England cricket team ropes in All Blacks' mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka, famous for ‘no d***heads policy'
England's decision to onboard a mental skills coach came amid a high-drama series against India, where the home side is currently leading the five-match Test series 2-1 after the third Test at Lord's.
According to The Telegraph, Enoka has been brought in by his compatriot Brendon McCullum — with whom he previously worked in New Zealand cricket — to toughen up an England squad amid a pivotal phase that includes series against India followed by the all-important Ashes against Australia.
Enoka has been working behind the scenes with McCullum's team since a pre-season camp in London ahead of the Zimbabwe Test in May. On Tuesday, he addressed the players before training at Old Trafford and will remain with the squad until the end of the week, per The Telegraph.
A key figure in New Zealand rugby, Enoka has been associated with the All Blacks since 2000, serving in various roles. After 15 years as a mental skills coach, he spent the last seven as their leadership manager. His tenure coincided with a golden era for the team, including back-to-back World Cup triumphs (2011 and 2015) and a prolonged reign as the world's top-ranked side.
Before his rugby success, Enoka worked with the New Zealand cricket team (1998–2004) and the national netball team (1994–97). More recently, he was hired by Premier League club Chelsea in 2023 for a stint in England.
'A dickhead makes everything about them,' he said in 2017. 'They are people who put themselves ahead of the team, people who think they're entitled to things, expect the rules to be different for them, people operating deceitfully in the dark, or being unnecessarily loud about their work.
'The management might not spot these counterproductive behaviours. The players and leaders themselves should call others out for their inflated egos. Often teams put up with it because a player has so much talent. We look for early warning signs and wean the big egos out pretty quickly. Our motto is: 'If you can't change the people, change the people,'' as quoted by The Guardian.
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Once again the most-repeated 'end of the day' summation on this series—the first hour tomorrow would be crucial—echoed around the storied ground. This game too has the opening of a gripping drama. The pitch is no sleeping beauty, this is no batting paradise, the spinners are getting turn, pacers the bounce. The 'Theatre of Dreams', the home of footballers that has the same name, is round the corner. But cricket's Old Trafford too might throw up a game of gravitas. On the very first day, a fairytale almost unfolded. Sudharsan getting into the playing XI here wasn't a popular decision. Experts have believed that he shouldn't have replaced Karun Nair, who should have been given one more game. But those in the know say that it was captain Shubman Gill who backed Sudharsan. No one has seen India's new No.3 as closely as Shubman. They are opening partners at Gujarat Titans. The two have spent long hours on the field and months together during the IPL. 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Sudharsan's county stint also prepared him to negotiate the English conditions, the kind India encountered for the first time on this tour. In the few games he played for Surrey, the left-hander learned to relax and give importance to the technical aspects of the game. 'As a batsman, when you are juggling between formats, I believe only the mindset should change, not your game … There is a big shift tactically. When I go to England, I have to leave a lot more balls than I usually do,' he had told The Indian Express. It is the wrists that manipulate the ball into the gaps, making it difficult for the captain to set a field. When he was in the company of Pant, another batsman with a knack of hitting the ball in unguarded areas, it seemed England were in trouble. The two were toying with the bowlers, India seemed set for a long partnership. England were losing the grip and then came the twist. 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