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Openers

Q20

Seeking the spoils: (from far left) Lifting

Allan Border after winning the World Cup
in 1987; taking the scalp of Chris Lewis,
one of 32 England wickets in the 1994-95
Ashes; with Justin Langer during his first
Australia coaching stint in 2011; (below)
at Perth in February 1991, when he took
11 wickets in the match; (below left) as
Australia bowling coach during the
2013-14 Ashes series

How did Mitchell Johnson find his

mojo? How bad were England? Do
Australia have the ideal pace trio?
What do you think of Ben Stokes?
Twenty questions for

Craig McDermott
As Australias Test bowling coach,
what was your most memorable
moment from the 2013-14 Ashes?
Its got to be the second day of the
first Test at the Gabba the way
we attacked the Pom batsmen after
lunch with some outstanding fast
bowling. Nathan Lyon chipped in
with a couple of wickets, too. Except
for about five hours, we bowled well
for the whole series.
How do you account for Mitchell
Johnsons remarkable upsurge?
The time Mitchell spent out of cricket
served him well. He got himself right,
mentally and physically. Hes always
been fit but he came back with extra
strength in his core and glutes
that enabled him to hold his action
through the crease. Hes got a better
understanding of his wrist position
and believes in himself as someone
who can lead the attack. He threw the
kitchen sink at every ball he bowled.
What difference does it make to a
side to have a really quick bowler
firing at the top of his game?
For a start it means you can knock
over the opposition tail. That was our
plan against Englands tailenders. As
soon as No.7 came in wed give them
a real touch-up with the ball, create
fear in their minds. West Indies used
to give you a bit of short stuff.
What was it like for a tailender facing
those guys?
Imagine four Mitchell Johnsons.
Batting wasnt enjoyable.
What are your expectations for the
three-Test series against South Africa
in February?
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Well have to watch out for being 5

for 150 out there. Against England we
turned it around from positions like
that. But South Africas third seamer
wont drop away like Englands did.
England only really had Stuart Broad
and James Anderson, and Anderson
didnt bowl that well.
Do Australia have the ideal pace trio?
To be the best attack in the world
you dont have to have the bowlers
ranked No.1, 2 and 3. You have to
be able to bowl as a unit. Our roles
are well defined. Peter Siddle bowls
back-to-back maidens, taking the
ball away from the batter. Mitch puts
in the quick stuff. And Ryan Harris
is about as good as it gets. Just look
at his stats [93 wickets at 21.56 after
the Ashes]. Taller bowlers will get
bounce, shorter bowlers a bit more
swing. Harris gets the best of both
worlds. Hes just tall enough and has
an excellent wrist position.
How did Harris stay injury-free?
Hed been building up his bowling
strength for the four months up to
the Ashes and had a good run in
England and then a bit of time off
afterwards. Hes only bowling
in Test matches and, to be fair,
in the recent Ashes series our
bowlers workloads werent
that high: 35 overs per Test.
Normally its more like 50.
Australia won in three days
at the MCG so that gave us a
five-day lead into Sydney. Then
England won the toss and put
us in so the bowlers had another
days rest.

Johnson
threw the
kitchen sink
at every ball
he bowled

And Australia seem to have a few

decent reserves. What about them?
Pat Cummins recently played his first
Big Bash game after a long injury
lay-off. Jackson Bird and James
Pattinson are bowling again. Mitch
Starc has been playing grade cricket
and Nathan Coulter-Nile is bowling
really quickly at the moment.
Five guys, all at 145kmh [90mph],
available for Australia.
How badly did Englands batsmen
play the Australian quicks?
They were worried with the pace
and we exploited their weakness
well. We bowled the right length for
our wickets, and that varies from
state to state. We got it wrong before
lunch at Brisbane and again at Perth,
when Ben Stokes got his hundred. We
bowled short at Stokes, rather than
full and across him. We talked about
this. But its one thing discussing
plans. You have to execute them. Our
guys worked hard in the nets.
What do you think of Stokes?
Hes only going to get better. Hes got
a few technical things to work on
with his bowling but he hits the
crease hard and bowls a heavy
ball. It looks like hell be a
really good allrounder for
England. Hes not the sort
of guy whos going to walk
away from a confrontation.
We can respect that.
How did Englands bowlers
perform in the Ashes?
Their pace was down a bit and
they bowled far too short. You
have to get that length right.

patrick eagar , getty images (4)

Interview by Crispin Andrews portrait by PATRICK EAGAR

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Openers
FAST TRACK

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effectively when youre older. For

instance, running in at a slight angle
so you dont fall away after delivery.
Thats what Boyd Rankin does. If that
had been sorted out when he was
10, England might have a different
bowler today.
Why do quicks get injured so often?
Cricket Australia have done studies
on this, with lots of biomechanists
and medical scientists involved.
They could tell you exactly why. We
didnt have all that when I played. We
just bowled. Ideas about managing
workload are ingrained into young
bowlers these days. When I played I
didnt feel right if I didnt bowl in the
nets for an hour the day before a Test.
How much coaching do international
fast bowlers need?
It varies. A couple of years ago Peter
Siddle needed some technical advice
about how to become an attack
leader. He had a great six months
after that. With most bowlers its
important to talk about how to get
the opposition out, make sure theyre
hitting the crease well, make sure
theyre pumped up and feeling 100%.
As a coach you have to be able to read
your player, relate to them and get
them to believe what youre saying.
Are you glad youre out of the
property business?
Property is a great passion of mine.
Its a good business and something
different happens every day. But I
love what Im doing now, back in
cricket, working with the Test team
and at the grassroots of the game.
What can we expect to see from your
sons Alister and Ben?
Alister, 22, is a quick bowler whos
been on an Australian ODI tour to
Dubai. Ben, 19 is a wicketkeeperbatsman and will be going to Dubai
for the Under-19 World Cup in
February. Hes signed a full contract
with Brisbane Heat for the Big Bash,
who Alister also plays for. Both
played for the Prime Ministers XI
against England. They didnt do too
well but it was good to see Tim
Bresnan caught McDermott bowled
McDermott.

Born April 14, 1965, Ipswich, Queensland

Major teams Australia, Queensland
Tests (1984-1996) 71 matches, 291 wkts @ 28.63, 14x5w, BB 8-97
ODIs (1985-1996) 138 matches, 203 wkts @ 24.71, 1x5w, BB 5-44
First-class (1983-1996) 174 matches, 677 wkts @ 28.10, 37x5w,
BB 8-44
1984 Makes Test debut against West Indies at the MCG, aged 19.
In second Test at Sydney he helps Australia inflict defeat on Clive
Lloyds team for the first time in 27 Tests
1985 Takes 30 wickets against England in six-match Ashes series
but Australia lose 3-1
1987 Contributes 18 wickets to Australias World Cup triumph,
including a career-best 5 for 44 against Pakistan in the semi-final
at Lahore
1991 Recalled to Test team after three-year absence. Marks
comeback with Test-best 8 for 97 against England at Perth
1993 Joins Tim May in a 40-run 10th-wicket stand at Adelaide
but is last man out as West Indies win by one run to level the series
at 1-1 with one Test to play
1995 Takes 32 wickets in final Ashes series to finish with 84 in 17
Tests against England. Injury keeps him out of the landmark tour
of the Caribbean, where West Indies are beaten in a Test series for
the first time in 15 years
2008 Sells his home after being declared bankrupt following the
demise of his real-estate business
2009 Returns to cricket as a coach at Australias academy
2011 Appointed Australias bowling coach and credited with the
development of James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc
2012 Resigns as bowling coach in May, citing the tough touring
schedule. Becomes Ireland coach in September
2013 Returns as Australias Test bowling coach in October

Leader of the pack: McDermott with his successful

2013-14 Ashes bowlers Peter Siddle, Mitchell
Johnson, Nathan Lyon and Ryan Harris

shaun botterill/GETTY IMAGES, pa photos

Adelaide wasnt conducive to seam

but it was reversing. Englands
bowlers didnt pitch it up enough. It
wont reverse if you bowl too short.
Did Australia get enough credit for
their performance?
I was more interested in seeing kids
playing cricket in the street and
on the beach. Havent seen that for
a while. Thats what cricket is all
about. The Test team winning in the
manner it did, inspiring people to get
out there and play the game.
Was the Test whitewash particularly
satisfying given that many were
saying this was the worst Australian
side since the mid-80s?
When someone calls a team the
worst, that team always seems to
win. In 1987 we were the worst oneday team to leave Australian shores
but we came back with the World
Cup under our arm. Its good to have
people saying those sorts of things
because it makes you work harder.
Before the Ashes I never thought
wed get beaten. I thought it would be
maybe 3-0 or 3-1 to us.
Was the mid-80s Australian team as
bad as people made out?
Wed lost a lot of good players to
the rebel South African tours and
we were bringing in young players.
We didnt do very well for quite a
while and sometimes it was hard to
keep your chin up. But we had hard
taskmasters in the coach, Bobby
Simpson, and the captain, Allan
Border, so we got better quickly. We
won the World Cup in 1987 and by
1989 we had the Ashes back.
What would you as a coach have told
yourself as a young quick?
I would have given myself a kick up
the backside. I had a good start to
my Test career but then I got a bit
complacent and it cost me an Ashes
spot on the 1989 tour. I went away,
worked hard on my game and came
back a better bowler.
How do your bowling clinics work?
They are about giving young kids
good technical advice. If you get
technical issues sorted out at an
early age, it allows you to bowl more