Monday, Dec 16, 2002
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Cricket
By S. Dinakar
Mark Richardson relaxing at the Basin Reserve Stadium in Wellington on Sunday. — Photo: N. Balaji
His has been a remarkable story so far and he realises it. A ride through the choppy winds for this `surfer', who loves the challenges of the sea as much as he relishes the battles on the cricket field. It was the triumph of the spirit that shone through, as Mark Richardson lay on the grass, basking under bright sunshine at the Basin Reserve after starring in New Zealand's comprehensive victory over India in the first Test, a day earlier. Here was a man, who had sought solace in the sea, with his career almost coming to a grinding halt seven years ago. "I drove around New Zealand, looking for the seas. I could find peace there. For about six months, I completely stopped playing the game.'' The year was '95, and Richardson, considered a fine Test prospect as a left-arm spinner, found himself without a first class side. And the future appeared a road going nowhere. ``You know, I played my maiden first class game against the Indians in 1989 at New Plymouth. I turned out for the New Zealand President's XI. And my first three wickets were that of Manoj Prabhakar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. I got Tendulkar, caught bat-pad with a delivery that spun.'' said Richardson in an exclusive chat with The Hindu on Sunday. That was 13 years ago. Today, the 32-year-old Richardson is among the more successful openers in world cricket, someone who averages 48 in 21 Tests, often anchoring the innings in demanding seam bowling conditions; his tenacious 89 at Wellington against India proved decisive. From No. 11 to No 1. ... it has been an eventful journey for this affable Auckland cricketer. Yet, he could so easily have trotted in between the umpire and the stumps and flighted and turned them... here lies the dramatic twist to the Richardson story. Fine performances for the under-17 and 19 New Zealand sides and success with Auckland as an orthodox left-arm spinner, took Richardson to the doorstep of a national place. And then, he woke up one fine morning to discover his bowling had vanished into thin air. ``I virtually lost it overnight. Lost my rhythm, lost my action, it was all gone. I probably stuffed around too much with my natural action and it was all gone,'' reveals Richardson. The unexpected decline in his bowling meant he could no longer hold his place in the strong Auckland outfit. He had two options before him - he could either stay in the game or quit. Richardson chose to clutch at the straws, give it another fling. ``I decided to keep playing first class cricket. I quite liked the way of life,'' but then with his bowling career virtually finished, there was only one way he could prolong his cricketing life. As a batsman.
Focus on mental process
The odds against him were daunting - he had never batted higher than No. 9., and his highest first class score up to that point was 34 against Canterbury. Could Richardson pull off the impossible? Otago, an unglamorous side, often at the bottom of the rungs, was his destination. "Cricketers generally go there to revive their careers.'' Getting his mind-set right before the big switch was important - "I knew as a batsman, I should be prepared to get hit on the body, get behind the line. As a tailender you tend to play away from the line. ``I had to show courage and determination, that resolve to stay in, that courage and determination. I was a bit of a dasher, so I had to focus harder.'' He wanted his mental attributes to take the precedence - "You know, I concentrated too hard on the techniques of bowling and not enough on the mental process. I did not want the same to happen to my batting. I knew I had to tighten my game, bat with a still head, but technique would not be everything.'' He finally "received a go'' with the Otago `B' side in '96, struck 33 runs off the last over, including five sixes, off left-arm spinner Hamis Timber to fashion a remarkable win over Canterbury `B' and earned a promotion to the Otago first side. Soon arrived his maiden first class hundred against the Central Districts, followed by a century at the expense of the touring West Indians, and Richardson had caught the eye of Ross Dykes, who was then the convener one the New Zealand selection panel. ``New Zealand was having a bit of a problem with the openers, and they wanted to play a left-right combination. I was batting at No. 5., still Dykes felt I could do the job,'' he says and that really was the beginning of Mark Richardson `Mark 11.' After success as a New Zealand `A' opener in England during the summer of '2000, he made his debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, and after a knock of 99 in Harare, his second Test, has in his own words, ''never looked back.'' He has two Test hundreds, both at Hamilton (the venue of the second Test of the on-going series), but values his 77 at Bloemfontein, 2000, countering the South African seamers, the most. ''That was the first time I really believed that I could play at this level. South Africa had Donald, Pollock, Ntini and it was not easy.'' What really is the secret of surviving on seaming pitches with bounce as he so often does - ''You have to accept the fact that the bowlers are going to dominate and you will be beaten a few times, and not let that bother you mentally. Stay there and make them earn your wicket.'' Exactly what he achieved against the Indians at Wellington, and, he was among others, watched by his idol. Yes, former New Zealand opener and the present Indian coach, John Wright, is Richardson's hero. "He fought hard at the crease, showed great temperament. He is someone I have always looked up to.'' And the biggest lesson he has learnt from cricket and life is this - "there is no substitute to determination and perseverance.'' Mark Richardson marches on.
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