For Hemant Angle, cricket has always been a medium of expression, a medium to convey the positive side of life. He played 33 first-class matches for Goa in a career spanning seven years before retiring in 1992. An aggregate of 1085 runs and 58 wickets — with his off-spinners — was below his potential, but Angle has no regrets.
After he quit playing, Angle served as a coach and match referee. “I could not stay away from the game,” he says.
His years of experience have culminated in a coaching manual, a pictorial guide for the learners. “You have to learn cricket the right way from the first day itself. Technique is paramount in any sport and cricket demands greater attention. Batting, bowling and fielding evoke various challenges and this book is my humble offering to those who want to play the game the way it should be,” says Angle.
Learn to Play Cricket is a handy guide for cricketers at the club level. “It can be used by coaches at academies where kids hardly get a pictorial guide to play cricket correctly. There are manuals for coaches and seniors but nothing for the kids. My book makes it easier for the kids to understand,” Angle explains.
To his delight, the book has received recognition from the Marylebone Cricket Club. In a letter, the MCC Research Officer, Neil Robinson, said, “The book has now been added to the MCC Library collection where it will occupy the same shelves as coaching manuals written by many of the game’s greats over the years, and of course the MCC Coaching Manual itself. We have more than 300 such titles.”
Angle has a simple message for aspiring cricketers — “Enjoy seeing the pictures and correcting yourself with your coach.” The author can be reached at anglehemant@sify.com for more information.
Vijay Lokapally
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