5 successful coaches who didn't play a single international match
It is said very often that great students do not necessarily become great teachers. The same applies to the game of cricket. Not all great players who conquered world cricket with their cricketing skills have managed to become successful coaches. The likes of Kapil Dev, Greg Chappell have had rather disappointing stints as coaches. There are no doubts about the aptitude of these players but somehow they weren't able to inculcate their knowledge and expertise into the players.
On the other hand, there are some cricketers, who were mediocre in their playing days but turned out to be excellent coaches. These players excelled as coaches through strong man-management and coaching skills. There have been players who haven't featured in a single international match but have turned ordinary cricketers to world-beaters. Here are 5 such successful coaches who didn't play a single International match in their career.
#5 Graham Ford
Graham Ford has formerly coached Sri Lanka and is the current coach of Ireland. Before turning towards coaching, Graham Ford played for Natal B in South Africa. However, his first-class career lasted just 7 games as he played his last first-class game at the age of 29. Ford averaged as low as 13.50 in these 7 games. Ford started his coaching career at the young age of 31 as he coached Natal province. The South African was later appointed assistant to Bob Woolmer during the time when the South African team reached the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup. He later replaced Woolmer as the head coach of the South African side.
In 2007 Ford was offered the job of the Indian coach but he refused to take up the role citing family reasons. He became Sri Lanka's coach twice, first in 2012 and second in 2016. In 2017, Ford was appointed as the head coach of Ireland.
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