Johannesburg - The Proteas' management have invited the franchise coaches to interact with the team, as part of their efforts to share information between the national team and the domestic franchises.
Nashua Titans coach, Matthew Maynard, joined the Castle Lager Proteas' squad during their preparation for the first Sunfoil Test against Pakistan at the Bidvest Wanderers this week, and attended the training sessions, team meetings as well as the morning of the first day.
Proteas coach, Gary Kirsten, explained the initiative further: “We wanted to give our franchise coaches the opportunity to experience how things work at international level. This is about creating synergy between the international and domestic platforms, and making sure information sharing happens continuously so that the move from domestic cricket for the players is as smooth as possible.
“It’s also an opportunity for the coaches to see how things operate at this level,” Kirsten added. “The coaching landscape is always changing and moving and it is important from our point of view to touch base with the next tier and to share information and ideas.”
The franchise coaching environment has introduced new faces, with Geoffrey Toyana, Paul Adams and Lance Klusener all in their maiden seasons with their respective teams. Maynard, a former assistant coach of England, believes the information will go a long way in helping to advance the South African coaching landscape.
“It was a great experience for me,” Maynard said. “The last time I was with an international side was in 2007, but to see the environment that Gary and Graeme have created around the team makes it unsurprising that they have been so successful over a good period of time.
“It’s a great initiative,” he said about the opportunity. “I picked up a good number of things during my time with the team, so for me I’ve learnt some good things in the way they prepare and how the environment operates. It was great to see the intensity from the senior players during their practice sessions. Some of the drills are nice and simple, they aren’t complicated but they are expected to be done with great precision and that is the attention to detail Gary brings to the set-up.”
The same procedure is set to be followed as the team moves around the country for the remainder of the series against Pakistan.
Nashua Titans coach, Matthew Maynard, joined the Castle Lager Proteas' squad during their preparation for the first Sunfoil Test against Pakistan at the Bidvest Wanderers this week, and attended the training sessions, team meetings as well as the morning of the first day.
Proteas coach, Gary Kirsten, explained the initiative further: “We wanted to give our franchise coaches the opportunity to experience how things work at international level. This is about creating synergy between the international and domestic platforms, and making sure information sharing happens continuously so that the move from domestic cricket for the players is as smooth as possible.
“It’s also an opportunity for the coaches to see how things operate at this level,” Kirsten added. “The coaching landscape is always changing and moving and it is important from our point of view to touch base with the next tier and to share information and ideas.”
The franchise coaching environment has introduced new faces, with Geoffrey Toyana, Paul Adams and Lance Klusener all in their maiden seasons with their respective teams. Maynard, a former assistant coach of England, believes the information will go a long way in helping to advance the South African coaching landscape.
“It was a great experience for me,” Maynard said. “The last time I was with an international side was in 2007, but to see the environment that Gary and Graeme have created around the team makes it unsurprising that they have been so successful over a good period of time.
“It’s a great initiative,” he said about the opportunity. “I picked up a good number of things during my time with the team, so for me I’ve learnt some good things in the way they prepare and how the environment operates. It was great to see the intensity from the senior players during their practice sessions. Some of the drills are nice and simple, they aren’t complicated but they are expected to be done with great precision and that is the attention to detail Gary brings to the set-up.”
The same procedure is set to be followed as the team moves around the country for the remainder of the series against Pakistan.