My News
12.04.10
Warne backs Saker appointment
Shane Warne has voiced his support for England’s decision to appoint David Saker as their new bowling coach.
“He is a fantastic bowling coach. He will definitely help England," Warne told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek.
"He will be excellent for the England dressing room. He can be in-your-face at times, he is pretty aggressive. But he is absolutely spot-on."
Saker, who is replacing Ottis Gibson, moves into the role after vacating the same position for Victoria which he has held for the last six years. He has been instrumental in the development of the likes of Peter Siddle, Andrew McDonald and Clint McCay.
With the Ashes on the horizon in Australia, the move makes a lot of sense as his local knowledge of how to bowl on Australian pitches will be invaluable.
Whilst Saker doesn’t have the international experience of Troy Cooley, neither did Cooley when he was instrumental in England’s memorable Ashes victory in 2005. Warne believes Saker could also establish himself in a similar way.
"We (Australia) have Troy, who is very, very good but David Saker is also outstanding," said the leg-spinner.
"I was privileged enough to play with him and captain him a lot for Victoria - he was a wonderful player to captain. He was a team man and one of the first names pencilled in at selection.
"He was a very, very good bowler and he is a fantastic coach - he really understands the game and bowling very well. And he is passionate about the game of cricket. I'm sure the England bowlers will appreciate him and all the England players will enjoy having him around."
You must be logged in to post a comment. Click here to log in.
Comments
There are currently no comments.