Abu Dhabi T10: Gayle has been fantastic with our group of players, says head coach Farbrace
Nov 24, 2021
Abu Dhabi [UAE], November 24 : Team Abu Dhabi Head Coach Paul Farbrace, who has helped his side pick up four straight wins in Season 5 of Abu Dhabi T10, talked about the team's process and mentality this season.
"We have a way of playing which we will stick to throughout the tournament, and we are judging ourselves on that. We are very clear on how we wish to play. If the end results look after themselves, it's absolutely brilliant," he said in an official release.
Philip Salt hammered 63* (28) against The Chennai Braves on Monday to help Team Abu Dhabi pick up a big eight-wicket win. "We are trying to keep our batting group as consistent as possible. We are saying to our batters if you win us two games out of 10 in the group stages, we will take that every single time. All of our batters have played an innings of quality," Farbrace said on his team's batting unit.
Farbrace further opened up how the players in the squad are bonding during the tournament and explained how it's reflecting on the field. "One of the most important things for me was to get in people from all over the world and get them to play together as a team. We have worked really hard last week to talk to each other, learn about each other and find out about one another. That's showing up on the field. We tell our players to do what they do well, if it goes well, they take the credit for that. If it does not, we are here to take the blame," the former England assistant coach said.
Farbrace went on to give an example of how players in his team celebrate each other's success. "We have a simple routine before we get off the bus. One player who has not played on the night awards their moment of the day. The first night the moment of the day went to young Muhammad Farooq for taking his first catch. It was a great moment because everyone cheered for him and it was a touching moment for him," he recalled.
The former English domestic cricketer also praised the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle and said he is happy to have him in his side. "I have seen him in action for quite a long period. He is a very nice bloke around the game. In the time he has been with us, he has been fantastic around the players, he chats with all of them. He is very open, very approachable. He loves the game and you can see that passion. It's been fantastic to work with him."
Farbrace further praised captain Liam Livingstone for the work he is doing with the team and explained why players want to follow him. "We have not cluttered his mind with lots of things about oppositions or how we should play the game. We focus on our skills and strengths, and what we want our team to do and he embraces that. It suits his game. He is an all-action cricketer. He is looking to hit every ball for boundaries, spin both ways, and is brilliant in the field. If he plays the way he talks, other players will follow suit. He is one of those guys players naturally want to follow," he said.
Speaking on the T10 format, Farbrace explained why he believes it could set the way for the sport to be included at the Olympics. "I honestly think T10 could be the way to get cricket into the Olympics and showcase the world this game. It's an exciting format. I am amazed it is not being played in other places around the world. It's all action and brilliant to watch. It's tough for bowlers, but it's also tough for batters. It's great fun and players love playing it."
