Aggression and attitude. Former South African quick Allan Donald had oodles of both as a player - not to mention raw pace - so he will certainly be emphasising the two attributes in his new role as bowling coach of the New Zealand cricket team.
Donald, 44, who recently finished a stint as head coach of Zimbabwe domestic side the Mountaineers and previously worked with Warwickshire and England, this week joined New Zealand at least until the end of the World Cup in April.
He is not expecting to work miracles given the time constraints, but he will quickly stamp his mark and demand the highest of standards of a bowling unit which have been involved in 11 consecutive one-day international losses.
"I know I'm coming into a side which has had a few problems in one-day cricket but I feel I can help with the bowlers," Donald said in Wellington today ahead of New Zealand's first one-day international against Pakistan here on Saturday.
"The one thing that is obviously missing now is a bit of inspiration and encouragement.
"You're working with players who know and understand their actions and their roles in the team, so you're not going to come in and over-coach things, but the big thing I always focus on is attitude and intensity, and that starts at the training ground.
"I learned a lot from (South African coach) Eddie Barlow and he kicked my butt when I was practising wrong. So not only the skills, but that's the inspiration I think these boys need now."
If anybody can inspire New Zealand's bowlers it should be Donald, the man dubbed 'White Lightning' during his playing days. One of the fiercest and fastest bowlers of his era, he took 330 wickets from 72 tests at an average of 22.25 between 1992 and 2002.
"You can't expect miracles and we need to discuss this as a bowling group, I need to find out from them about what their thoughts are and what they're lacking, where we can improve," he said.
"But I've got to try and find a way to inspire. I grew up in a South African setup where I knew what I was going to get from the guy at the other end, and I knew what I was going to get from the bowling group as a collective unit.
"I've played against New Zealand a lot and ... I felt you could pick out the individuals within the bowling unit who were going to make a difference, guys like Dion Nash and Chris Cairns, for instance. But not collectively, and I think that's what we need to bring to the table as a collective unit, the intensity and the attitude."
Mental application, it seems, is non-negotiable.
"You can work with someone who's got a dodgy action or struggling, or injury prevention. If the fitness and strength is good then the mental aspect will fall into it."
Donald reckons it took him "about 20 minutes" to make the decision when he got a phone call from new New Zealand coach John Wright, such was his desire to be involved at international level.
"I missed out with England (in 2007) simply because of my son's health, I couldn't accept a two-year deal from Peter Moores, but now this is an opportunity that I've been waiting for."
He would like to stay with the team longer than his short-term deal and discussions will be had in the coming weeks. He has wondered why New Zealand have not been able to produce quick bowlers and is keen to make a difference.
"I switched the TV on the other day and I saw this kid (Adam) Milne run in at 150kmh, so there are some bright youngsters coming through the ranks.
"I like Tim Southee, I watched him the last three days and the way he operated and I think you need a guy who has got a bit of white-line fever. That aggression is good and that's the kind of attitude that I'm talking about as a collective unit that we need to instil.
"I know it's not in everybody's culture and makeup to be that aggressive but I think that the team needs to understand how it lifts people and the buzz it creates."
He is also looking forward to working with young Canterbury quick Hamish Bennett, who has been included in the World Cup squad.
"I read up some stats about him, I know he can bowl some heavy stuff," Donald said.
