Saying that, Bradley Hodge isn't even playing, and he's a hell of a good player, too."As for England, spin is the one big area of concern. There aren't enough fast bowlers either, but England is better off than most countries. We need to work hard until such time as there is no argument that England are the best team in the world." A pause, which from anyone but Marsh would be for dramatic effect He doesn't do dramatic effect. "And then we need to work even harder, to maintain that."I asked him the 64,000 Australian-dollar question. How far are England from supplanting his 11 fellow countrymen as the best team in the world?"Well, Australia are still pretty bloody good. "And it has given a sense of belonging to the junior squads, instead of them going to Lilleshall, which wasn't theirs, preparing in sub-standard conditions.

Really, the academy was the missing link to bridge the gap between youth cricket and senior cricket, to integrate the best juniors."But I would also expect the senior players to have a couple of camps there before the one-day squad goes to South Africa in January, and when the outdoor nets are up and running I would expect the England team to train there. Maybe they think that's too low a level for them."Whatever, the result is that a lot of these kids are never taught that they need to watch the cricket ball. Greg Chappell once got seven ducks in a row when he was captain of Australia and the country's premier batsman, and he admitted that he wasn't watching the ball. He had to go back to basics and if that lesson was important enough for him to learn, it should be good enough for kids of 10 and 11. Coaches should never feel too high and mighty to teach that, or to remind players of it. It's amazing how many top players need to be reminded to watch the ball."Clearly, no batsman will emerge from the national academy without a firm grasp of those basics. "The place is a foundation on which a strong England can be maintained," Marsh said.

But Marsh thinks that the standard of cricket coaching generally, in this country and elsewhere, leaves plenty to be desired. "There is no doubt that cricket has got better since I played But there is too much jargon talked by a lot of coaches. There is a lot more bullshit talked than I would want to hear if I were a player And that is at all levels. You can't become a great player without a firm grasp of the basics, but unfortunately people don't teach the basics any more I don't know why. "I can't believe he faces cover, then jumps back into line just before the bowler bowls. I find that highly amusing."Future England wicketkeepers will have such quirks removed at the national academy, if all goes to plan.