Feeding off the buzz of a new era

Source: Rampant Lion     Date: Not Available

Cricket: Rahul Dravid answers readers’ questions about the Saltires’ future and his time in Scotland. 

What are your thoughts on playing an overseas professional among amateurs, as opposed to other county pros? Chris Addison, Greenock.

Well, one of the most encouraging things is that the Saltires have been new to this competition, so it has all been a huge adventure and a step into the unknown, and that sense of excitement has really rubbed off on me. I seriously doubt if there would have been that atmosphere if I had been turning out and playing six or seven days every week for an English county team, where the emphasis is on cricket and nothing else. By comparison, working with the Saltires, holding masterclasses, travelling all around Scotland, attending dinners and going on mini tours with a group of Scots has been a chance for me to be in at the beginning of Scotland’s bid to rise up the rankings and advance on to the ICC’s one-day international circuit. It’s because of that, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to come here, because although the side have lost more matches than they have won, there has been a tremendous buzz in the camp and the feeling we are definitely making progress.

Would you recommend the Saltires job to your Indian team-mates? Mark Byrne, Edinburgh.

Yes, I would tell them it’s a challenge very much worth accepting as long as they understand that coming to Scotland isn’t a holiday and that you have to be concerned about far more than just your own performances in isolation. My experiences have been such that I have learned to appreciate the strenuous work ethic of Craig Wright and his colleagues, but it has also become clear to me that Scottish cricket is at a crossroads, and a Test player travelling here would have to realise their remit involved much more than just turning up for 20 games of cricket. Basically, you have to be a coach, a motivator, somebody who believes in the emerging nations. And you have to persuade the kids, in particular, that it’s not a pipe dream to imagine that maybe five or 10 years down the line, Scotland will be granted the chance to play on the same one-day stage as the likes of England, India, South Africa and Australia.

You looked annoyed when you got out against Sussex and Hampshire. How angry do you get in these circumstances and is it wise for your team-mates to give you a cooling off period in the dressing-room? Kath Campbell, e-mail

Yes, I do get upset when I’ve been dismissed, and especially in a situation such as that Sussex match, where I felt there was still work to be done, and I’d made a mistake (although happily, the victory was completed by Jon Kent and Colin Smith). I do get cheesed off, but it usually only lasts for five or 10 minutes and then I start to calm down. It may surprise you but I have thrown my bat around, and also my equipment, in the pavilion, but I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody, especially to youngsters. It’s better to remember that, at the end of the day, we are only talking about a game of cricket. Will cricket ever become a really global sport? And can it crack the market in Europe and the United States? Rina Amin, e-mail

One of the ICC’s aims is to broaden cricket’s appeal and expand its playing base, but I am a realist and I don’t foresee that happening quickly. Instead, it’s going to require significant investment over a substantial period, and as for the prospect of other countries catching up with the best nine or 10, there’s no quick fix. The trick is for the ICC to get cricket up and running to some degree in every nation in Europe – you already have the likes of Holland, Denmark and Italy involved at various levels – but the US might prove a much harder nut to crack, when you think how difficult football has found it to make a big impact in a land where so much attention is given to American football, basketball and baseball.

Personally, I think it might require 10 to 20 years to bring half a dozen new teams through to a standard where they can be consistently competitive in a second division one-day international structure. However, honestly, to expect any of the current emerging countries to be successful to any extent on the five-day Tests, against Australia and the rest ... well that will take a long time. In fact, it probably won’t happen in my lifetime and I am only 30.

So you don’t envisage a scenario where the Scots can dream of tackling England at Lords, for instance? Ken McDonald, Rothesay

I try never to say never, but Scotland have to learn to walk before they can run, and it would be far better for them to focus on establishing some kind of professional set-up which would allow them access to the one-day international platform. In simple terms, the outstanding priority is for Craig’s boys to reach the 2007 World Cup finals, and then and only then should they turn their thoughts to organising regular one-day matches against the Test-playing sides. Of course, in the longer term, there might be a chance for Scotland to advance from the limited overs version to five-day cricket, but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. And certainly not before the Saltires have created a professional system and gained contracts for their best players. That’s an absolute necessity.