The Secret Cricketer by Anonymous

Author:Anonymous
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

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Country File

I DIDN’T play a lot of international cricket. So, if you are trying to work out who I am, there is one clue.

Mind you, there are quite a few of us in that category. For every Stokes, Archer and Root there are hundreds more players. Good, but not quite good enough to play at the highest level.

As I will explain, I knew pretty early in my career that the highest honours were going to elude me and with it the opportunity to earn life-changing sums of money.

I did play for the Lions, which I suppose is the next best thing, and I am proud of my England sweater and cap. I spent time in and around the England camp and enjoyed some great experiences with a bunch of outstanding players and offered me an unbelievable insight into what makes the very best players tick. I won’t throw them away or flog them on eBay. Those few weeks did at least offer me a little insight into what it’s like to play at the elite level.

I do know what it’s like to face world-class opponents on a regular basis. I have played in front of massive crowds. And I have been around players who got picked for England and soon crashed and burned. Picking up the threads of their career and get back on the treadmill can be hard for them, and the rest of us dealing with the fallout.

Do I think there were players not as good as me who did play for England during my time? Yes, loads, and hundreds of other players will feel the same. But why does one player of similar age and comparable average get chosen ahead of someone else? Does it help what county you play for? Is there a window of time in your career when you think ‘If I don’t get picked now, I never will?’

I often get asked if I played against superstar x or superstar y in their formative years and whether I could tell if they were destined for greatness. And people are always interested in discovering whether I thought team-mates and opponents who should have gone on to greater things didn’t. That isn’t always because of their ability. A lot of other factors are at work. Sometimes it is down to the one thing no one can control: luck.

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