Trevor Bayliss

And it was something that we spoke a lot about as a team, a lot about as a management group, was trying to embrace that.

And it was probably good that we had an Australian coach, I think, in Trevor Bayliss, who was brilliant.

And he was kind of like, well... quite brash about it and people don't see this about TB they like a bit like he was a lot of people say he was quiet and didn't overly say much and stuff like this but when he spoke he was he was typically Australian in a way because he was like well we are the best we've beaten everyone Why should that change going into a World Cup? He said, like, almost giving us that sort of Australian mentality, which I think England cricket teams in the past have lacked.

And he was great.

Like, just this kind of, like, right-hand man to...

Trevor Bayliss, I think it was at the time.

And then he went to Sussex.

Now he's come to Lancashire to direct cricket.

It was almost like we see what's happening, they're blazing it to all parts, sort of playing quite maverick cricket, but we never saw inside the changing.

We never saw Trevor Bayliss motivated, never saw really Morgz giving a team talk.

We'd heard things about...

Was it in Dunedin where you'd fallen short? There was a bit of a, not an argument, but disagreement to the change room and a real commitment to how we're going to play.

It's funny you say that.

As you were saying all that, all I could think of was George DeBell's description of Trevor Bayliss.

Do you remember? Do you remember? He was kind of all about the vibes, wasn't he? And it wasn't 100% clear what Trevor Bayliss actually did.

And I think George DeBell said, well, if he's about the right, we might as well replace him with a yucca plant and some scented candles.

And sure enough, when Trevor eventually left the England coaching job, he was presented with, I think, a yucca plant and some scented candles by George.

But Zimbabwean winning multiple ashes, taking them to world number one.

And the Australian Trevor Bayliss winning the World Cup in 2019.

When it works, there is a temptation, isn't there, to keep hiring from abroad.

Well, let's not forget Gary Kirsten's contribution to that Indian World Cup win in 2011.

You won plenty of World Cups in the past with only managers, not coaches.

Captains seem to rule the roost in cricket, don't they? And perhaps the most important thing is the relationship between coach and captain.

And from England's men's point of view, Trevor Bayliss, probably the most background head coach you would ever have come across.

And even when England won the World Cup, he did not want to have a bar of photos with the trophy and celebrating with his backroom team.

I think it was his, his second time round.

And then, you know, Trevor Bayliss was a, was a huge, had a huge impact as a coach on my career.

You know, gave me clarity, gave me a, you know, a role within the team, consistency in selection and, you know, was very clear what he wanted from me, which was basically for me to do the basics as well as possible.

That was he, what he saw my role as and, you know, was backed all the way by him.

I really enjoyed my time under, and probably when I played my best bar the, the 23 Ashes, the best cricket of my career probably came under, under Trevor Bayliss really.

What did you think of Bazball? I mean, I know Brendon ha-

Yeah

Um, also I look back on the, the Andy Flower sort of era as, you know, really what I needed at the time, even though I didn't realize that at the time.

And, uh, you know, I should probably mention as well, you know, obviously T- um, Trevor Bayliss's-

Yeah

... era as well.

And because I was in and out so much, I didn't wanna take the risk that I would never get back.

Um, but then it got the point where Trevor Bayliss had sort of wound me up a little bit and probably, although I'm, like, a, I would say more of a positive, happy lad, it, it, like, it ni- it niggled us a little bit when he said that I hadn't, I didn't have enough mongrel in us and that.

Um, I didn't, um...

I was sharp, but I wasn't quick-quick.

I know you guys have probably been talking a bit about the Australian cricket team and that.

But, you know, sitting with John Dyson, Steve Rickson, Trevor Bayliss and Rick McCosker, do you reckon that the older person generally is listened to much these days?

No. No.

No, because the young'uns,

He hasn't been able to work that out.

It's actually the lack of depth and what Matthew would be and many of past players.

I was just with Steve Rickson and Rick McCosker, Trevor Bayliss and John Dyson.

Do you know what they're all worried about? Where are we going to be as a test team in 3, 5, 7, even 10 years? We've got no depth.