Ishant lacked a bit of discipline, says Jeff Thompson

Former Australia fast bowler Jeff Thomson feels that modern day quicks are victims of poor coaching. Here in Mumbai to share the ‘tricks of the trade,’ the legendary bowler said some coaches were not up to the mark.

“I am annoyed at (the state of) cricket coaching these days. A lot of funny coaching is going around. My job here is to share the tricks of the trade. I love imparting knowledge and attitude.”

Thomson who picked up 200 Test wickets from 51 matches said India suffered a 2-0 Test defeat in Australia as the quick bowlers lacked discipline.

“Indian bowlers lack the skill and discipline, where they pitch the ball all the time. That was the biggest thing I saw when the team toured Australia last time. The bowlers did not bowl in the right areas.”

He added that Indian bowlers struggled to keep up the tempo for long hours. “They lost, then their concentration dropped, number of overs dropped and eventually made it very hard.”

Asked to analyse Ishant Sharma’s performance, Thomson said the lanky bowler did not look fully fit to him “He lacked a bit of discipline. He bowled a lot of deliveries down the leg side. Eight years ago I thought he will be a world beater, but he lost the plot somewhere.”

Ishant who like Thomson picked up 200 wickets recently did get the 65-year-old’s approval when it came to on-field aggression. Having earlier joked that Ishant needs a ‘rocket,’ Thomson backed fast bowlers to be aggressive.

“Fast bowlers need aggression. You got to come harder and harder at the batsman. You have to be better than the guy next to you. You may fall short but you need to be there. Otherwise you are just wasting time.”

Thomson, who will be in charge of the MCA-IDBI Life Insurance bowling foundation said there, was no alternative to bowling in the nets. “I hated gym work as I had done a lot of physical work chasing pigs before my entry into international cricket. There’s no replacement for actual bowling. I bowled a lot of balls in my time.