Paul Farbrace insists England’s players deserve all the credit for reaching the ICC World Twenty20 final on Sunday.
Farbrace led Sri Lanka to the title years ago and England Bowling Coach Ottis Gibson oversaw the West Indies triumph in 2012, so Head Coach Trevor Bayliss will hope to lead his coaching staff to a treble when England take on the Windies in Kolkata.
But despite the back-room team’s impressive World T20 credentials, Farbrace emphasized that it was the players who had steered England to their first final since 2010.
“It’s exciting,” Farbrace told ecb.co.uk. “It’s not about us the staff, we’ve got a fair representation from the last few finals – I think the last three one of us have been involved with.
“Sunday’s all about the players – they’re the ones who have earned the right to get to Kolkata and play the final.”
Chris Gayle led West Indies to victory over England in their Super 10s opener, but Farbrace believes the side have improved since then.
“We’ve said all along that having lost the first game pretty much every game has been a semi-final,” he added.
“They’ve coped with that pressure, they’ve coped with people writing them off, saying they lack experience and lack knowledge of India.
“They just keep getting better and better and the one thing we’ve talked about a lot is not only being a team that’s learning and developing but being a team that’s winning because international sport is about winning.
“To keep not only learning but understanding the conditions, understanding the way cricket is played in this part of the world and how you have to think on your think but to win against proper opposition is fantastic.
“Our job between now and Sunday is just to keep the lads calm and talk to them about the fact it’s a fantastic opportunity.
“Our focus will be all on us, it will be talking about reminding the players what they do well, reminding them how they practice and why they practice in the way they have and so that when they come to the game situation that will be as instinctive as possible and go and play your way – that’s all we’ve ever said.
“Let’s make sure we’re aggressive with our intent and take the game to the opposition. Play the way you’ve played for your county and enjoy playing like that.”
Source: ECB