Graham Ford. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
- The proverbial old dogs among SA20 head coaches still have the biggest bite as it is Graham Ford and Adi Birrell, both 62, whose respective franchises have reached the final.
- It shows the kind of intellectual capital that is available to South African cricket, although much of it is currently only in the system for the tournament.
- Captains of both teams praise Ford and Birrell for their calm, inclusive approach over the past few weeks.
Old dogs may not easily learn new tricks, but they invariably still possess a nasty bite.
One of the interesting features of Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s respective marches to Saturday’s SA20 final at Wanderers is that the franchises are led by the tournament’s two longest-serving managers, Graham Ford and 62-year-old Adi Birrell.
The most obvious thing to point to in this regard is the longevity and adaptability of the two men in a cricket landscape that is increasingly data-driven and demands innovation.
Perhaps most frustrating for the South African cricket fraternity is that it is a mocking glimpse of the intellectual capital that the local game can boast.
Indeed, Ford and Birrell head a coaching group that also includes Lance Klusener, JP Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Dale Benkenstein, Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, among others.
Adi Birrell. (Photo by SA20/Sportzpics/Gallo Images)
The only problem is that South African cricket, with the exception of Duminy, currently only have these men in the system during SA20.
When the dust settles, they scatter everywhere again.
It’s true that South African cricket needs to grow its new generation of coaches, but it feels a waste when a guy like Ford, who coached Proteas, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Kent and Surrey, or Birrell, an assistant to Proteas, Hampshire, Ireland , Boland – are not more regularly around.
The management of the Pretoria team is particularly star-studded, with former Proteas Dale Benkenstein and Jacques Kallis serving as Ford’s assistants.
According to the captain of the Capitals, Wayne Parnell, calm and clarity have characterized the campaign of the table-toppers.
“Fordie has a lot of experience. He’s coached all over the world, and he’s really such a cool, collected coach,” he said.
“He’s similar to Benky. The two men think very similarly. It sounds strange, they have different ideas, but in the end, they are very much alike. In fact, it’s been refreshing. I played alongside Jacques on the Proteas side, and he has never been a guy of many words, he’s definitely not outspoken.
“But behind the scenes, he provides nuggets of wisdom, and his pedigree is something players cling to.”
Importantly, Ford’s wisdom also translated into maintaining a balance between imposing ideas and promoting “free speech,” so to speak.
“As a leadership group, we’ve generally been on the same page with the coaches from the beginning,” Parnell said.
“It’s refreshing and important because sometimes you find people trying to push their ideas and their agenda on you as a player. But we definitely found a good mix.”
Down in Gqeberha, Birrell has flourished in his old territory.
Far from being rigid, Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram has enjoyed his franchise coach’s focus on traditional virtues.
“I get on very well with Adi. I spent a bit of time with him on my first trial trip to England when he was still a national assistant. I also spent half a season with him in Hampshire. So, we hung out quite a bit.” good way back,” said the Proteas stroke maker.
“I love his simplicity in the way he leads his training. He has a keen sense of humor, [and is] there is never a lack of a funny comment. It has this nice old school approach where everything is always crystal clear. Even at his ‘young age’, he is still extremely passionate.
“He rubs off on the guys, that enthusiasm and calm. He’s seen it all, he’s been around for many years. His experience helps us a lot.”
The first ball of the final will be launched at 4:30 p.m.
