 |  My understanding is there's nothing wrong with the trainer talking to a player over a boundary |
International cricket coaches make every use of modern technology to assess chinks in the armour of opposition batsmen.
Video analysis can provide an avenue for them to pursue a new approach when it comes to bowling at certain players.
But a natural problem arises when the coach is cocooned in the pavilion and the players are fruitlessly employing plan A out in the middle.
So New Zealand coach John Bracewell has come up with a cunning plan.
Aware of the fact that he cannot speak directly to his players while they are out in the middle, he issues instructions by walkie-talkie to his backroom staff positioned behind the boundary.
They, in turn, communicate to the fielders just inside the rope.
And finally a message goes to the captain that the line he is bowling needs to be adjusted.
One former England captain, Brian Close, called the system "absolutely crackers," adding "I think it's stupid to interfere like that."
Close told BBC Sport: "It's alright to get involved when they are off the field for lunch or tea but not when they are out there trying to play the game."
The Yorkshireman said Bracewell's approach did not say much for Stephen Fleming's captaincy of the New Zealand team.
| To have interference, particularly from the medical staff, is ridiculous |
"If I was the captain I would object to it.
"If you are in the field and you are the captain you call on your senior players for advice.
"You chat with them between overs and develop your own picture of where the game is going."
Coaches in a number of sports have attempted to bend the rules as far as possible.
And the Football Association in England is considering a system whereby radio communication between players and coaches could be approved.
Belgian goalkeeper Jan Moons became the first European player to use an earpiece to receive instructions during a match earlier this year.
 Belgian goalkeeper Jan Moons kept in touch with his coach |
In American Football, quarter-backs receive advice throughout the match from the coach on the sidelines.
Tennis often has a hard job stopping coaches and fans communicating with each other, though they frequently do just that, even if by sign language.
As far as cricket is concerned, Bracewell insists he is acting within the rules.
"We just thought it made sense to be able to keep in touch," he said.
"My understanding is there's nothing wrong with the trainer talking to a player over a boundary."
In the 1999 World Cup, South Africa's captain Hansie Cronje and the fast bowler Allan Donald both took to the field against India with tiny radios in their right ears, linking them to the voice of their coach Bob Woolmer.
The ICC stepped in to stop them, even though South Africa insisted it was not against the rules.
Nothing like that has since been attempted in cricket, though a spokesman for the England cricket team said messages are "frequently passed on, using a combination of medical staff and the 12th man."
Last summer English county players were miked up to the TV commentators as a Twenty20 Cup gimmick.
So should a coach be able to do the same?
The jury is out on that one.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
