Alex Ferguson might have spent 26 years at Old Trafford before announcing his intention to retire, and Roberto Mancini three years across the city of Manchester but as their departures claim the majority of the headlines, another inspirational, long-serving and successful coach is stepping down.
Unless you follow cricket closely, you might not have heard of him. Even some people who do follow closely might struggle to remember his name but his impact, while perhaps not up there with that of Sir Alex, has been nothing short of sensational in a five-year spell in charge of the England Women.
During Mark Lane’s time in charge, the England team scaled the heights of World Cup success, ICC World Twenty20 success and regaining the Ashes during a glorious seven-month spell in 2009. Ten years on from the miracle of Barcelona, Lane and his team, led so well by Charlotte Edwards and Claire Taylor, did their own treble.
I never thought the girls, or Lane himself, got the credit they deserved. At the time, Andrews Flower and Strauss were just beginning their ascent to the top of the world but Lane’s England team had already got there, and maintained their position as world leaders against all-comers. As we know, however, an Ashes win is on a different level to anything else in English cricket and it overshadowed everything else.
The comparison with Fergie at the top of the piece is perhaps a little mischievous, but there are parallels. Like Ferguson, Lane had to cope with the retirements and departures of big-game players (Taylor, Nikki Shaw, for example) and rebuild his team ready for new challenges. His new team made it to the final of the World Twenty20 last year, only to fall to rivals Australia (the Barcelona to New Zealand’s Bayern Munich, perhaps?), who would then scupper England’s chances of retaining the 50-over tournament earlier this year.
Five years – more time than Mancini, and most Premier League managers, get – was enough for Lane, however, but in that time he had a stunning record. 46 wins out of 60 One-Day Internationals played for a win rate of 77%. In Twenty20 Internationals, it was even better – 43 out of 54 for a win-rate of 80%. Not bad in a format that is ripe for upsets.
Admittedly, over the course of his time in charge he had the benefit of working with world-class players, some of the best in the world, but he always seemed to know how to get the best out of them, to keep them performing and delivering when it mattered. That came from his attention to detail, meticulous planning and making sure that he and his coaching team had covered every eventuality.
He wasn’t afraid to try new things. Getting the team working on dancing together ahead of the World Cup in 2009 was a novel way to build team spirit, but it certainly didn’t do anybody any harm, and taking the girls to Bangalore to work on their technique against spin, where they played Under-19 boys, was a more conventional, yet clever, move.
All things considered, he has ensured that despite some major changes in personnel, he leaves England’s team in a vastly better state than when he picked it up.
Just like Ferguson did with Manchester United. And just like Ferguson, Lane could prove to be a hard man to replace.