Three UAE coaches turn educators

Dubai: Three UAE cricket coaches, representing the Emirates Cricket Board, have gained recognition from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) following successful completion of the Level-1 Coach Educators course held in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Mohammad Lokhandwala, Ahmad Nadeem and Shah Hussain can now conduct Level One coaches courses in the UAE on behalf of the ACC and even certify the successful candidates on behalf of the ACC. "It is a great honour to be recognised as an educator by the ACC. The training we underwent to qualify as educator was an eye-opener into the various techniques of coaching," remarked Lokhandwala.

The rigorous training programme was conducted by Ross Turner of Cricket Australia and former Test stars turned ACC Cricket Development officers Roger Binny, Rumesh Ratnayake, Iqbal Sikander, Amin-ul Islam and Dr Vece Paes.

"We attended theory classes in the morning, which explained in detail the various techniques of batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping. In the afternoon, we attended practical classes where we were asked to demonstrate how one would teach the various techniques," said Lokhandwala.

"We had to do power-point presentations and also attend bio-mechanic classes. This was mainly to understand whether a bowler's body is in alignment at the point of delivery. This knowledge, if imparted properly, can save a bowler from injuries and also rectify defects in his bowling action," said Lokhandwala.

The three also attended classes by Dr Vece Paes, the ACC Sports Medicine and Fitness Consultant. "We were also taught how to handle emergencies and first aid. After the completion of the courses, we attended the examination on the final day," he said.

Good participation

The three coaches had earlier successfully completed the ACC Level-2 coaching course which was held in Oman in 2006. They have been providing coaching to budding youngsters in the UAE.

Twenty candidates from 11 countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, Maldives, Singapore, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Oman, Bahrain and Malaysia took part in the course.

The theory and practical sessions were held at the National