Did the KKR Experience Prompted ECB to Recruit Buchanan?

LONDON - Even after the worthless performance in Kolkata Knight RIder in IPL, Buchanan is still trusted by the ECB to appoint him for a responsible post.

The 56-year-old, who coached Australia to two World Cup wins, has been working with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the last 10 days as a consultant. He is currently overseeing all the developmental programmes and is also interacting with the coaches of the National Academy at Loughborough to understand the set-up of English cricket.

“I think it’s a really exciting time for English cricket, I really do. I think most of the pieces of the puzzle are here. There are some really good coaches that I’ve met, the resources are in place with the high performance centre, and the playing depth around the country is strong,” Buchanan was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

“People will always argue about whether there are too many mediocre players in county cricket. Maybe there are, but its size also means there’s a hell of a lot more good cricketers here than in most countries,” he added.

Buchanan is not worried about the raised eyebrows specially at a time when Australia is touring England for the Ashes.

“In any business if I look around and see a successful rival with all the same raw materials I have, what can I do? I can copy them, or I can import some of the features of their system. I think that’s what UK Sport has been doing for some time,” he said.

On England’s chances of winning the Ashes, he said: “England have confidence in themselves, but there are question marks against them from the media, the public and most of all from the Australians. I don’t think the Australians are quite sure what England team they’re going to face.”