Daniel Raymond Flynn’s journey in top flight cricket began early enough with blood, sweat but not necessarily tears! Into only the second Test of his career, it became a real baptism by fire (power) for the New Zealand batsman against England at Old Trafford in 2008.
A nasty steepler from James Anderson ripped through his helmet grill, knocking out two teeth. Spewing blood, he was duly stretchered out. Such a blow should have shaken up Flynn and more than just physically.
But the strapping southpaw simply shrugged off the setback, only to emerge stronger. In the concluding Test at Nottingham, he came back with a valiant 49. “These things happen in cricket,” he stoically told The Hindu , shortly before heading for the OPPO Champions League Twenty20 championship that gets underway at Raipur.
Such steely resolve propped up by performance, saw him promoted as captain of Northern Districts in all three formats for New Zealand’s domestic championships last year. “To qualify for the OPPO CLT20 will be our first and foremost aim,” said Flynn, now vested with additional responsibility as Northern Knights’ skipper.
“Pitches back home are a lot different from those here. We’ll share knowledge with the experienced guys in our side familiar with these conditions to know what to be confronted with,” said the hard-hitting batsman, who had an unbeaten 122, a 73 and a 72 under his belt in the recent season.
Would facing an array of the world’s best spinners on slow and turning tracks be difficult? “We are working on spin and we are confident with our game plans,” countered the Kiwi side’s top gun on their campaign for the impending international challenge.
Low profile What is he like outside the game? “I keep a low profile and am pretty laid back,” he replied. “Cricket can be consuming,” said the seasoned hand, who turned pro a decade ago. To recharge, he relaxes with friends and family or goes to the beach.
While on tour he watches movies, plays golf or listens to rock music. “Lorde, Foo Fighters and the John Butler Trio are my favourite artistes,” he added.
