Perhaps the biggest challenge Nic Pothas accepted in his career was to say yes to fill the huge boots of Graham Ford. It wouldn’t have been an easy call either as Sri Lanka Cricket had given Ford the cold shoulder that forced him to step down after the Champions Trophy last year. Ford was Pothas’ mentor as the Head Coach of South Africa almost 20 years ago.
In every sense, it was a tough call to take up the Head Coach role. Firstly, Sri Lanka were not setting the world on fire, having been blanked by the Proteas in both Tests and ODIs earlier that year and then suffering a first ever Test defeat to Bangladesh.
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Secondly, it was a challenge as Sri Lanka had to play the world’s number one ranked team India in back to back series. In between was the tour to UAE, where no team had beaten Pakistan since the gulf region became their adopted home in 2010.
Some of the finest coaches in the sport like Ford, Darren Lehmann and Trevor Bayliss had tried but failed to win a series in the UAE. Sri Lanka won both Tests to clinch the series, a thrilling contest that culminated with the day-night clash in Dubai.
With a new selection panel in place, Pothas was given the freedom to pick the players he wanted. There was hue and cry when he opted for Kaushal Silva as the opener for he had not done anything significant to warrant a place. But Pothas had insisted he was looking for characters. Kaushal was that character. The diminutive right-hander didn’t make big runs in the series, but he did enough to see off the new ball against the deadly duo of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz. The middle order, as it has been the case in recent times, wasn’t exposed to the new ball.
What also goes unnoticed is the contribution Kaushal makes on and off the field. The smart catches that he takes at short leg rarely get noticed. Then also in the scorching heat of the middle east, Kaushal apparently had brought the hair dryer in his hotel room to dry the gloves of other batters. Such large-hearted individuals are needed in a team. And Pothas saw that.
There was also quite a bit of planning that went ahead of the series. One of the key things that the batsmen were told was that they need to take Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s superb leg-spinner beyond his fifth spell and the batters should cash in as the fatigue set in. Dimuth Karunaratne, who was Player of the Series, did a superb job along with skipper Dinesh Chandimal, not to forget the tiny but vital contributions that Niroshan Dickwella was making. The team showcased outstanding fighting spirit and both Tests went to the wire.
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Pothas’ media briefing were a treat to attend. A die-hard Springbok fan, when he compared the Indian cricket team to the All Blacks, he delivered two messages. The key point being just how good the Indian team was and the other being the current state of South African rugby. Not too often you find South Africans hailing bitter rivals All Blacks.
Then again when a journalist asked him at Pallekele what was ailing Sri Lankan cricket, without batting an eye-lid, he said that there were ‘too many cooks’. A statement that didn’t go down too well with his employers.
After a humiliating defeat in Nagpur, he spoke his mind. “I may be speaking out of turn, but I am not too sure whether too many people have booked the ticket for the World Cup. As a player, your currency is runs, wickets and catches. You can do all what you like, but if you are not producing them, there will be repercussions. Players should be embarrassed with their performances.”
Every coach is different and should build his own identity, but you must be graceful enough to learn from others too. Not to run down his style, but one of the lessons that Pothas can learn from his mentor Graham Ford is not to pass on the pressure down to the players. After a tough game, Ford would meet the press and would never offer much criticism on players. All what he would say is that they will improve.
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Pothas’ contribution to Sri Lankan cricket will be appreciated for sure. He took up the team at a very difficult time and oversaw an equally tough period, mostly without his best players who were unavailable due to injuries. There will be much respect that he achieved something no other cricket coach has ever done – to beat Pakistan in UAE.
We haven’t seen the last of Pothas yet. He could be back in the island again coaching one of the franchises in the Lankan Premier League tournament.
