‘My golf replaced the lack of cricket’

Such has been the effect of COVID-19 that the world has changed overnight, forever. While this is a new sensation for many people, it is the kind of reality change that any former athlete has already experienced to some degree when they decided to quit.

Cricbuzz takes stock of how this feels and what some of the effects have been, for cricketers who retired after long runs taking them to the first day of the rest of their lives …

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Greg Blewett Test’s career was eventually more a case of ‘what if’ than ‘what was’. The former Australia hitter, who scored two centuries in his first two Tests, although he managed his graceful impulses and stopped for 15 seasons of first-class cricket. Along with seasons in Yorkshire, Kent and Nottinghamshire, the right-hander, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODI during the development phase of Australia’s indomitable career, finished as one of the best in South Australia. And it’s when they turned their backs on him in 2006 that Blewett ended his career, and here he talks about how he overcame his “discontented retirement.”

Excerpts

Your last days in first class cricket, you were not very happy with the selectors. You thought you could play for two more years.

Basically they told me that I was not going to be in the frame in the future. So the decision was forced on me. I had two years left on my contract. It was a bit of a disgruntled retreat. I really, really wanted to keep playing. But my marriage was broken and I had a 2 year old daughter and if I had wanted to extend my career I would have had to move from one state to another. And I really didn’t want to get away from her. But in saying that, he had already done quite a bit of media work in the UK with Sky Sports while playing there. The Ashes 2005 series was approaching. Darren Lehmann did the first two test matches and offered me the last three tests. While I didn’t have an organized full-time job, that was a bit of a carrot there. I also received a small payment from my contract with SACA. So, I had a little security there. It is a little daunting. You know that your income will also be affected.

Do you remember what was going through your head the moment your head hit the pillow that first night?

The immediate consequence of retirement was that it was not a good way to be honest. It took me a good month to get over that. But I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to plan what to do next. And being able to do what I wanted to without asking people what to do. Many people fight unstructured around them, but I liked it.

You talked about routine. You played first class cricket for 15-16 years. How long does it take to quit?

The first thing for me was “well, there won’t be another preseason.” Normally, it would only take a couple of weeks off and then I’d go back to the gym, long before the preseason started. I decided that I would take 12 months off doing something really physical. I had some injuries. I really wanted to rest. In fact, I remember reaching the end of those 12 months and I felt fantastic. He did not have any of the aches and pains that he normally had. I just remember that in the first week or the first days, you know what, I’m going to relax and love my golf. I played a lot of golf.

Is it easy to relax when you’ve done something the same way for so long?

It felt like a normal end to the season, when you got a little bit of a close on that season. Then you reset your goals and come back for next season. I really wanted to do that. But having retired, why was I setting my goals? There was to be no cricket. Then I set out to map the next six months and go from there. It was really about controlling my movements. I had numerous setbacks throughout my career and always felt that instead of feeling sorry for yourself and being depressed, it was obviously better to be positive and try to get going as quickly as possible.

Sachin Tendulkar had said that he no longer had to worry about what he was picking up from the buffet after leaving. Was it the same for you?

I was very lucky with the food. He was very skinny. My folds were always elite. That was more my metabolism. In terms of diet, I had no problems. Most important to me, performance anxiety was no longer there. You didn’t have to worry about hitting the next day or worry about ‘God, I got lost in that game.’ I can guarantee that Sachin slept much better after retiring, considering the kind of expectations he had to deal with. I certainly did. That was something I really didn’t miss. Those nights when you wake up and feel “gee, I really need to do something today.”

When does it feel good to be referred to as a “retired person” despite being in your mid-30s?

When you really do, it’s like wow, it’s over. Your career is going very fast, even if it lasts 15 years. It hits you. I will not walk to the Adelaide Oval again. So, I really missed the dressing room atmosphere, being close to my peers. And certainly, in the first 12 months after my retirement, just seeing the boys play was very, very difficult. I felt like I could still be out there. However, I also realized that at 35, I am about halfway through my life. Now is the time, I need to reach out and start the rest of my life.

Are you starting to reconnect with people you couldn’t keep in touch with during your career?

It is a rather selfish existence, especially when you are playing international cricket. You are one-dimensional and your only goal is to be successful as a cricket player. You can’t see your parents as much as you used to and other parts of your family. And also your good friends. Then you start to reconnect. Most of my very good friends have come from cricket. And then when I got home after working with Sky Sports, I got a job almost immediately with Fox Sports and worked with them for 9 years. They were most of the guys I played with and played with, so I became very close to them. In terms of coming back here in Adelaide, it was truly a friendship through my golf clubs. Get into a little more routine, play on certain days, and play in certain groups. As I said, my marriage was broken and I was single and lonely for a long period of time.

How much of golf had to do with wanting to keep those competitive juices flowing?

My golf really replaced the lack of cricket. I started working hard to be good at it. And it still does. That’s something I’ve tried to educate my wife about now that I still need that time when I can go out and play golf and be sociable. But the most important thing is to play competitively and try to do something that makes the juices work.

Did retirement give you more time with your daughter?

Absolutely. But in saying that, I still went abroad and played a bit. I went to England for a couple of years to play cricket. He still had long periods of time when he wasn’t with her. But when he was in town, he could do everything. I could drop her off at school and spend full days with her. I didn’t necessarily have to go to a full-time job. I thrived on being at home. I felt like I was on vacation. I loved.

Why did you start having withdrawal symptoms?

I really missed hitting. I’ve hardly had a bat since then, except for the rare charity game or the like. But now I’m involved in training and quite often I just re-tie the pads and face a few balls on the bowling machine or sometimes have the boys throw a dozen balls at me. I still miss that confrontation, the one-on-one dynamics against the bowler.

How strange was it to see the ashes of 2005 from the comment box so soon after sharing the field with so many of them, and also considering that it became such a historic series?

I tried to use that to my advantage a bit too. You have good relations with the boys who are still playing, and you hope that it can appear in your comment. You can add a little insight. It was quite an amazing series. I remember thinking at the time, what a way to start my commentary career. I clearly remember Old Trafford when there were still thousands of people outside trying to get in and there was just incredible excitement surrounding the Cricket Test. I felt very lucky to be a part of that.

You always started on a memorable note then. Two centuries in two tests as a hitter and the ashes of 2005 as a commentator.

So is. That has been the problem in the past. It happened with my cricket, especially for Australia, I just couldn’t keep it for long periods of time, but I’m trying to change that with my other races.