BCCI rope in Troy Cooley as NCA bowling coach
Troy Cooley (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have named former England bowling coach Troy Cooley as the fast bowling coach of National Cricket Academy (NCA). BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed his appointment on Thursday (November 18). “The BCCI has appointed Cooley as fast bowling coach for NCA,” Shah told The Indian Express.
Cooley shot to limelight when England won the Ashes in 2005. The former Tasmania pacer was the bowling coach of England and groomed the likes of Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones, and Matthew Hoggard, paving way for England’s memorable 2-1 series win over Australia. Later, Cooley went on to coach Australia and was at the helm at Brisbane’s Centre of Excellence.
Cooley is set to join the NCA in December for a period of three years. His first major task will be to groom the next bunch of fast bowlers. Over the past few years, the Indian team has seen the emergence of some exciting pacers such as T Natarajan, Avesh Khan, and Kartik Tyagi. BCCI wanted someone with a good amount of coaching experience at the international level and hence roped in Cooley.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer VVS Laxman is likely to take over as head of the NCA. The Laxman-led team will monitor the growth and progress of the pacers.
“There will be no monetary contract but instead the bowlers will get free entry in NCA whenever they want. For instance, if any state player has to come to the NCA and use the facilities, they had to get permission from their state association, and the state used to take care of their remuneration. Now, the NCA will take care of their progress. They will monitor their growth and will bear all expenses of them,” a source in the Indian board informed.
