Designing your Destiny: Life after Cricket

There are two questions I am often asked after meeting new people, and telling them what I do. My answers often cause more confusion than enlightenment to those posing the question.

The first is, “So… Are you a batter or a bowler?”

The answer often furrows brows or brings a look of sympathy.

Wicketkeepers are a mysterious bunch practicing an art not widely understood. We stand inches away from a fully armored gladiator, wielding a wooden weapon, waiting for another to hurl a small rock-like object at us from 22 yards at 90 miles an hour, protected by, in days gone by at least, just a set of oven mitts and shin pads.

A crazy breed indeed.

You need to be brave to be a Keeper, courageous and combative, all the time willing to endure pain and suffering from broken fingers and aching backs.

Hence, the furrowed brows… and look of sympathy.

The other question is, “So… What are you going to do once you finish playing?”

There are two tacks for answering, one the truth and one a generic answer, churned out by all and sundry.

An answer of, “Not sure, haven’t really thought about it”, for some people fits both criteria, truth and convenience. It may well be a thought they do not look forward to considering, but one that is inevitable, and for some, arrives when they least expect it.

For me though, while the answer has changed over the years, I have always known what my next project would be. My answer was always a reflection of what interested me at the time. For now, I am fortunate to have a sideline job, the type every sportsman or woman dreams of. I am designing the equipment I get to use out on the battlefield.

After using AERO Cricket equipment for a few seasons I was approached by them to design the dream batting glove. I had never designed anything before in my life. Sure, I had pulled lots of things apart, not often being able to put them back together, but I had no formal design qualifications.

Where do I begin such a task?

I had been fortunate enough, while studying at the University of Auckland in 2003, to be asked to assist Nike develop their new cricket shoe, the Air Zoom Opener, which was released in 2006, so I had a framework for the process. My degree was in Biomechanics so I had a working knowledge of the relevant anatomy and impact forces that might be involved. Pooling these two streams of knowledge proved to be enough for AERO to take me on initially, and I’ve been designing for them for the last 3 years.

This unique opportunity to be involved and shape the future of this great game, long after I finish playing, has been a great comfort and I believe a great contributor to my success on the field. Safe in the knowledge I have an exciting role post-playing, I have been able to go out and express myself out in the middle.

As mentioned in an earlier piece, the tag ‘unorthodox’ is one that others use to describe my play, designs and thoughts. The freedom to play so ‘extravagantly’ has come from knowing there is a life after cricket, whether it be in design, technical analysis or writing.

After the last few weeks, being involved in the Indian series, I have realized how unique and invaluable it is to be able to tie all these links together. Very few cricket companies contain active elite players, and even fewer use them to design the products they sell. Being a current player certainly opens doors and enhances the products integrity.

Yesterday I attended the Indian Cricket training in Auckland, not to spy on them training, but to meet with the players who were using the AERO thigh pads. Almost two thirds of the team use them now and I wanted to check the sizes etc were ok and if there was any other way I could help. It became a bit frenzied when TVNZ were swamped by a throng of Indian journalists wanting the story, and next thing Venkatesh Prasad, the Indian bowling coach, was asking me if they could have some AERO KPR Legs for their close-in fielders. (Check out http://tvnz.co.nz/cricket-news/business-rolling-mcglashan-1-35-2581707)

It is such a rare chance to be able to drift between roles as a player, designer and businessman, and it is one I am thriving on.

Who knows what the future holds for the next generation of cricketers. With more and more money entering the ‘Cricket Industry’ maybe cricketers of the future won’t need a career after cricket.

What cannot be forgotten is that only a very small percentage of athletes ever establish themselves in a professional league. Even then your lifespan in many ways is out of your control, and often shorter than childhood dreams will have foreseen. I can only encourage those who have the chance to find another interest or profession along the way, while they strive to achieve their sporting goals.

If it were not for my design work, I would not have the confidence to play my natural game on the field.

And if it were not for my cricket success, I would not have the chance to play test my designs, on some of the best players in the world.

Which poses another question, “So… Where to from here?”

KudoSurf Me!