McDermott cuts formal ties with CA, opens own bowling school

Sydney, Nov 8 (ANI): Craig McDermott has cut formal ties with Cricket Australia and opened his own travelling fast-bowling school aimed at producing the next generation of fast bowlers. The former Australia spearhead, who was the bowling coach, was credited with masterminding Australia's dominance over India last summer. He was instrumental in guiding the likes of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Patrick Cummins and Mitchell Starc to international prominence. Since stepping down as the Australian team's bowling coach in May he continued in a consultancy role at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence, before linking up with Ireland at the World Twenty20, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. He is now branching out, launching a clinic roadshow called "PACE Bowling Australia", a development that serves to benefit those younger bowlers who come under his tuition. His company's clients are unlikely to be limited to young Australian bowlers either, with interest already lodged from India for him to conduct clinics at its academies. "It's pretty exciting for us to be able to get down to the grassroots level between the age of eight and 18. I feel that there is a real gap there in our coaching and in our talent ID and in our coach education in that area, so that's what our company is going to be aiming towards," McDermott said. "We're trying to run about 60 or 70 clinics Australia-wide every year and we'll try to expand that from pace into spin and possibly batting down the track. It's about trying to prepare our players earlier, to try and educate them from a strength and conditioning and mental point of view." McDermott's privately run clinics will feature video technology examining the physical strength and weaknesses of teenage bowlers and their actions, aimed at trying to avoid injuries as they progress. (ANI)