There was an Indian, a Maori and a Scotsman… no, this is not a joke!!

In a sport of great ups and downs, there are few things you can predict.

A year ago I was contemplating my options as a cricketer, and considering using my British Passport to look at playing for Scotland. Now twelve months on, I am about to embark on the biggest cricket tour of my life as a member of the Black Caps to the Twenty20 World Cup, and who do we face in the first game… Scotland, of course.

I have always been intrigued by my ties to Scotland and wanted to play against the home of my family name. With a surname like McGlashan, it is impossible to ignore the links to my Scottish heritage. I guess I am in an unusual, but not unique, position where I can pledge some form of allegiance to several ethnicities. Like most Kiwis, my family tree extends back to the United Kingdom predominantly, but also has strong roots here in New Zealand with Ngati Porou. I am very proud of both my Scottish family roots and my Maori heritage.

In 2001, I had the tremendous honour of playing for what, I think, was the inaugural NZ Maori cricket team in the Pacifica Championship held in Auckland. It was primarily made up of fringe first class players with Maori ancestory and still remains one of the most satisfying and cherished times in my cricketing career. Admittedly, at the commencement of the tournament, some of the team members were not totally au fait with their Maori ancestory, but as the tournament progressed their sense of pride grew and it was not long before evening sing-a-longs with the Cook Islands team stretched into waiata, fully fledged battle cries and unforgettable memories.

One memorable moment on the field, was Ash Turner, one of our nasty fast bowlers, waiting at the top of his mark for Papua New Guinea’s new batsman to arrive at the crease. For Ash, at the time a First Class opening bowler, he was used to intimidating batsman and working them over with short-pitched bowling, so what greeted him at the batting crease left him dumbfounded.

The number nine batsman strode out, broad smile stretched across his face, with bare feet, wicketkeeping pads on, no batting gloves and with a bat with no grip on it, the string unravelling in a trail behind him.

Ash did not know what to do, so he halved his run up and trotted in at half pace.

Whoosh… massive swing and miss, the batsman almost throwing himself off his feet, he swung so hard. The roars of laughter bellowed across the ground from the boundary, and slowly rippled through our team. Even Ash smiled, though the person with the biggest smile was the batsman.

Ash trotted in again and whack… “straight” back over his head.

Even more laughter.

We all sniggered… everyone except Ash.

It is fair to say Ash did not hold back on the next ball and the stumps were shattered. The Papua New Guinea batsman walked off beaming, and to rapturous applause from his teammates and most of us as well. It was so refreshing to be reminded of why we should be playing the game, for the fun and enjoyment, which is often lost during the heat of battle.

There were so many characters at the tournament it is unfair to single a few out, but there was one figure that is now showing the world how talented he is.

Jesse Ryder was in the team as a young, raw, promising 16 year old. Even then he shone as an extreme talent, making the tournament team after several innings of typical brutality. He has just left his mark on the cricketing world with his efforts against India, and I am sure, knowing Jesse for many years, the best is yet to come.

Tournaments like that are all about spreading the game throughout the world and also providing a competitive environment appropriate for those players to express themselves.

I am sure there are many players throughout the pacific who have been watching the series against India telling tales about the day they caught out Jesse Ryder (or maybe me for that matter!) at that tournament in Auckland all those years ago. It is great that such a close link can be made between players at that level, and international stars like Jesse, hopefully inspiring those in developing cricket nations to bigger things.

With the Indian side now leaving our shores, it is apt I recently came across the photo I had taken with Sachin Tendulkar 12 years ago, in Heathrow airport. I was on tour with the Napier Boys High 1st XI and India were passing through the airport.

A few years later I took the photo along to get signed when India were touring here, and it has sat on my desk ever since. To have the opportunity to play such a legend was a dream come true, and to have sat behind the stumps as he played one of the best one-day innings seen on New Zealand soil, was an honour and a memory I will cherish long after I hang up the gloves.

He has been one of the players I have enjoyed watching play over the years, much like Jesse will be for future generations, and it is remarkable how things can turn full circle.

Hopefully there are players throughout the pacific inspired by Jesse and Ross Taylor’s performances, that are motivated to try and be the worlds best cricketers regardless of their nationality.

As cricket in these smaller nations continues to grow, hopefully one day these players will get a chance to play against their heroes, on the world stage, much like I did with Sachin.

We can only wait and see…

KudoSurf Me!