International Batting Coach, News from Toby

Toby's News

January, 2012 - Toby featured in "On The Up", Issue 8

Toby was featured in Issue 8 of On The Up discussing cricket coaching in the West Indies. See an extract from the 4 page article below:

"Specialist batting coach Toby Radford, who has headed training camps for the ECB, is faced with a fascinating dilemma. Having coached England captain Andrew Strauss and West Indies leader Darren Sammy, he won't really know who to approach first when their three-match Test series begins at Lord's on May 17. Radford recently returned to England after 16 months in Barbados where the West Indies Cricket Board assigned him to identify and develop the next crop of Caribbean international stars. Four have already broken into the first team, and five others are queuing up in what is perceived as the West Indies second team, which is truly the best testament anyone can have for doing a first-class job......."

» Download and read the full article

September 20, 2011 - West Indies HIgh Performance team, Dubai

I will be travelling to Dubai as batting coach for the West Indies HIgh Performance team.

After an intense summer training regime, the players - some already having featured in the West Indies First Eleven - will be keen to perform well in the Twenty20 and 50-over fixtures.

The fortnight trip will have a good blend of match-play and practice at the ICC Academy HQ, which provides a variety of surfaces to replicate playing in different parts of the world.

Here's to an enjoyable and successful tour! I will update on a regular basis.

~ Toby

April 14, 2011 – West Indies High Performance Centre

I spent a really enjoyable and productive day working with West Indies batsmen Darren Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Devon Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Kirk Edwards and Lendl Simmons.

With upcoming series against Pakistan and India, who are well known for their wealth of spin bowling talent, focus was on surviving, manipulating and striking the turning ball.

Darren Bravo is as clean a striker of a cricket ball as anyone in the world. Fletcher is becoming more confident and selective with his stroke-play and has quick feet when looking to hit down the ground.

Devon Smith, fresh from some exciting innings at the recent World Cup, looked very organized. He is extremely well balanced and regularly presents the full face of the bat. He has a structured game plan and sticks to it. It works. Bowl too short to him with width and he cuts, bowl too full and he drives straight, bowl too straight and he clips or sweeps. It's very simple and highly effective.

All of the players accept the need for greater application when batting against spin bowling and are gaining a greater insight into what works for them. Each has his own method for surviving or scoring and each understands the need to bat with his preferred method and to simply make the right shot selections at the right time to the right deliveries. Batting under pressure – ie, chasing high scores on difficult surfaces – requires a calm mind, sensible shot selection and good skill execution. Technique and temperament are truly tested when surfaces and scores are beyond the norm.

April 13, 2011 – West Indies High Performance Centre

Had my final session today with West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford. We have been working together for the past six weeks on re-modeling his bowling action, after he was banned from bowling by the ICC (for an illegal bowling action) a few months ago.

Shane has worked very hard, not only during the technical sessions at the West Indies High Performance Centre, but also on his home island of Dominica, where he has made the most of the limited training facilities available to him there.

It was brilliant today to video his action from all angles, at super-slow-motion speed, and to see no evidence of a bend in his arm. It looks a totally different bowling action now from the one two months ago. He is ready to be tested again.

Video analysis has proved invaluable in this process of action-re-modeling. For Shane and me to be able to dissect each delivery – frame-by-frame – has helped enormously, and given real accuracy to the analysis process as well as a greater understanding for Shane of the mechanics of his bowling action.