Bedi invited to attend seminar in England

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 18. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has invited former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi to attend a seminar for coaches titled Cricketlive 2001.

This will be the second edition of the event, the last being held during the 1999 World Cup. The venue-Telford International Centre at Birmingham-remains the same with the event scheduled to be held on May 1 and 2.

``I am honoured,'' said Bedi, ever willing to learn and share his knowledge. Bedi will be one of the 4,000 coaches from all over the world expected to attend the seminar.

Among the luminaries invited are Barry Richards, Bob Cottom, Ian Healy, Rod Marsh, Mushtaq Mohammad, David Boob, Mike Gatting, Tom Cartwright and the current England coach Duncan Fletcher.

Richards, Gatting and Boon will speak on how to bat against spinners while Fletcher will throw light on how to identify and develop the success formula. Marsh and Hugh Morris will educate the gathering on the principles of an academy.

Bedi, along with Terry Jenner, who shaped Shane Warne's career, will give a lecture on the art of spin bowling. Mushtaq's topic will be spin vision while Cartwright will deal with a subject which interests Bedi the most: Cricket, lifetime of learning.

``Can't afford to miss even if I have to make my own travel arrangements. The motto of my academy has been `observe and absorb' and this is what this seminar is all about. It will be a great opportunity to learn a few things. Cricket is a learning process for me,'' said Bedi.

Bedi, one of the finest left-arm spinners the game has seen, had also figured in the MCC Master Class, an educational video. Recently, Bedi was invited to Dhaka to teach the budding youngsters the basics of spin bowling and has been sought by cricket authorities of Sri Lanka and New Zealand to share his wisdom with some of their up and coming and some established stars. Bedi has also been involved with the MRF on clinics in spin bowling.

Two years ago, the Cricketlive seminar gave the audience an opportunity to interact with distinguished personalities like Richard Hadlee, Bob Woolmer, Allan Donald, Bob Taylor, Desmond Haynes...

On the benefit of conducting such seminars, Bedi said, ``It helps everyone connected with the game. Spin bowling, as far as I am concerned, is still a very potent force. It is as it was 100 years ago. It is as Wilfred Rhodes used to bowl. And that is what I tell every youngster.''

Incidentally, Bedi is the only cricketer from India to be invited to this seminar.

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