Australia / Frank Gregan / 16 August 2010 /

Frank Gregan discusses the re-appointment of cricket coach (and close friend of Shane Warne), the inimitable John Buchanan, ahead of the Ashes Series this winter.

It may be four months away but England already have one eye on the Ashes series and have added to their coaching staff by linking up again with the Australian guru John Buchanan. The former Australian national coach who introduced his unorthodox methods to such sceptics as Shane Warne has been employed as a 'consultant;' a role that he filled during last year's Ashes victory although it is expected that this year, with the series being played Down Under, he will have a much more significant input.

It's yonks since England last won in their old convict dumping ground (1986-87) but Andrew Strauss and his men go there this time with a real chance of retaining the Ashes. Confidence in the English camp is sky high with a genuine belief that there is not a lot between the two sides. Buchanan's appointment means that England will have an insight into how the Aussies prepare for Ashes tests in their own backyard.

Buchanan is a Marmite coach, you either love him or hate him. It's unlikely that he will be allowed to take the English players to boot camp or be allowed to read them the musings of the fifth century Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, methods that he employed in the past when he was Australia's main man. Shane Warne's opinion of him has been covered in this column before but not all of the highly-talented Australian squad of yesteryear were unhappy with the way he ran things.

Buchanan scored a miserable total of just 160 runs in a first-class career that consisted of only seven matches. Justin Langer has scored more than twice that total in one first class innings but Australia's former opening batsman has the greatest respect for his old coach. "I always enjoyed working with him and he made an excellent contribution to the team. His strengths lay in his management of the group and in his vision for the group and the future." Langer said last week after Buchanan's appointment was confirmed. "He's copped his fair share of criticism, but at the end of the day most visionaries do."

There's little doubt that England need to find some inspiration from somewhere and have to approach the coming Ashes series differently than the last time they headed Down Under to defend the little urn. England were undercooked and ill-prepared in 2006/07 and from the moment that Steve Harmison opened the bowling with probably the worst delivery to ever get an Ashes series underway, they always looked like a side that was out of its depth.

Anything that's likely to increase their chances of success is worth trying and knowing how their opponents are preparing and what variables need to be taken into account when selecting a side to play on the various Australian wickets could prove invaluable. Buchanan knows the venues and conditions better than any Englishman and his input could prove invaluable.

England not only have to know what they are going to be up against, they also need to be aware of their own strengths, particularly which players can perform in which conditions in order to plan a strategy that will give them victory. In fairness, I'm not the first to deduce this. John Buchanan's old mate Sun Tzu said "If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are sure to be in peril!" England have to distance themselves from the formula that has failed in the past and this time make sure they pick bowlers that will perform in the conditions on offer.

Now is a great time to start investing in the market and build up a tidy interest before battle commences. England's recent good form has not gone unnoticed by Betfairians who have backed them into as short as [3.15] from [5.0] with Australia at [1.8] and a drawn series [6.0]. Buchanan's appointment can only benefit England's cause.

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