It is difficult for many cricketers to break away completely from the game once their playing days are over. Fortunately though there are many ways in which they can keep in close touch with cricket. Some go into administration, others became TV commentators and still others take up coaching. And now with the International Cricket Council determined to globalise the game, the door is open for former cricketers to coach in countries where cricket is still in its infancy. Why, only recently we heard the news about Mohinder Amarnath going to Morocco to coach and popularise the game there. Even in countries like Kenya and Bangladesh, cricket gained firmer root following famous cricketers taking up coaching assignments there.

Next week, four former Indian cricketers will be in Melbourne to attend the Level 3 coaching course, conducted by the Australian Cricket Academy. They will be among 40 others - all former Test players from other countries - who will attend the week long course. Former Indian pace bowler TA Sekhar underwent the course a couple of years ago and readily acknowledges that the stint made him a better coach. Sekhar of course is already the chief coach at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.

This year the four attending the course are WV Raman, Ashok Malhotra, Madan Lal and Roger Binny. Malhotra and Madan Lal are already running academies in Calcutta and New Delhi while Binny is set to take over as coach of the National Academy, to be inaugurated at Bangalore on May 1. Raman, who retired from first class cricket last year, is undergoing the course as a useful exercise. After all, it may come in handy if a former Test player is required to coach and popularise the game in some country where interest is still in the embryonic stage.

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