Eldine Baptiste Q&A

A new feature on Kenya Cricket.com will be a monthly interview with a player or official connected to Kenyan Cricket. Please note that due to distance constraints most interviews will take place via email so some questions may seem abrupt. We hope you enjoy the new feature and find the information of interest none-the-less.

It is fitting that as a new national coach has just been appointed, our first interview is with Eldine Baptiste (pictured during his time at Eastern Province in south Africa). We would like to thank him for taking the time to answer some questions on his plans for the future.

What are your three main priorities as national coach?

1) Work together with the management and its shareholders and players and other entities.
ii) To form an alliance of discipline and respect the players.
iii) Getting to know each players weakness and strength and once the areas have been identified we will work to improve and eliminate any negatives shades

What are your short term goals as coach and what are your long term goals?

Short term goals.
Need to get a squad that will be able to compete in all competitions.

Long term goals.
To prepare our selves from now to 2011.

When Kenya were interviewing for the position they stated that one of the candidates had extensive plans on how to develop and progress the game in Kenya. Were you that candidate and if so can you give us an insight into those plans?

I’ m not that candidate.

Do you have plans for a more active role for the Kenya A team to help bridge the gap between the domestic game and the national side?

The only involvement will be to watch the local league and look for young talents.
The league structure should have a good development program and needs to have teams to have balance strength Vs strength.

From what you have seen of the Kenyan team in the past, where do you think you will be able to make the biggest impact and where do you think you will be able to make the quickest impact?

The biggest is to make players be professionals on all the disciplines and work on technical skills
.
Quickest impact is to make the players understand the basics of the game.

What is your biggest concern with your new position?

The concern is to improve on the one day game performance.

All Kenya’s current national squared, with the exception of UK based Seren Waters, are from Nairobi. Do you envisage this as something that may change during your tenure?

I intend to spread the game beyond Nairobi.

There are only a few weeks before your first match in charge of the Kenya team. How do you plane to use this short time to make Kenya competitive against a strengthening Zimbabwe side?

Do our basics well and execute our game plane.

How do you envisage your role as national coach tying in with development of Kenya cricket at junior and grass roots level?

To coach the coaches who are to handling development in to get to produce better players.

How much say will you have in selection of both the national squad and of the playing xi?

Yes I will always have say in the final selection.

Does your ‘no sacred cows’ quote the Standard mean that we may see some new faces in the national team?

There will be opportunities for better players to be in the side. If they are good enough players, they will always be given advice.

Given the politics that have plagued Kenyan cricket in recent years, how have you prepared your self for this and how to plan to deal with the different factions you will come across?

Politics I leave for politicians and I only deal with cricket issues and control what I can, I will let those who can deal with it deals with it.

Again, our thanks to Eldine for taking the time to share his thoughts. If there is a player or official you would like to see featured in future interviews, please let us know either via email or through our facebook page.