Bringing Home the Ashes: Winning with England by Root Joe

Author:Root, Joe [Root, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 2015-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

8 A DIFFERENT TUNE

O NE of the bonuses of finishing the first Test ahead of schedule was getting to see Ed Sheeran perform at Wembley Stadium on what should have been the fifth evening in Cardiff. After a Sunday roast with Carrie’s family just outside her home city of Bristol, we headed down to London to see a bloke with a guitar and a loop pedal holding 80,000 people in the palm of his hand.

Michael Vaughan had got hold of some tickets and offered us the chance to watch this genius performer. To have a packed house at Wembley either on the edge of their seats or on their feet up singing the words must be an amazing feeling. I’ve always loved music and although heavier stuff like Foo Fighters and Muse are more my thing, I fully appreciate the appeal of someone like Ed who strips everything back.

I’ve never had lessons, but I play a bit of guitar and ukulele myself. It all stemmed from the tour of New Zealand in 2012–13 when I was keen to come up with something to occupy my time. Most of the other players had wives and girlfriends with them on that trip and being single at the time meant I was going to be spending plenty of afternoons and evenings on my lonesome.

One day when I was out shopping, I passed a music shop and this ukulele in the window display caught my eye. I had tried to learn a bit of guitar as a kid but not got very far, and as it had remained on my bucket list of things to do away from the cricket field, this little instrument seemed a suitable alternative. It fits in my suitcase and Phil Neale, the England operations manager, doesn’t have to worry about finding extra space in the golf-bag-dominated excess baggage on tours as he would if I was lugging a guitar round. (On at least one tour he also had to contend with Matt Prior contributing a bike to our load.)

So I took the ukulele away with me that day and have carried it round ever since. Playing a few tunes is good fun and there is a sense of accomplishment when you’ve mastered one. Not that I can even read music. I just go on YouTube, watch some instructor tutorials and then try to copy what they do. I would like to say that Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Mardy Bum’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ by Oasis never sounded so good. But my mum always taught me not to tell lies, so I’ll have to keep practising.

Social events like that Ed Sheeran gig or playing golf against Adam Lyth and Stuart Broad at The Grove, Hertfordshire, the following day play an important part during a series with such a relentless schedule as the Ashes. Being able to switch off and keep your mind fresh is crucial when there are five Test matches in just forty-two days. Without that kind of relaxing distraction, you risk turning into a cricket robot.

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