Cricket: It's a bloody waste'

Bruce Edgar wants to see Kiwi talent developed along the lines of New South Wales' Trent Copeland. Photo / Getty Images

Bruce Edgar, formerly one of the country's grittiest opening batsmen, has called for New Zealand Cricket to establish closer ties with the Australian system to get out of its current international slump.

The 53-year-old has been based in the Sydney financial industry for the past six years but is closely involved in the New South Wales cricket system as a high performance batting coach. He has mentored famous clubs such as St George and Parramatta as well as helping coach son Corbin's under-16 team in the AW Green shield competition - arguably the most prestigious tournament in the world for that age group.

The aftermath of the Bangladesh one-day series loss, as fingers began pointing, has jolted Edgar into offering solutions.

"It must be a 12-month cycle," he said. "All of a sudden the brown stuff hits the fan and everyone's getting into each other. It is clearly not working and the same discussion is on the table."

He's referring to John Bracewell and Andy Moles disappearing from the coaching set-up at around this time over the last couple of years - as well as the questions being asked of batting coach and selector Mark Greatbatch, who publicly said the team "played like dicks" in Bangladesh.

Edgar also can't understand why more has not been done to bring his former opening partner John Wright into the set-up for the Indian series with his vast knowledge of the sub-continent.

"It's a bloody waste. Often New Zealand sports coaches are told to get some experience overseas and come back. He's coached India, been successful, and now no one wants him [at a national level]."

With first-hand experience of the Australian scene, Edgar is an advocate of first getting a New Zealand team (or at least more New Zealanders) involved.

"We see it in rugby, league, football, basketball and netball, so why not cricket? Sure, there are emerging-player tours but there needs to be some interchange with first-class cricket because New Zealand's standards are so far behind. It's like they're just fiddling around getting game time when they need to lift the quality.

"New Zealand first-class cricket ranks at about first-grade level in the Sydney competition. Kiwi players need to be exposed at a higher level before they hit the international scene.

"It reflects in the culture - I'm amazed at the depth of talent, passion and commitment to succeed in Australia. It is a more ruthless system."

Edgar cites the case of New South Wales fast bowler Trent Copeland. Still 24, Copeland battled for years through to first-class level before debuting with 8-92 for New South Wales and taking 35 wickets for the season at 17.57.

"He mightn't play internationals yet," Edgar says, "but I remember doing some coaching with him the day before his debut and it was just like 'this is business as usual'. He had served an appropriate apprenticeship."

However, New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills is sceptical about extracting any provincial team and injecting it into Australia.

"Regardless of a separate team, it is critical to keep our domestic scene as it is. At present 66 mostly local players are involved in any round of four-day cricket. We also have the Twenty20 HRV Cup, which has been a financial success with the potential for growth.

"I still believe the key to development is in the emerging tours programme, which we have run in Australia, India and recently in Zimbabwe. Otherwise you can narrow your development opportunities with a sole franchise or province playing across the Tasman."

Edgar says a key example where New Zealand falls behind the best is through a lack of footwork. It is a timely starting point, given the Black Caps will play copious amounts of spin over the next few weeks.

"It is probably a legacy of the artificial pitch in New Zealand. Players can get away with crash and bash batting. It might be cruel to single out Peter Ingram but I spoke to Justin Langer after last summer's tour and he said the Australian bowlers were frothing at the mouth after seeing video analysis of him.

"But he [Ingram] is not the only one. A number of New Zealand players get into bad habits because they don't have to move their feet growing up. Other than Virender Sehwag, there aren't many players who successfully get around that at the top level."

Edgar says while time is spent by development teams on the sub-continent there needs to be total immersion.

"Guys go on tours and don't get the same chance to learn their game as in the past. These days you might get one practice game and a series of pressure one-dayers and tests, meaning you learn little. Perhaps players should go on scholarships to the sub-continent rather than [playing league cricket in] England. Just live there for two months to understand the culture, pitches and heat.

"I want the Black Caps to do well and I'm sure Australia wants that too. It's in the best interests of the region but we're sliding down the scale and no one is taking any notice of us, that's the hard thing."