Worth the Wait by Darren Lehmann

Author:Darren Lehmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO016000
ISBN: 9781742734644
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Published: 2005-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

THOSE

TWO

WORDS

I don’t look back on things I have done in my cricketing career and worry too much about whether they make me feel proud, happy, ashamed, or anything else. It’s not in my nature to do that. I tend to just front up and get on with it. I enjoy playing cricket and obviously I enjoy it more when we succeed, but I am not one of those people who carry achievements around like a badge of honour.

At my home there is almost no memorabilia. You won’t see pictures of me playing or any framed shirts or caps. Maybe one day, when it’s all over, I might mount a few pieces that I can look back on and be proud of.

But when I do look back, which isn’t often, the one thing that usually springs to mind is something I wish I hadn’t done. It happened on 15 January 2003, when Australia was playing a oneday international against Sri Lanka at the Gabba in Brisbane.

I was in really good form at the time. I was coming off a good summer in all forms of the game, especially in oneday cricket. After a period in the wilderness following the 1999 World Cup I had re-established myself as a regular member of the Australian oneday team. We were getting towards the concluding stages of the VB Series and this match was against a Sri Lankan side that wasn’t going to make the finals. England was the other team in the three-way competition.

I felt particularly good when I was batting, I was seeing the ball well, moving nicely and generally finding the middle of the bat. I’d reached about 40 and we were cruising to a comfortable victory, needing about four an over to win the match.

Even though we were doing it easy, I must admit I thought their attack was there for the taking and it was time for us to take a few risks, put the foot down and really finish them off. The fact that we weren’t doing that was starting to frustrate me a little. While the result wasn’t in doubt, the way we were playing wasn’t to my liking.

I hit the ball to deep point and, coming back for the second run, took on the fielder when I shouldn’t have. I wanted the strike back and momentarily forgot that I was a stumpy-legged waddler who wasn’t going to win a sprint race anywhere.

Suddenly I was out, run out, and the frustration that had been building in me boiled over. I can’t explain why I was so angry because we were in a very good position and, contrary to some people’s idea of what occurred, no-one from the Sri Lankan team said a word after I was dismissed.

Truth is, I hadn’t been happy for a while with parts of our oneday batting, and that day had been a great example of it.

Anger built up in me as I got closer and closer to the rooms and once in there I exploded, in the worst possible way.

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