Great catch for Black Caps

SIMON DOULL COLUMN

UNLESS you live under a rock or think cricket refers to an insect, you'll have no doubt heard the words "player" and "power" used in the same sentence when the Black Caps are being discussed at the moment.

In light of Mark Greatbatch's appointment as coach last week, there's been a fair bit of conjecture about who is in charge of the unit and whether the players, skipper Daniel Vettori in particular, have too much of a say in what happens with the national side.

The term player power is a pretty strong one. It immediately makes you think the players are running the show and, if they don't get their way, are quick to spit the dummy.

Is that the case with the New Zealand cricket team? I don't think so.

Yes, Vettori is a fairly influential figure when it comes to Black Caps matters.

But to suggest that everything Daniel wants he gets, is ludicrous.

In my view, it's a misconception that Vettori has all this power. While he might be a national selector – another appointment that has come under fire before – I can't think of any captain in world cricket who doesn't have a say in who takes the field for them.

Based on the fact the Black Caps have a new coach, I also think it's important the skipper of the side is heavily involved in how the team is run.

But when it comes to coaching, that's not Vettori's domain and, based on what I hear, it's not – and never has been – an area he tries to control.

The Black Caps have Mark Greatbatch, Mark O'Donnell and Shane Jurgensen for that.

As for the rest of the players, I doubt they have much of a say at all other than to suggest opinions on how the team is run.

The appointment of a coach, however, is always a difficult one to get right.

It's a decision I feel should be made by a board and senior administrators. By all means, the captain should be consulted but in general terms he should be told who the coach is at the same time as his team-mates.

Some cricket fans and pundits at the moment would suggest New Zealand Cricket appointed Greatbatch last Saturday as coach rather than "the peoples' choice John Wright" because of his relationship with Vettori.

But surely a captain's relationship with his coach is absolutely crucial and, certainly in this case, NZC would not have wanted to get the appointment wrong again in light of what happened to Andy Moles.

The decision to appoint Greatbatch was one that suits the team at the moment and I can't see any fault in it.

Players have to be coached by someone they get along with. It's as simple as that. If there's no respect there, turmoil is always going to be just around the corner.

Opener Ingram impressive

New Black Caps opener Peter Ingram has been impressive in his first two hit-outs for the New Zealand side.

He's done nothing wrong and should be happy with his performances.

Ingram is one of those players who hits the ball extremely hard, meaning you can't afford to bowl waywardly to him.

Bowlers, I expect, will smarten up a bit now they've seen him and they'll look to tighten up their line.

I like his simple philosophy to the game and hope he's started as he means to continue.

As for new bowler Andy McKay, it was good to see him sending the ball down at more than 140km/h on Friday night.

He would have been a bit nervous but he did a good job in Napier and will be better for the experience.

Simon Doull is a former Black Cap

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