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The Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Lord's history and swing conditions favour Proteas — Kallis
Though the exciting Tristan Stubbs has only a little experience of playing in England — 13 T20 matches — Kallis said he hoped the 24-year-old was in the starting XI at Lord's. 'I would like to see Stubbs come through; he has really got game. He's good enough to stick around but he can also play aggressively. 'I would certainly have him in my batting line-up, but then it becomes a tough call who to leave out. 'I would hate not to have a spinner; you have to have that option because you don't know what conditions you're going to get later in the game. 'SA's batting line-up is young, but they are pretty fearless. They just need to go out and play, while sticking to their game plans. 'They need to keep playing the way they did going into the final because that's what has been successful. They just need to execute as a batting line-up,' Kallis said. Lord's is owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club and is a place of great tradition, having hosted matches since 1787. Not all of its traditions are good, though the MCC only admitted women as members as recently as 1998. But the ground exudes an undeniable magic and Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince, who scored a gutsy century there against England in 2008, said not much has changed at the London venue. 'I've been following the county matches at Lord's and the ground looks good, immaculate and polished. 'Not much has changed and I anticipate a fantastic surface for both batting and bowling,' Prince said. 'We'll have to get there and look at the surface, and it's most important to consider the overhead conditions and the forecast. 'We try not to pay too much attention to external things, but you have to consider that at Lord's. 'My approach as batting coach is to support the batsmen in terms of their mental state, preparation and plans. 'They need to get to a place where they are calm and focused, you need to find the right balance between being calm and having the right amount of aggression. Like Hashim Amla epitomised, and Temba Bavuma has a lot of that too.' In terms of whether SA would play an extra specialist batsman at Lord's, Prince pointed out that they had very good all-round options to balance their side. 'It's nice to have five bowlers as a general rule and we have different options for that with Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Senuran Muthusamy. 'We have a strong, really talented squad and we believe we can beat anyone. We're very excited to go over to Lord's,' Prince said. — SportsBoom
The Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Top coach returns to his alma mater to give back to cricket
The cricketing career of former Eastern Province player and SA schools vice-captain Grant Morgan will turn full circle when he takes up his position as head of cricket at Grey High School in August. The 54-year-old, who started his schooling at Summerwood Primary but matriculated from Grey High in 1989, is thrilled at the prospect of returning to his alma mater after years travelling the international cricket circuit, firstly as a player with fantastic fighting qualities and then as a top-rated coach. And he will have a special message to deliver to the Grey cricketers when he takes up his position on August 1, and that is to 'enjoy your cricket'. Having experienced the sport on a wide range of levels, Morgan believes it is important not to forget the fundamental reasons behind playing the game. 'Sometimes we forget that we need to go out there and to enjoy ourselves,' he said in an interview after his appointment was announced. 'For sure, we go out there to train to try win your matches, but it doesn't come at all costs, and we must never lose sight of the fact that we need to enjoy playing the game. 'Of course, sometimes you will enjoy it best when you work hard and you grind your way to success. 'You have to work hard to be successful in any sport, but that sort of grind sets you up to build the mental strength you need to succeed.' With decades of experience behind him, Morgan has realised that there is no magic wand he can wave to achieve success. 'There is no fancy solution to coaching and to playing — you just have to keep working hard at your craft and hopefully you have things in your armoury that can help cricketers to develop into the best players they can be,' he said. 'I am happy that the teams I have worked have always shown progress and I don't say that in an arrogant way, just that I go into the job with the confidence of getting the best out of others.' He described himself as a 'blue collar coach' who is ready to work as hard as he can to extend his knowledge to others. Morgan has especially fond memories of his childhood in Gqeberha, particularly when Summerwood Primary (1978-1984) could challenge Grey Junior, 'sometimes at cricket but even more so at rugby'. Now, as family responsibilities bring him back to his hometown, he cannot think of a better place to continue his coaching journey. 'I have worked extensively around the world and in SA and it's really about what I want to achieve at this stage,' Morgan said. 'And where better to build a legacy of my huge passion for coaching than being an influence at my old school and trying to make a difference to the children there. 'I received so much support myself from some legendary educators during my time at Grey that this is a chance to pay it back to those people, and also to pay it forward to the current group of Grey cricketers, as well as those in the future who will choose this journey.'
