ECB Coaches Association links Coaching Insight 2019 | Page 23

Ramped Up
for Andrew Strauss while he took
compassionate leave.
Early on in 2018, he took charge of the
South team in the North vs South
50-over series in Barbados. He and
his opposite number for the North,
Paul Collingwood, had been
described as “potential England
coaches” by Strauss.
“I’ve been a specialist coach for five
years and I was wanting different
experiences, to keep evolving as a
person and as a coach,” says Mark. He
has worked as a batting coach across
all men’s age group sides and the
senior team since taking a call from
his old Surrey and England teammate
Graham Thorpe about working with
England Under-17s.
“There’s a natural progression and I’m
much more confident to take on a role
like this now and do it properly than if I
had gone straight in as a player.”
Looking back on that Lions spell nearly
a year later, Mark is still glowing from
the experience. “I really enjoyed my
time there,” he says.
“I’ve learned a lot off other
coaches, how they did things and
communicated, how they interacted
with each other. I’ve learned from lots
of different people – Peter Moores,
Paul Farbrace, Trevor Bayliss, Andy
Flower. I spent time with Kolkata
Knight Riders at the IPL and I’ve had
other little experiences outside cricket
that influence the way I think.”
Mark was given an opportunity to take
the next step in his coaching career
when Andy Flower moved from his
role as Lions Head Coach to fill in
“It was a challenge, but I felt I’d had
a lot of experiences as a coach, but
never had to look at the big picture. As
a specialist coach you’re very
one-to-one, as a head coach you’re
managing your staff, the players, your
captain. There’s technical data,
medical information – it’s really quite a
different challenge.
“I was, and still am, learning all the
time, which is important as the game
continues to evolve so quickly. By
being open minded and gathering
opinions from other coaches – even
those just watching, who may have a
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