CHAMPIONS TROPHY IS A VERY HARSH TOURNAMENT: ALLAN DONALD

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The former South African pace attacker Allan Donald feels that the champions trophy is harsh to nations in many ways as just 1 mistake within the game is enough to send you back home

He is currently in Sri Lanka and has joined a two months camp to train the Srilankan bowlers about the pace attack at which he is very good at, he is one of the most successful bowlers of his era

Poor performances in the recent times has made the board to think about various factors so that the team can adapt to the situations very easily and apart from this 2 week training program they will be arriving England before 2 weeks in England to have a good practice session and return home with a smiling node

The addition of Donald to the coaching staff has been done with the hope that the Sri Lankans will put up a good show in England.

“This tournament is brutal. If you do one mistake, you are closer to getting knocked out of the competition,” Donald, who was the first South Africa to take 300 Test wickets, said.

“It’s a tough tournament. We are in a tough group as well. There is very little breathing space and mistakes can be costly. We have to come up with a strategy and first we will plan against South Africa and then we will think about India and Pakistan,” he further said.

Since retirement from cricket in 2003, Donald has been heavily involved in coaching. This is the fifth international team he will be working with, having had previous stints with England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.

“This is my fifth international assignment. That’s the closest I can get to going out to the field. I see my role as something where I can inspire a few players. I am very privileged to work with Sri Lanka. I value ICC events very much, although as a South African I haven’t tasted much success in ICC events,” Donald elaborated.

Having had experience playing several seasons of county cricket in England for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, Donald can impart much knowledge to the Sri Lankan bowlers. “Adapting to conditions in England in June is going to be crucial. Using those two white balls well if we are going to bowl first is vital. The length has to be a bit more fuller than usual. The Oval has a more bounce and how we hammer that length is going to be key,” Donald remarked.

With the arrival of Donald, Sri Lanka’s coaching staff now looks all South African with Head Coach Graham Ford and Fielding Coach Nic Pothas also on board.

“I must say that our bowlers are very fortunate. We have some great fast bowling coaches. Now it’s up to Allan to add his expertise and impart that extra bit of knowledge. His presence will be a huge advantage. He is an exciting addition to our set up,” Ford, who was South Africa’s coach during the twilight of Donald’s career told journalists.

“If you are going to be effective in ODI cricket, it is important to start thing well and finish things well. These are stuff with which Allan was an expert and hopefully he can impart some knowledge to our guys,” Ford summed up.