Wisden Cricket Monthly

He must win their respect

Angus Fraser

August 27, 2003

In the September issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly Angus Fraser encourages the new England captain to step out of Nasser Hussain's shadow

It's how Michael Vaughan interacts with his players that will decide how successful he is © Getty Images

Vaughan's ability with the bat gives him an advantage over Hussain but that alone is not enough to win his players over. It is how he interacts with them that will decide how successful he is. Respect is the first and most important thing a new skipper has to win. There are many ways of gaining it.

Hussain's came from his total commitment to the job and his astute, if not altogether popular, tactics. With his fiery nature nobody wanted to cross him but he never criticised his players in public. Hussain knew which players needed a shoulder to cry on and who needed a kick up the backside. The players knew where they stood and what the game plan was. But Vaughan's approach will be totally different. Chiding players at every imperfection can work at times but it can also wear thin enough to be counter-productive.

I can relate to the position Vaughan finds himself in. Before I took over the captaincy at Middlesex in 2001 the club had had two rather intense captains - Justin Langer and Mark Ramprakash - whose style was not too dissimilar to Hussain's. Sitting in the wings I could see the younger players going into their shells. They were afraid to express themselves because of the looks they would get if they got it wrong.

Like Vaughan I wanted to see my players go out and enjoy themselves. I felt they would improve as cricketers if they played the game the way they wanted to. Such a set-up will not become a free-for-all as long as the work ethic and aggressive nature of the team remain strong.

Vaughan is no soft touch, however. To have achieved what he has in the last 14 months he must be a fierce competitor. If confirmation is required, ask Glenn McGrath. Vaughan did not take a backward step to the mouthy Australian fast bowler during the Ashes.

The hardest part is making decisions that will directly affect the careers of team-mates. There is no pleasant way of telling someone he has been dropped but, as long as you are consistent and honest, there should not be a problem. Attempting to appease a disappointed player is a nightmare. Being called unpleasant names is something you have to expect.

Emotion is no bad thing. You want to see players angry at being left out but to reduce the ways a disgruntled player can attack you it is necessary to be whiter than white. A captain soon realises that it is not just the media or ex-loved ones who look to expose any faults he has or mistakes he has made.

The captain who appears to get the balance right is New Zealand's Stephen Fleming. Although I played with rather than under him I know he is a man who commands respect because of the quiet, professional and controlled manner in which he conducts himself. Fleming takes the job as seriously and works as hard as any captain but he is able to put what he does in perspective. In his year at Middlesex he seldom raised his voice. He did not have to because, when he spoke, everybody listened.

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The September 2003 edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly is on sale at all good newsagents in the UK and Ireland, priced £3.40.

© Wisden Cricket Monthly

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Players/Umpires

Michael Vaughan

Teams

England