"I think what happened with Stokes created an unnecessary noise we could have done without during the Ashes. It was almost as if there was a mist around the team that never really lifted."
Monday 23 April 2018 21:43, UK
England will need to appoint a new head coach in 2019 - and a prime candidate could be right under their nose.
Paul Farbrace has been assistant to Trevor Bayliss since 2015 and to Peter Moores for a year before that, during which time England's white-ball game has improved dramatically, including a run to the World T20 final in 2016.
Farbrace also has experience as a No 1 at international level, having steered Sri Lanka to an Asia Cup and World T20 double in 2014, with wins over Pakistan and India respectively sealing the silverware.
And the 50-year-old told Sky Sports that he would find the job as England coach difficult to reject if he was "fortunate" enough to be offered it.
"I would love to be considered for the role and it would be very hard to say no to, but there are a lot of very good people, both inside and outside English cricket, who would love to get it," said Farbrace, who guided England to a one-day international series win over New Zealand during an interim stint in charge in the summer of 2015.
"If I turned out to be in a good position in 15 months' time that would be wonderful but I don't think I could set myself the goal of being the next England coach - that's not a realistic way of thinking.
"I would need things to fall into place and perhaps a little bit of luck to be in the shake-up. It might be that after almost six years as assistant that it is time for a change of voice and personnel - you know that in coaching and sport that you will move on at some stage."
Bangladesh were interested in appointing Farbrace as their new coach last month but the former Kent and Middlesex wicketkeeper said the chance to win a World Cup on home soil and regain the Ashes were key in his decision to stick with England for now.
"It was a very tempting offer. Bangladesh got in touch with me through someone else saying they were looking for someone to work through to the 2019 World Cup and that with my experience with Sri Lanka and the fact the competition is being staged in England, that my name was in the pot.
"I learnt a lot when I coached in Sri Lanka - I think the subcontinent is a great place to develop - and you are always thinking about what's next for you as a coach. I was quite keen to talk to them and find out what the situation was but in the end it came to nothing.
"It's so close to the World Cup and I'd like to go through to the end of that with England and we've obviously got another Ashes series next summer. After such a tough winter, the opportunity to be involved in a team that hopefully wins the urn back would be fantastic.
"England are also my team and I am very passionate about English cricket - that's the reason I left Sri Lanka in the first place. So to leave at this stage, I think, would have been a mistake.
"I have spoken to Yorkshire and Surrey about their coaching posts in the past - they are two big clubs with the ability to win tournaments and that's what I want to be involved in.
"It will be a case of going somewhere I feel I have a genuine chance of winning trophies and where I can develop players right across the board, not just at the top end. Hopefully something will come up."
Farbrace working with players is a constant sight ahead of England matches - but his style of coaching varies vastly from cricketer to cricketer.
"Everybody wants and needs something different. Some players like you chatting to them while they're batting, others don't want you anywhere near them until maybe two days later.
"Some want you to throw balls and say a few things, some like you to throw balls and say nothing at all. Some like technical input, some like analysis work done. You have to find the right time and opportunity to talk.
"A lot of the time in international cricket it is about making sure they are okay and that they have everything they need. Pumping their tyres up and reminding them what they are good at and then showing empathy when they are having a tough time.
"There is a lot of reminding, a lot of cajoling, a lot of one-to-one conversations with players. Often you are talking more about the tactical and gameplay side rather than individual techniques.
"For example, Keaton Jennings was struggling a fraction with his technique last summer but, as a young player new to international cricket, it wasn't the time, in the middle of a Test series, to talk a lot about that. With a more senior player, though, you can make those observations."
Farbrace certainly made some observations following the Ashes drubbing in Australia, telling the assembled press corps that England need to "look very closely and ask if we have got the right people in the right places, and if we are doing the right things".
England have gone winless in Test series away from home since defeating South Africa in 2015/16, with a 4-0 hammering in India and a draw in Bangladesh last winter followed by their Ashes shellacking and a 1-0 reverse in New Zealand over the last few months.
Bayliss' seamers were out-sped by Australia's rapid pace attack down under, while Moeen Ali was out-spun by Baggy Green counterpart Nathan Lyon, and Farbrace admits unearthing quick bowlers and spinners is a pressing concern - although he also wants to find players with "character".
"I took a bit of criticism for saying we need to start planning for the next Ashes series now but we have to," he said. "It's not just a case of focussing on Australia, though.
"To get to that stage we need to make sure we have a squad capable of challenging everywhere. We need to recognise what sort of players we need in India, the Caribbean, wherever we go.
"Winning the Ashes in Australia is the pinnacle for the England cricket team but there are some huge series to be played between now and then. It's not acceptable to say: 'Oh, it's tough to win overseas'. It might be, but the best teams find a way. I don't see why we can't do it.
"We obviously need to develop a few more high-quality fast bowlers and spinners - players who are capable of winning us games overseas - as in both cases our cupboard isn't exactly overflowing.
"A lot of people in county cricket are talked about but now it's time for them to put in consistent performances and get themselves in the team. A lot of selection, though, is down to their character and desire to play on the big stage. You are looking for people who belong in international cricket.
"Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes - the reason they have been successful is that they love performing in the pressure games.
"Broad had a tough time in the Ashes but went away, worked exceptionally hard and showed in New Zealand what a quality cricketer he is. Anderson is still playing and putting in match-winning performances at the age of 35. Root has looked at home in an England shirt from the very start.
"That's not necessarily because of their technique or that their talent is so much better, it's that they have presence, a massive heart to get stuck in when the going gets tough and there are huge crowds, and the desire to be the best they can be. Stokes being a prime example."
Stokes was absent from the Ashes, having been amid a suspension placed on him by the ECB following an incident in Bristol in September - the all-rounder has since pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray.
Farbrace says Stokes was a big miss on the field in Australia and that the fallout from that late-night episode outside the MBargo nightclub did impact England off it, creating a "mist" that was tough to shed.
"Not having Ben was a huge loss - he is a three-in-one player and his passion and the way he drives the team is important. That said, he could have got injured in the first Test, or the warm-up games leading up to it and you can't base your whole team on one player.
"But I think what happened in Bristol created an unnecessary noise we could have done without. In a normal context the other things that happened - including the alleged Jonny Bairstow 'head-butt', which really threw us at first - would have been nothing.
"Instead, because of the situation with Ben, it was almost as if there was a mist around the team that never really lifted. Every little thing got magnified and made to feel a whole lot worse and the scrutiny around the team was bigger than anything I have experienced before.
"That's something we need to be ready for next time and not get caught out by it."
