Conversation: Lisa Keightley on Test Eve
A quiet Sunday evening (for me) morning (for Lisa) chat with former Australian Test and ODI player, now England coach, Lisa Keightley. Lisa was extremely generous with her time and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity. We’d been discussing a few things in the lead-up and we stumbled upon one of my favourite topics, left arm seamers. Let’s take it from there…
Speaking of left-arm seamers, you’re coaching a squad without one.
Ha, yes, we’d like one. We’re always keeping our eye out. We’ve got a couple, but they’ve been injured. Katie George has had a couple of stress fractures. She’s coming back. Hopefully she can have a full season in domestic. So far, so good. Tash Farrant has picked up a stressy, out for a little bit of time. We’d love one in our bowling unit.
The book. Every match where England is playing, we see you in the stands, cap, sunnies, legs crossed, in sports gear, looking relaxed and jotting away in that notebook. You always have this calm demeanour. Are you calm on the inside?
Mostly. I’m a big believer, like coaching is leading up, and getting them to know their game, and that’s all done in and around training and reviews after tours. Obviously big games, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some nerves, but in general I’m pretty relaxed. I’ve been coaching for a while now and I think it’s important that I’m consistent in my behaviours, and if we win or we lose I’m pretty much the same either way.
In my book, in own weird little way I score the game. And we’ve got a few game changers I’m looking to see if we hit and jotting down any notes or anything I see that we could look to improve at training. It’s the way I sort of watch the game so I actually watch it. Pick up key moments of the game.
It’s very much the Lisa Keightley brand. If I’m the opposition, I’d like to get my hands on that.
That’s my biggest worry that I leave it somewhere, so in this book I don’t have too many things with my name on it, or games of who we’re playing.
Maybe you put some cryptic things in there as well! I used to refer to it as your little black book but checking some recent photos it’s actually red.
I change the colours!
I know! I just looked!
I change it up. And what I like is that this book links into an app and it’s all on my iPad so it transfers into an app. I usually have the books in years, so each summer, I’ll have a different one usually and then it links into my iPad and wherever I go I can flip back on and have a look at different moments.
That Aussie team you were a part of for a decade, quite a few of you on the coaching circuit globally. Shelley, Brogsy, Pricey, yourself. What was it about that team that managed to produce a swathe of coaching talent?
Not only coaching. I look at Mel Jones, I look at Belinda Clark. I think that era was probably the first time that there was starting to be more opportunities. Not a pathway but jobs out there that you could stay involved. I think the era before was all part time coaches or the media. A lot of us had jobs within our state associations.
I was at Cricket NSW, Pricey was playing and working at Qld, Mel was in Vic, Brogsy was SA and Qld, Belinda was working at Cricket Australia. So there started to be that era where you could actually make a living working in cricket. I think that was the change that most of us while we were playing were working within an association and playing while we did it and then obviously that’s then led to other things and we’ve stayed involved. From that point of view that era was fantastic, cos I know for myself it definitely changed and had opportunities to do it where I don’t think that was the case the era before.
You’re right when you mention Mel and Lisa. I’m not sure if Alex was in your era. Might have been a transition thing, but Alex is now in the media as well. It’s extraordinary that bunch.
I think Alex, we did crossover but she had probably another 10 years after I left. It’s sort of kicked on there again from there you know. We’re getting all female broadcasters, we’re getting female umpires.
Isn’t that great?
Yeah I really think in the next decade with all the coaching opportunities and different things, I wouldn’t be surprised in the next two World Cups, 50 overs, if we see most of the coaching staff transitioning to females. I hope, I hope!
I hope that as well, and I say that as a male, but I think for far too long the talent pool within women’s cricket hasn’t had the opportunity to flourish in some of those areas like coaching, umpiring, the media. I agree with you, I hope it changes for the better. I’m going to jump to one side now and ask you, who were your coaching mentors?
Look, a massive one for me was, as a mentor would be Christina Matthews. She did a bit of coaching but not professionally. Working at Cricket NSW with Christina, she’s always been a mentor and nearly a life coach for me and she still is to this day. We’re good mates, she’s always been there. John Harmer, as a player, I learnt a lot off him. He was always good to bounce stuff off. So John, from a player point of view I learnt a massive amount. Even Steve Jenkins at NSW.
Then I really think I learnt a lot more about myself and coaching when I was in England. I did a fantastic programme which was their level four where they teach you more about not the skills side of things but they help you find your way of coaching I think. They also give you a really good structure of what it’s like as a coach.
It’s not just about the skills. You’ve got to work with boards. You’ve got to be able to relate to your players, you’ve got to manage staff. There’s about 15 staff that go away on tour now so a lot of that time you’re actually working with the staff and making sure they’re aligned with your philosophies and how the team is operating. They help you have conversations with players regarding contracts, selections, so I think I learned most of my skill in coaching in England when I was here for seven years. They have a great coaching programme that they put you through. I was working with the academy team where I just the craft really.
It’s an enormous job that you layout when you have 15 support staff that you need to have aligned with your philosophies, and of course working with management and the board – that’s before you even get to the players. It’s an enormous job isn’t it?
And you’ve got your High Performance manager you’ve got to feed in. It’s more than the normal person would think. It’s a pretty big beast. And then you get your 17 players, or in covid you had a squad of about 27, so there’s a lot of moving parts you’ve got to try and get right for the team to work effectively and of course we all make mistakes, but you hope to get it right.
So it’s good for us to remember when we’re throwing things at the tv and complaining that the coach is hopeless that there’s a heck of a lot going on!
It’s big and getting bigger.
It’s a tough gig and you’re doing well. Hey in your 9 Tests as a player – and I had to look this up today, I hope I got it right, you never played at Taunton.
Ah no, we didn’t play a Test at Taunton.
So tomorrow is your “debut”. It’s a known track for spinners and less so for the quicks. You’ve got a new squad of quick bowlers. Is this a baptism of fire for your young quicks?
The last two years it’s changed. Spin is not as dominant, it doesn’t turn too much, and it’s usually quick and has good bounce and carry. We have some good young seamers which is exciting, we have Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean. Sophie speaks for herself and Charlie’s improving all the time so we’ve got great options either way.
You’re quite right, Sophie speaks for herself and Charlie was a great revelation during the World Cup. I think you’re well covered, plus you’ve got Heather for backup. You’ve got world class spin options there.
Heather would be very impressed that you’re calling her world class.
I said back up! Hold on a minute, she’s got a five for. I don’t think it’s in Test cricket, but you know, that’s pretty good. It’s not quite up there with your own bowling average in ODIs of just under 11.
I would not have a clue. I only got thrown the ball on very desperate occasions!
You mentioned John earlier. I think he was the coach who asked Belinda Clark to stop bowling.
I was there for that when it happened and it was one of the most funny conversations I’ve heard for a long while and probably still tops coach/captain conversations I’ve heard.
Leaving the spinners aside, and I think it’s exciting you’ve got a new crop of young quicks. Of course Kate’s been around for a while – had a good Ashes series and World Cup. Exciting. But the spin in all this is with the Duke ball. How are they going with the Duke ball?
Yeah great. It is very exciting and I definitely feel the first session will be a really important session whether batting or bowling on Monday. We’ve been working and using it for a while. We actually had two of the Somerset bowlers coming in.
One of those was Peter Siddle?
Yeah he came in and talked about their experience with using a Duke and it matches up with what we’ve found. I think they’ll do well. They’ve been working with it, so I’m expecting them to execute unless there’s a few nerves around. I think the first hour should be challenging either way.
Isn’t that exciting, the first hour, the first session of a Test match. Whether you’re batting or bowling it’s exciting.
Yes, it’s going to be exciting. It’s great to play a different country. Hopefully it’s going to be a great four days. And if it can be like the last time we played, and if both teams are looking for a win then it should be another good Test match.
Well wasn’t that the great thing about the Ashes Test? There were four possible results with the last over on the final day. You can’t buy that.
No you can’t and great for tv watching, not so much for a coach sitting in the dugout.
Hang on we already established your calm nature!
Yeah there’s calm and I can’t say, well, definitely emotions were going through my body watching that. As I said I try not to show with the players, give them clear messages. But yeah, an amazing Test match, great for the game, great for the fans, and great for the players to know the highs and lows of playing a Test match.
Well that was the great thing that both captains were prepared to put it out there and do their very best to conjure up a result. They played their part, both skippers didn’t they?
I knew Motty and Meg might give us a chance. I was just hoping it was one that, you know, we could play our part and go for it.
But you did though, you played your part.
Yeah definitely, we knew we wanted to chase it, we knew we had to win the Test match. Sitting for a draw wasn’t helping us where we were sitting with the points. All credit to the England batters and how they approached it and put the Aussies under pressure which we know if we’re going to beat them we’ve got to put them under pressure, but unfortunately we couldn’t hold our nerve to get over the line.
It was great viewing whichever side you were cheering for and a great ad for Test cricket. Last questions so you can get on with your breakfast and your day. Batting. How are we going with the opening spot? It still seems to be a work in progress.
I think in all formats actually, we haven’t quite got the opening partnership right so this summer is a big summer to try and nail that so we can improve in that area which will help us set up the game. Emma Lamb is in the squad this time around and I think, you’re a smart man, and most people are who follow it, it’s looking like she might make her debut and she probably deserves an opportunity and hopefully she goes out there and show what she can do.
The only thing I heard there was “you’re a smart man” and that’s definitely making it in! Seriously, it could be a baptism of fire up against Ismail and Kapp. That’s a testing opening combo for any established batting pair, let alone a new one.
I’d put them up there as one of the most potent opening combos in world cricket at the moment. So with the Duke ball, they’ve got pace, they’ve got movement, they’ve got experience, so whoever opens for us on Monday will be put through their paces. But it’s quite exciting isn’t it, playing Test cricket against probably two of the best openers in the world. It probably doesn’t get much better than that.
I wonder if they’ll open with Kapp or even Ayabonga Khaka because she’s a handful herself.
I think she goes under the radar.
She does!
I really do! She’s one, you get through Kapp and Ismail and then Khaka comes on and cleans up. She’s a good bowler in her own right and has the stats to prove that. If you get a hundred against SA you’ve done pretty well. Who knows what they’re going to do? Ismail didn’t play in the 3 day game and Kapp didn’t play too much of a part. We’ll have to wait and see what happens and be ready for what they throw at us.
We will indeed have to wait and see. Lisa and I went off on a tangent from there, talking about life away from cricket, time away from home. We wish her all the very best through the summer, the series against South Africa, the Commonwealth Games, then a series against India. It’s hectic schedule for the players. Even more hectic for the coach. Thanks Lisa Keightley, we wish you well.
