Mark Ramprakash talks about his appointment as England Batting Coach
By Callum Dent
Mark Ramprakash is relishing the opportunity to continue working with “a hugely talented group of players” after his appointment as permanent England Batting Coach was confirmed yesterday.
The 45-year-old, who has enjoyed coaching spells with England Lions in the past, started assisting the senior squad last May and now succeeds Graham Gooch on a full-time basis.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk, Ramprakash said: “What was nice about the summer was that I had done two winters with the England Lions, so I already had relationships with some of the players.
“That certainly helped going into that environment, seeing a few friendly faces and guys that I already knew and worked with. That really helped me settle in.
“Looking forward, it is a very exciting winter. I think we have a hugely talented group of players so I am looking forward to supporting them and working with them.
“Now to have this official position I am very excited about the future.”
The former batsman brings a wealth of experience to the role following a glittering 25-year career in which he represented Surrey, Middlesex and England and compiled 133 centuries.
With all that in mind, Ramprakash - who featured in 52 Tests and 18 one-day internationals for his country - believes he has a lot to offer Peter Moores’ current squad.
He said: “I feel I have got a nice balance of drawing on 25 years experience as a player, where I saw a lot of different things in the cricket world.
“I played for different teams and worked with different coaches, different players and travelled the world.
“You draw upon your own experiences in your own career, but in the last two years I have learned a huge amount about coaching and the bigger picture. I am very much open to that. I think that is a nice, healthy balance to have.
“I am here to work with the batters but I am also here to give to the environment and the team as a whole. I am a coach in all areas.
“You have a voice and an opinion and hopefully there is a contribution there as well. I am part of the set-up and I want to contribute in a positive way. But primarily I am looking forward to working with the batsmen.”
Really excited & feel privileged about my new role working with the England cricket. Looking forward to supporting the team.
— Mark Ramprakash (@MarkRamprakash) November 6, 2014
Having lost their last two ODI series, to Sri Lanka and India respectively, England have improvements to make ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
They continue their preparations with a seven-match ODI tour of Sri Lanka, which will be Ramprakash’s first assignment in his new permanent role.
He agrees with James Anderson’s assessment that England are underdogs for the showpiece in Australia and New Zealand next year, but insists they can use that to their advantage.
Ramprakash added: “We have a huge winter of one-day cricket and I think we are exciting in that regard because we have huge talent.
“I think it is fair to say England are a bit of a wildcard for the World Cup, but that makes us dangerous.
“If we can get the players to relax and perhaps play as underdogs with nothing to lose and a no-fear attitude, then I think England can surprise a few people.”