehmann, described Bayliss as a “great servant of the game” and entrusted the team to him for a recent T20 series against South Africa. Brendon McCullum, who has played under Bayliss for the Kolkota Knight Riders, says he is a “champion fella”, while such giants as Shane Warne and Mahela Jayawardene unreservedly sing his praises.
It does seem that Strauss has enlisted an excellent coach, even if he is not a household name over here, and even if he was not the chosen one 15 months ago when the ECB appointed Peter Moores. Crucially, Paul Farbrace knows him well and this is neat.
Farbrace, who seems to have enjoyed holding the reins in the Harriet Harman role, has described Bayliss as the calmest man he knows, saying that it was always impossible to tell from Bayliss’s demeanour whether his side was winning or losing. No doubt Bayliss remained typically impassive when he learned how much the ECB were prepared to pay for his services.
Farbrace knows his boss well, having worked as Bayliss’s No2 in the Sri Lanka dressing room as well as sharing that terrible journey in Pakistan when the team’s bus was attacked.
Bayliss can trust Farbrace from the start and glean vital information about the characteristics of the team he is inheriting. Equally, Farbrace is in a position to reassure the players that they will have an extremely capable coach in their midst. Given the short timespan between Bayliss’s arrival and the start of the Ashes (not so different from the situation of Lehmann two years ago) that will be very helpful.
Before the Headingley Test Joe Root outlined the potential advantage of having – for the first time – an Australian coach in charge of England before an Ashes series. This can be overstated. Twelve months ago, shortly after the enlistment of Farbrace from Sri Lanka, there was similar talk. Farbrace’s inside knowledge of the Sri Lankan cricketers would be a boon; England lost that series. More recently England had Ottis Gibson, the recent West Indies coach, on board for the Caribbean tour; England could only draw the series against the mediocrities.
It will not be so strange for Bayliss to coach against his national side – he has done it before with Sri Lanka – but this will be an oddity for the forthcoming Ashes series. It’s hard to imagine Justin Langer being comfortable plotting the downfall of the Baggy Greens, one reason why he was not really a runner for the post. Another may be that Langer is earmarked for the Australian job in an era when the lifespan of an international coach is bound to be limited by the sheer volume of cricket. It is hard not to imagine Bayliss and Lehmann getting together for a drink at the end of a Test match or series in a rather more convivial atmosphere than, say, Messrs Ferguson and Wenger.
No doubt Bayliss will spend the first few weeks listening and learning, devouring information from Strauss and Farbrace and any other reliable witnesses. He cannot be directly involved in the selection for the squad for the ODIs against New Zealand but it is anticipated that Bayliss places great emphasis on speed and dexterity in the field (he was a brilliant fieldsman in his youth) and exciting young blood.
Perhaps his most pressing priority will be to develop a relationship with a captain he does not know. There is an encouraging precedent for two men who have never spoken forming a good relationship from scratch. Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher had never met before being thrown together in 1999. If the pairing of Cook and Bayliss is ultimately as fruitful then England will be heading in the right direction.
