John Dyson assists local juniors at Shaun Brown Cricket Coaching camp

While both are hugely successful, neither plays with what many refer to as the textbook technique.

Being able to succeed while playing your own game was something former Australian cricketer John Dyson was keen to discuss while at Dubbo on Wednesday as part of the Shaun Brown Cricket Coaching camp.

Dyson, who played 30 tests for Australia before going on to coach both Sri Lanka and the West Indies, passed on tips to the bumper number of juniors at the Bob Dowling and John McGrath ovals.

“Everyone has their own little slant on the basics and there is no definite ‘this is the way you have to do it’ but if they get the idea of what’s considered the right way it gives them a good start,” Dyson said, before speaking about Smith and Handscomb.

“It’s not just those two. You go back and there’s guys who have done particularly well in international cricket that aren’t out of the textbook but because they are a little bit different they’re hard to play against.

“There’s a basic technique but everyone has their own slant and I suggest to kids they go away and watch their favourite players and imitate their favourite players.

“But a lot does come back to that there is a few straight bat shots and a few cross bat shots and same with bowling, there’s a basic technique that stands you in good stead for everything you do.”

Dyson also played 29 one-day internationals and took what many refer to as “the catch of the century” when he caught Sylvester Clarke in the deep, over his head while running backwards in 1982.

The man who scored two test hundreds was the most high-profile of the Shaun Brown coaches who ran the local juniors through a huge range of activities on Wednesday. As well as the regular batting and bowling drills, there were a number of challenges the youngsters got to take part in while there was also the opportunity for fun activities like bowling in front of a speed gun.

There was also the opportunity for aspiring batsman and bowlers to take part in video analysis as a number of the activities were recorded.

“Every school holidays I enjoy going to the camps and see the kids start off,” Dyson said.

“In the couple of days sometime you see some really rapid improvement if its drastic fault but what we try and do is give the kids the basics so they can go away and know what the basics are and practice.

“I say to the kids that I was lucky to see Steve Smith when he was 12 and we know what a great player he has turned out to be but in those days it was just about learning the basics of cricket.”