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Image: Ed Cowan has had a mixed start to his Test career

MATTHEW WOOD, of Balanced Sports, believes the current Australian side is a team with an identity crisis.

Despite two consecutive series wins in vastly different circumstances, the Australian cricket team still tricks the eye.  In one Test, Ed Cowan resembles a doughty old-school opener, capable of withstanding the best attacks in world cricket; the following, he disappears into the sheds at 1/11.  During one match, Shane Watson fights indomitably for a hard-earned 80; the next, he plays over and around a nothing-ball and departs meekly.  In any one series Australia is likely to employ seven different bowlers.

With victories against India and the West Indies under his belt and a reasonable layoff before their next Test, it’s time Michael Clarke examined his team.  They aren’t super talented, abounding with youthful promise or even stocked with journeymen.  The Australian team, or even the thirty-man CA contract list, has no defining single characteristic which unifies them.  And it shows.

Australia are a team without an identity.  Without that unifying factor and devoid of knowledge of who they are as a team, the country’s Test players will continue to play inconsistent cricket.

The greatest teams in world cricket history have rocked an identity which was the personification of their most dominant collective character traits.  The Australians of the first half of the last decade epitomised arrogance.  The West Indians they replaced as ostensible World Champs exuded a fearsome, calculating vibe.  For years, Pakistan has been content with being unknowable.  Flower’s England has committed to twin attitudes of professionalism and preparation.  Look back at every great team in history and adjectives spring quickly to mind.

With the current Aussies, those adjectives are less defining and more descriptive. Inconsistent.  Journeyman.  They (mostly) try hard.

A sense of personal and collective identity matters.  Every sport has its own tales of team identities: the underdog, the supertalented high-octane team, the fine wine year, the gnarled veterans.  Stereotypes, cliches and archetypes all, but it does follow the tenet that an athlete’s perception becomes their reality: in fact, this platform underlies how players can so easily gain and lose form.  Once a self-identity is perceived, belief follows.  Labels beget certainty and self-actualisation, no matter if those tags are correct or badly misplaced.

Moving on from amateur psychology hour, there simply isn’t a objective, defining characteristic that denominates an Australian Test cricketer.  It’s begins at the top, with the key players and standard-bearers – ie. those with Class A contracts.  To wit, Watson, Clarke, David Warner, Brad Haddin and Ricky Ponting.

This handful represents starkly disparate elements of this incarnation of Australia.  While all want Australia to succeed, two are seriously concerned with retaining their positions, one seems incapable of  scores over 60 and another still learns the First Class game.  All the while, Clarke marshals his men, who seem confused as to which to rally behind.  Aggressor?  Confident?  “Grinder”?

Although (some of) these five represent Australia’s most important – and marketable – cricketers, financially rewarding these team leaders means Cricket Australia has subconsciously divided its resources.  The CA executive want success in Tests, ODIs and T20s without needing to focus on one format in particular.  Like an out-of-form batsman, they half-heartedly offer shots, afraid to fail – when a shot (or management decision) requires commitment.

The creation of consistent excellence requires a shared an ideal.  Winning creates hype, which creates interest which then grows the sport.  Of course, dividing their resources is a practice at which CA excels.

The simple question is how could the current team have an identity?  Australia has fielded the same XI in consecutive Tests only three times in the fourteen Tests since Clarke was installed as captain.  Bowlers have been constantly injured, while batsmen have been (justly) dropped when form has waned.  This capriciousness is only magnified by Australia entering an epoch where there isn’t the same level of talent as it has enjoyed for the past thirty years.

This lack of top-tier players has bred a horses-for-courses selection policy and consequently a transitory Test team.  To borrow a well-used cliché, teams need time playing together to cement relationships and trust.  With so many passing fancies, a team can’t begin to build an identity.  Alarmingly, the more consistent team elements – Hussey, Ponting and Haddin –  will likely drift into the sunset sooner rather than later.

Beholding to this tit-for-tat policy, Australian selectors have plumbed interstate cricket to select the most talented players available in a parody of an IPL-style fantasy draft.  This is best demonstrated in the recently-announced squad to tour Ireland and England, and the return of Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith and wonderboy Pat Cummins.

Cummins, rebuilt after an injury, probably deserved to tour but Johnson now has nothing on which to hang his hat but natural talent.   By resurrecting a wayward fast man whose best days are three years ago leaves observers wondering how Australian leadership sees itself: the ultimate destination for the übertalented, or a team comprised of twelve interconnected, moving parts.

Often, it is not the most talented players who build teams and distinctiveness but so-called “glue guys”.  Ashley Giles, Geoff Marsh and Gus Logie were integral to their relative sides for their ability to do a job, rather than being selected because they could or would dominate.  Australia, for so long blessed with a gene pool where every second child became a international-quality batsman, expects to maintain the luxury of playing stars also able to double as role-players.

While speaking about his time in basketball, former Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr recently stated that “All champion teams have role players”.  It’s possible that he has uncovered not only a basketball truth, but a universal one: the selection of Michael Beer and Ed Cowan – a man known worldwide after only seven Tests for one non-shot – suggests the Australian selectors are coming to the same conclusion.  Pity the role player whose situation remains undefined: when a squad lacks an overwhelming identity, individual players suffer for not knowing their own.

Inspiration and decision must come from Clarke, in collusion with coach Mickey Arthur and the Australian selectors.  The captain has obviously modelled his batsmanship on Australia’s most talismanic leader since World Series Cricket, Allan Border.   Border first offered the country’s best and most gritty batting, and then authored the country’s prevailing cricketing attitude of hard-nosed, uncompromising competitiveness.  That stance has defined the past two decades, but is now either outdated or ignored.

True and effective leadership replenishes itself, creating new leaders rather than demanding slavish obedience to a style.  Clarke has proved himself the right man for the captaincy, a man to shepherd Australia into a new era as Border did a quarter of a century ago.  However, for him to do so he must consciously elect to impart a new identity on his charges.

PAUL CARRICK shares his story of how he met the cricketing great and down-to-earth Bishan Bedi.

“No Problem, No Problem” was the cheerful response to a cold call I had made to one of the statesmen of the world game. A friend of mine had procured his number and I wanted to get something signed. “But how are we gonna do this” he continued,” you can come over to my place I live quite a distance from the city centre, but your welcome to come over”.

It’s December 8^th 2009, I’m in the wonderful city of New Delhi with great company. Neil Killeen Durham “Lifer” over 600 wickets in all competitions and statistically the best one day bowler in England for a couple of seasons in his 16 year career and Martin Speight former Sussex and Durham explosive and innovative batsman for whom IPL came a generation too late. His career 10,000 first class runs doesn’t tell the full story. Speight is a very accomplished artist and we have with us a pencil portrait of Bishan Bedi and the great man has just agreed to sign it. “Oh I tell you what, I have an appointment at the Delhi Golf Club tomorrow I’ll meet you there about one o’clock if you like”. Tomorrow at One O’clock it is then.

We are in the car park at 12:45 waiting for him to arrive. The pioneering left arm spinner, Bishan Bedi, is arguably the best of his trade that the world has ever seen. His smooth repeatable action made it almost impossible to detect a change of pace. His 1560 domestic  first class wickets is an Indian record. They cost him 21.69 over a career that spanned 20 years from his debut in 1961. His 6 year spell at Northamptonshire yielded 434 wickets. The term ball on a string appears to have been invented for him.

By 1:15pm he still hasn’t arrived, we’ve been in India long enough to know that the allotted time is only a generalisation in a country  with over a billion people and where the average motorway will accommodate 5 lanes of gridlocked traffic with drivers  giving way  to the 5000 or so cows that roam the Delhi streets. We are also aware that Bish, as he likes to be known, is not a man who is short of words or opinions. This is a man who declared India’s innings closed in protest at the West Indies intimidatory bowling during the Kingston Test in 1976. This is a man who advocated throwing the 1990 Indian touring squad in the sea after their poor displays in England. Here is a man who made clear his objection to Essex fast bowler John Lever using Vaseline to stop the sweat getting in his eyes during the Madras test on England’s  tour of India in 1976/77. Here is a man who has brought into question the legitimacy of  Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action risking litigation

Just then he arrives, immaculately dressed and wearing the trademark  pastel coloured turban that makes him instantly recognisable. “Sorry I’m late” he says politely,”you’ve probably seen the traffic problem we have in this city”. We exchange greetings and I introduce my friends “Bish this is Neil Killeen and Martin Speight” .”Ah yes” he says instantly “How is Geoff” referring to Geoff Cook Durham’s innovative and successful coach who was a team mate of  Bedi at Northants. Clearly his extensive knowledge extends to the game in England.

We show him the pencil portrait that we have asked him to sign. He comments on its quality and tells us the background to  photograph on which the portrait is based. We talk about coaching as that is the direction that Neil and Martin are heading when their careers draw to a close. “I don’t even have a level 1 certificate, I just teach the kids what I learned and it works” he says with a hint of modesty.   His record  suggests you couldn’t really argue that a certificate would make him a better coach “ I’m sorry but I’m a bit pushed for time, you see, I’m playing Santa Claus at a kid’s party here but it’s great to meet you guys please stay in touch”.

With that we shake hands once again and he’s gone. We retire to the clubhouse for a soft drink. We have the appearance of the archetypal Brits abroad t-shirts and shorts and we meander into the members bar and are promptly asked to order outside. We find a table, still somewhat in awe of the man we have just met and the genuine interest he took in us. The waiter arrives at our table and we order 3 cokes with ice. “Ice Sir” the waiter asks seemingly mystified and on confirmation leaves to fetch our order. We sit for half an hour and the tables around us fill up with golfers some elated others dejected, seeking refuge from the temperatures  in the sanctuary of the 19^th hole. As the tables fill up it’s then we realise that those around us are wearing roll neck golf shirts with wool sweaters and some wear caps whilst one has the audacity to wear a woolly pom pom hat as they enjoy their hot soup. It is after all 25 degrees.

Listen to the Cricket Podcast that Plays by Backyard Rules

Audio, 15th May 2012: 33 minutes

JONATHAN HOWCROFT, DAVID SIDDALL, and MURRAY MIDDLETON chat to DAVID GREEN as the West Indies start their three test match series against England this Thursday. Australia’s one day squad gets appraised.Plus those coveted weekly awards.

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Further Reading

-Follow @TheReverseSweep on Twitter
-Who will bat at number 6 for England? by David Green
- Mark Taylor’s epic catch

Become the Podcast Hero of the Week

Special Thanks to this week’s podcast hero of the week – SRINIVAS

Tell us why you deserve to be next week’s hero by….

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As part of our continuing series, World Cricket Watch and Balanced Sports invited Glenn Mitchell, sports broadcaster and mental health advocate, to write about his favourite cricketer, Justin  Langer.  Glenn’s website is glennmitchell.com.au and he tweets @mitchellglenn

I clearly remember standing in the middle of a rain-soaked Sinhalese Sports Club in September 1999 as the third and final Test of the Sri Lanka-Australia series came to a very wet conclusion and the hosts on the precipice of a historic 1-nil series win.

Beneath the light drizzle that day I had a chat with Justin Langer near the heavily covered pitch.

Like many of the Australian batsmen during that ill-fated series, Langer had struggled for runs, scoring just 51 in four innings. Those lean performances took his then 23-Test career aggregate to 1261 runs at an unflattering average of 33.

Having taken almost six years to compile those numbers, Langer’s long term place in the team looked precarious – in fact, his short term viability at Test level looked decidedly uncertain.

As we were chatting, I asked him what his goals were for the future. He looked me straight in the eye and said he wanted to play 100 Test matches.

I smiled back, but behind the smile I was thinking that such an ambition was more than likely a quixotic dream, the misplaced desire of a young man who loved the sport and with it, representing his country. In short, I doubted his future while Langer believed firmly in his.

History will indicate that one of us got it right and I am happy to state that it wasn’t me.

Langer entered Test retirement the same day that Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath hung up their boots – at the end of the historic final Ashes Test at the SCG in January 2007, on the back of a 5-nil series whitewash.

Langer left centre stage having played 105 Tests during which time he amassed 7696 runs, with 23 centuries, at 45.3.

Those figures speak volumes for his ability, drive, self-belief and desire to succeed. But, like so many statistics in life they are merely numbers – numbers that fail to truly paint the picture of Langer’s career.

He first made people sit up and take notice during the last match of his maiden Sheffield Shield season for Western Australia. Batting at three, the 21-year-old came to the crease at the WACA Ground in the Shield Final against New South Wales without a run having been scored in his side’s second innings.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself staring at a scoreboard that read 3/3; the batsmen falling all well-credentialed and experienced – Geoff Marsh, Michael Veletta and Tom Moody. While those around him lost their heads, Langer firmly applied his to the daunting task at hand.

He compiled a match-defining 149 against an attack that boasted Test quicks Geoff Lawson and Mike Whitney. WA went on to win the match by 44 runs on the back of Langer’s heroics.

It came to light after his innings that he had been involved in a serious car accident on the way to the ground that morning.

The confluence of events that day, both on and off the ground, said much about Langer’s inner resolve, a trait that served him well throughout his career.

His first match beneath the baggy green was against the West Indies in Adelaide in January 1993. It was a baptism of fire. Australia famously lost the encounter by a solitary run while Langer made scores of 20 and 54, along the way being felled by a bouncer from Ian Bishop.

From the time he took guard in that match, he had been pigeon-holed by all and sundry as a grafter – an ugly duckling whose heart far outweighed his technique and attractiveness at the crease. Throughout his Test career he had to fight constantly to convince the naysayers that he was worthy of his spot.

Langer was always at his best in such times with his back to the wall.

A black belt in martial arts, when Langer’s position was questioned, his eyes lost their traditional sparkle and were replaced with a look of a man who had received a corneal transplant from a shark: the steely resolve and intensity clearly displayed by a man who was anything but frangible.

Opponents would no doubt have cringed when the nuggety little left-hander’s place in the team was questioned on the eve of a Test, as more often than not Langer would make critics eat their words.

After the fateful discussion in Colombo in late 1999, the Australian team strung together a world record 16 consecutive Test victories. Langer was one of only three men – along with Mark Waugh and Michael Slater – to play in each of those historic wins, averaging 49 throughout.

Ironically, it would be Slater who provided Langer the opportunity that in many ways would provide his biggest legacy in the sport. After a lean trot during the home series against West Indies and India in 2000/01, Langer didn’t make the team for the first four Tests of the Ashes series in England. By his own admission he became despondent and withdrawn; at times he considered his international career was over at age 30.

A lifeline came ahead of the final Test at The Oval when tour selectors omitted Slater whose form and off-field antics earned him a spell. Langer seized the opportunity, opening the batting with Matthew Hayden.

He reached 102 before an Andy Caddick bouncer forced him to retire hurt. That single innings was the genesis for what became one of the great opening pairings in the game.

Back home the next Australian summer, he and his confrère eviscerated first New Zealand and then South Africa. Each made four centuries and through the six Tests shared four 200-plus opening stands.

The pairing of Langer and Hayden produced an aggregate of 6081 runs, making them the third most productive partnership in Test history behind Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (6920), and Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (6482) – quite some company.

One of Langer’s proudest possessions is a photo that hangs in his home gymnasium. It’s a shot of the scoreboard during the second Test against New Zealand in Hobart in 2001/02 which reads Langer 50no, Hayden 1no!

Langer can still bristle when asked about why he played such limited One-Day cricket for his country. His standard answer points to the six games where the selectors chose to use him and his near-Gilchristian strike rate of 89. Indeed, in the English summer of 2006 he topped the T20 aggregates with 464 runs at a strike rate of 161 for Somerset.

Whilst always perceived as a grafter and accumulator, when required Langer could destroy an attack as well as most, purloining runs with ease from a fulminatory blade. His pairing with Hayden, a fellow left-hander, provided the perfect conflation at the top of the order.

Tall and broad, Hayden batted well out of his crease and thundered drives down the ground, while the far shorter Langer collected the majority of his boundaries square on the off-side, although both were ferocious on the pull shot.

The bond they built was clearly evident when either reached a milestone – their midfield embraces often the fodder of jokes for their teammates.

When Langer finally left the Test scene he continued in first-class ranks until the end of the 2009 English season. He retired as Australia’s most prolific first-class batsmen, having surpassed Don Bradman’s previous Australian record of 28,067 runs shortly before the end of his last county stint. His 86 first-class centuries are bettered only in number by ‘The Don’, who casually peeled off 117.

By the end of his career, through dint of self-belief and a work ethic that surpassed most, Langer had finally turned doubters to admirers by dint of his efficacy. He may not have been the game’s most attractive or technically pleasing batsman, but no man has ever possessed more inward drive to succeed.

And succeed he certainly did!

Previous Favourite Cricketers

Brian Lara by David Siddall

Allan Border by Ben Roberts

Douglas Jardine by David Green

Curtly Ambrose by Matthew Wood

Sachin Tendulkar by Subash Jayaraman

Ian Botham by Jonathan Kilroy

Shane Warne by Murray Middleton

Rahul Dravid by Sujith Krishnan

Wasim Akram by Blaise Murphet

Glenn McGrath by Gary Naylor

Ed Giddins by Nick Harrison

Adam Gilchrist by Will Atkins

Angus Fraser by James Marsh

Paul Allott by Jonathan Howcroft

Tim Bresnan by Yorkshire Len

Sourav Ganguly by Christopher David

David Boon by Jimi Stephens

Herschelle Gibbs by Justin Lawrence

Bob Woolmer by Nigel Henderson

Darren Lehmann by Daniel Gray

Kumar Sangakkara by Nishant Joshi

Justin Langer by Sarah C Robinson

Andy Bichel by Nicko Hancock

Chris Tavare by Gideon Haigh

Gavin Larsen by Ken Miller

Ray Bright by Dan Lonergan

Chris Pringle by Michael Wagener

Anil Kumble by Rishabh Bablani

Shoaib Akhtar by Assad Hasanain

Stuart MacGill by Kristian Gough

Michael Vaughan by Max Benson

Graham Dilley by James Morgan

VVS Laxman by Minal

Hansie Cronje by Purna Hassan

lead image: Kemar Roach dismisses Ricky Ponting (C) AFP

Having recently witnessed Ricky Ponting in the Caribbean, GARFIELD ROBINSON thinks it’s time for the former Australian captain to call it a day.

In 1981, at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, boxing great Muhammad Ali entered the ring for the last time. His opponent was Trevor Berbick, a Jamaican who few thought belonged in the same ring as the great champion. In the end, Berbick won easily, by unanimous decision. Ali was but a shadow of his former self. Yes he got in a few punches, and might even have won the fifth and sixth rounds; he danced a little too, to remind fans of the performer he once was. But his powers had waned. Ali was no longer Ali.

I was reminded of Ali’s decline recently as I watched Ricky Ponting play in the Caribbean. Australia’s greatest batsman since Bradman had nothing like the command at the crease that was once his hallmark. Where he was once calm, positive and assured, he was now hurried and uncertain.

Not all the time: during his 41 in Trinidad he looked more fluent than at any other time in the series. He punished anything on his legs and even unsheathed a pull-shot or two, as if to remind the fans that he still had it. But, for the most part, it was clear to all who have watched him throughout the years: Ponting was no longer Ponting.

In the first innings of the Trinidad test Roach, continuing their battle from the last West Indies tour of Australia, got him with a peach of a delivery. Ponting was squared up by a delivery that angled in and landed on off-stump, then straightened and bounced—one that would probably have defeated him in his prime as well.

What epitomized his troubles to me, however, was a delivery he faced a few minutes earlier. Roach had bowled a short ball that he top-edged and skied trying to pull. It wasn’t a particularly quick delivery but the renowned punisher of everything short seemed harried. In his prime, he would have been on his back foot almost as soon as the ball was released, waited, and then decided which boundary board he would disturb, or where in the stands the ball would have to be retrieved.

Die-hard fans of Ponting would no doubt point out that not long ago he scored two hundreds, including a mammoth 221, and averaged 108 in a series against India. Yet they would have to agree that India’s bowling attack was one of the most inept to visit Australia in years. Michael Clarke team’s next test engagements will be against South Africa in November, and one does not expect their highly lethal bowling unit to mimic the impotence of the Indians. Australia’s selectors have a decision to make.

Well, not just one because their openers need to be looked at as well. But in my view Ponting needs to remove himself from the side before November or the selectors should respectfully ask him to go. Respectfully, because he has been a feared and faithful warrior in Australia’s cause and so cannot be cast away lightly. The run-of-the-mill player is easier to handle in such circumstances. Aware that their abilities were limited to begin with, they, and their fans, find separation less traumatic. The dominating player, on the other hand, sometimes fails to come to terms with their diminishing powers, and their fans often cling to the folklore long after the final chapter should have been closed.

And if the question then becomes, who is it that is ready to replace him, then I would answer that it doesn’t matter. Heroes should not be allowed to regress to the point where they become unrecognizable.

Not that his legacy is in jeopardy—Muhammad Ali is still the greatest. But just as it saddened boxing devotees to see one of the sport’s icons dominated by a lumbering journeyman, Ponting should ensure that he is not made to look anything other than the great player that he undoubtedly is.

Latest World Cricket Stories

• Australia Searching for Identity
• Bishan Bedi – more than meets the eye
• One Hand One Bounce Weekly Cricket Podcast 73
• My Favourite Cricketer….Justin Langer
• Why It Is Time To Say Goodbye To Ponting
• Game for Anything by Gideon Haigh Reviewed
• Interview with Cricketer turned Cage-Fighter Adam Hollioake
• One Hand One Bounce Special with Adam Hollioake
• My Favourite Cricketer….Hansie Cronjie
• One Hand One Bounce Weekly Cricket Podcast 71

Should Ricky Ponting Call it a Day? Share your thoughts in the comments

lead image (c) Darren Pateman

MATTHEW WOOD, of the excellent Balanced Sports, reviews Game for Anything by Gideon Haigh.

If Bill Simmons is the everyman sportswriter full of pop culture, in-jokes and homer-isms, then Gideon Haigh is his antithesis. You read Simmons as he thinks aloud, a man down at the bar with his mates. However, he’s just self-aware enough to know that because he monopolises the conversation he should fling jokes about to keep his audience engaged. There’s obvious research, but done on the sly; he’s no stat-geek, but muses on feel and zeitgeist.

Haigh, deliberately and with culture incomparable, compiles cricketing words that evokes a history professor’s magnum opus. Immaculate research, mirrored by thoughtful prose. Simmons’ raison d’etre is entertaining learning. For Haigh, it is the reverse. And they’re both brilliant.
Haigh’s compendious “Game for Anything” released in Australia his collected writings for publications such as Wisden Asia and the now-defunct periodicals The Bulletin and Wisden Cricket Monthly. It features several learned insights into periods of the game about which I, a studious and informed cricket fan, knew very little. Each essay is structured magnificently, being economical yet descriptive; each word is steeped in context. That he quotes an assortment of historical figures from Jardine Machiavelli to Mark Waugh exemplifies his remarkable reading range.

In fact the stand-out point of Haigh’s work is just that – his research. Articles are based not around his palpable love of the game, it’s correct spirit and statutes; his writing is revolves around a prescient “angle” and why it emerges as such a story from a multi-textured background.

There are elements of whimsy as well: he defines his favourite cricketer as the English batsman Chris Tavare, decries the rise of park cricket sledging and, most beautifully of all, develops delicate snapshots of cricket history. These short trips are, unlike the footage that comprises most of our memories, full-colour and high-definition – he makes Bradman more than ridiculous numbers and grainy footage of a fourth-ball duck.

Perhaps what’s most remarkable about his text is how easily he makes just the right words fit together on paper. Despite obvious labour over books, newspapers, journals and microfiche, Haigh’s words appear with economic precision – as if he has the most severe of editors. When writing for a mass audience using such a scholarly approach, Haigh is to be praised and respected for balancing intellect with ease of reading. Characters like Lawrence Rowe, Richard Wardill and characteristics such as gambling are all treated with the same laconic, precise respect. A memorable example was my favourite essay from Game for Anything, concerning the late-19^th century Australian captain Harry Trott and his commitment to Kew Asylum.

If you learn about politics from a book by a political master, you learn about cricket from Haigh – far more than from any other writer today. His words lack Roebuck’s flair but also his occasional florid tones. He analyses the game from a removed, scholarly position; writing not because he loves the game (although he does) but because he feels it has stories to tell. In the prologue, he encourages young writers to do likewise.

It’s so utterly characteristic of Haigh – a book of cricket essays where his opinions are so subtly obvious yet with only this one proclamation. Highly recommended.

For a different perspective, the SMH also reviewed this work.

This week on the One Hand One Bounce weekly cricket podcast we were lucky enough to catch up with cricketer turned cage-fighter Adam Hollioake ahead of his pro MMA debut this Saturday. Adam is a genuine bloke who has never taken a backward step in life let alone cricket and MMA and it was an absolute pleasure to chat to him prior to such an important moment in his life.

To listen to the interview click the play button. If you’re up in the Gold Coast and would like to get tickets for the fight, there are special discounted tickets for Adam Hollioake fans.

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Follow Adam Hollioake’s MMA Career

-Follow @AdamHollioake on Twitter
-Visit the Official Adam Hollioake Website
- Get special discounted tickets for Adam’s MMA debut.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of the interview? Let us know in the comments and be sure to wish Adam luck here or on twitter.

Listen to the Cricket Podcast that Plays by Backyard Rules

Audio, 1st May 2012: 41 minutes

DAVID SIDDALL, MURRAY MIDDLETON and LOUIS CAMERON chat to ex-England cricketer turned cage-fighter ADAM HOLLIOAKE ahead of his MMA professional debut this Saturday. Plus we review the week in cricket and give out those coveted awards.

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Don’t miss a single episode of the One Hand One Bounce Podcast. Automatically get each new episode by subscribing via iTunes or subscribing to the RSS feed.

Support Adam Hollioake

-Follow @AdamHollioake on Twitter
-Visit the Official Adam Hollioake Website
- Get special discounted tickets for Adam’s MMA debut.

Become the Podcast Hero of the Week

Special Thanks to this week’s podcast hero of the week – PURNA HASSAN

Tell us why you deserve to be next week’s hero by….

1. Emailing the team at worldcricketwatch@gmail(dot)com

2. Tweeting @worldcricketw

3. Leaving an illuminating comment on worldcricketwatch.com