Role of a talent scout in cricket
Have you witnessed the last two IPL (Indian Premier League) player auctions? Amazed by the purse size and how it is spent on players to form the winning team? Consider it pure luck and purchasing power or see it as a structured hard work that goes behind picking the right player. We bet that it is 80% hard work and talent in identifying the right talent and 20% on how that player performs on D-day
A talent scout in cricket plays an extremely important role in identyfing new talent and aligning them with the team owner’s or the national squads requirement. Not every talent scout is the same, they have different perspectives and process in collecing the requirement, idenifying and reporting a list of players. It is a very individual thing. A bias towards a certaion type of players is something the talent scouts avoid to keep an open mind and and see what is on offer and how it helps the teams interests
The process starts with collecting the requirement of what kind of player is to be scouted for, then a schedule is made to watch cricket matches in person, on the TV or via other methods. There is a lot of travelling involved and the talent scouts generally have a team that spread out and try to cover different venues where the matches are played.
The scout goes in with a requirement and if he likes someone then more information is found out about them via thier coaches or cricket academies. It does not stop there, they watch multiple mataches the player is playing at to get a sense of the temparement and skill in different match siutations and under pressure. It is a conitnuous process and the scout keeps looking out until they have some players who can be invited for a selection trial.
It is a difficult process, you have to go to remote places to watch torunaments - says Praveen Amre
The selection process is also not a one off thing as the player might not perform at their peak in that isolated event and it is harsh on them to decide based on the single instance. So there are multiple rounds of selection and the scouts look out for, make notes and share their feedback with the team. But even in multiple instances the talent scout is not happy then that player is not selected for further process.
Cricket academies and cricket camps are also a great platform to unearth talent says reputed talent scouts working in the industry. And initiatives such as the TNCA’s (Tamil Nadu Cricket Associations) talent identification pathway is highly appreciated and is welcomed by renowned cricketers like R Ashwin and believes that such talent identification pathway is necessary to identify and groom players at the grassroots to play at the highest level
It is an year round process, you never know where you can find talent
We at HomeGround are building technology that is accessible to the grassroot players and helps them analyse, monitor and track their skill progression. This helps them build their digital skill profiles which can be shared with talent scouts for discovering opportunities and showcasing their talent