Mallett to help tap spin talent in Sri Lanka

The frequent visits of former Australian offspinner Ashley Mallett has sent out a clear message that Sri Lanka are on the hunt for a successor to Muttiah Muralitharan. Four bowlers from the national spin academy will be sent to Australia for a month in February next year to undergo intensive training and to gain experience. The four spinners are yet to be finalised.

Mallett was assigned as consultant spin bowling coach for Sri Lanka on a three-year contract since April, which commits him to four visits to the country each year, with each visit not longer than two weeks . His duties include coaching spinners from all levels and training coaches. Ruwan Kalpage, the national spin bowling coach, is also working alongside Mallett in setting up an ongoing structure for the development of spinners.

"In the main we are also looking for a replacement for Murali," said Mallett. "Just in case he falls over and breaks his leg, we've got to find someone pretty quick. We've got a number of people in the mix but nothing definitive yet. We've got a lot of terrific talent in the cubs and juniors. I like to see an ongoing structure which other countries have got. "

Mallett said that he initially saw more than 600 spinners before pruning it down to four squads of 12 each - cubs, juniors, colts and seniors. He said that there were no age restrictions because he wanted it to be flexible.

"There are still blokes we haven't seen," he added. "This time around we did a little bit more moving around from Colombo. Next time round in April, I want to work the four squads with the flexibility of adding and sometimes subtracting from them.

"Tom Moody was talking the other day about the amount of talent he has seen in this country. He said it is the best in the world. It's incredible. There is an incredible amount of raw spin talent that needs guidance. They spin the ball hard, but there are a few technical things that are inhibiting their progress. A lot of the guys are front-on; the arms of the leggies [legspinners] are a bit too high. These are things you can easily sort out especially when they are young. That's why we are putting in a structure which will be an ongoing thing long after I stop coming."

Mallett's recipe to become a successful spinner was to spin the ball hard and have a lot of patience.

"You should also have a strong base to get the energy going up and over," he continued. "The more time you can spend on the front foot the more raise you can get on the ball. Have a look at Warney [Shane Warne] and Murali. They spend a lot of time on the front foot. Saqlain [Mushtaq] spent so much time on the front foot you wondered when he was going to let go of the ball. He didn't have rhythm in his run up. He ran like a duck but landed strongly, spent a lot of time and got a lot of rip. That's for blokes who genuinely spin the ball. You don't want fellows who wouldn't spin flat off the pitch. We want blokes who genuinely spin. Monty Panesar is one good example."

Mallett said the understanding of spin bowling in the subcontinent was good, as was in Australia since the arrival of Warne.

"In the mid-eighties if a fast bowler came along and was square-cut to the fence, they would say it was a great shot," he said. "If the spinner got hit down the ground, that was a bad ball. That was the mentality. That mentality still exists in South Africa today.

"In Sri Lanka the understanding of spin bowling is good. But there are blokes who need help in coaching to understand what's required in young people coming through. It's a very important part of our brief to touch the coaches and make sure that we are on the same wavelength in coaching expertise."

Mallett played 38 Tests between 1968 to 1980, in which he took 132 wickets. He runs the Spin Australia academy at the Adelaide Oval and has worked with spinners in the last 25 years in Australia, with stints in counties and academies in England and South Africa.