Daniel Vettori has turned his attention from Royal Challengers Bangalore to Middlesex but still success is not coming easily
Arjun Bhardwaj09-Jul-2018Daniel Vettori has been one of the most sought-after coaches in world cricket. As the head coach of Brisbane Heat and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he is responsible for the fortunes of two of the largest franchises around.Vettori brings that high reputation to Middlesex for a second successive season. But all three Vettori-led teams have been consistently underperforming. With Middlesex only securing one win from their opening three games, his record is bound to come under scrutiny under the coming weeks.The return of the Vitality Blast provides Middlesex with a timely opportunity to bring some stability to their season, and how they need it. Richard Scott, Middlesex’s Championship head coach, resigned a week ago after nine years in charge, leaving Vettori to deal with the after-shocks.Middlesex failed to progress from their group in the T20 Blast last season, winning only five matches in 14 in Vettori’s first in charge, a season in which a general malaise also saw them relegated from the Championship.Three matches into their 2018 campaign and nothing seems to have changed. They failed to win two T20 matches in a row last year and once again they have been unable to string victories together, losing to Essex a day after beating a below-strength Surrey side.Another defeat, at the hands of Gloucestershire, on Sunday night has left Middlesex with one win from three matches and needs the usually calm Vettori to reignite a struggling side.Middlesex fans relish victory in the London derby•Getty ImagesVettori has not had much success in revamping struggling franchises in the past. When he took charge of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014, they had qualified three times from the group stages in six years since the tournament’s inception in 2008. Under Vettori’s supervision, they have progressed twice in five.Bangalore’s moderate IPL record is exceptionally worrying since they boast arguably the best squad on paper. Their batting unit contained a wealth of talent in Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson for several years. However, Vettori’s side were unable to convert raw talent into results on a consistent basis. This is the same problem he is facing at Middlesex, as his group of big-name players are unable to come together as a team and win.Many observers initially blamed Bangalore’s failure to catch fire on a lack of a balanced side, with their batting being significantly stronger than their bowling. There were investments in high-profile million-dollar batsmen such as Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik.Vettori hailed Bangalore’s 2018 vintage as their most balanced ever. He was careful to acknowledge the importance of data and placed more emphasis on it in the IPL Auction to ensure that Bangalore were well equipped. Despite their new-look and carefully calculated side, the results were much the same for Bangalore as they finished sixth.Middlesex certainly have a balanced squad on paper but, if anything they have the reputation of being a bowling side. Tim Helm, who took 19 wickets last season, was the sixth highest wicket-taker in the competition while Middlesex’s leading run-scorer Eoin Morgan didn’t even feature in the top 30 leading run scorers in the tournament.With Morgan away on international duty, their overseas players are multi-functional. Hilton Cartwright, initially signed for a Championship stint, has stayed on for a while, Dwayne Bravo’s death bowling will be an asset and his batting ability will increase the depth in their side until he heads to the Caribbean Premier League and Australian Ashton Agar will soon follow.Recruiting the services of Bravo for six matches aimed to give Middlesex a strong start. The charismatic all-rounder is the only bowler to have taken over 400 wickets in T20 cricket and was named in ESPN Cricinfo’s all-time best T20 team. He bowled well at the death in the defeat of Surrey, and top-scored against Gloucestershire in a deflating defeat at Uxbridge but three of his matches have gone and he is running out of time to kick-start the season.As Vettori looks for solutions, perhaps legspinner Nathan Sowter holds the key. Sowter has had a hit and miss start to the season, opening with of 1 for 42 against Surrey but bouncing back with an economical 1 for 24 against Essex as others faltered. There is a growing trend in limited overs cricket of utilising leg-spin, and Sowter could be Middlesex’s answer.Last season, when Middlesex had only recorded two wins from their first seven matches, their season was nearly over at the halfway point. They are in danger of suffering the same fate this year.
