Damien Martyn Retires !!!

[howardj]

The biggest myth surrounding Marto's career was that he was "the scapegoat, and dumped for six years, after that poor shot against South Africa in 1993/94".

Facts are that he was only ever called into that Test series as a replacement for an injured Steve Waugh. Tugga was fit for the next Test and naturally came back into the team and made a huge century.

In the years between 1993/94 and his recall in 1999/2000, Martyn never did anything to warrant a recall to the Test side. He was not being punished for "that shot" in 1993/94, rather he was being punished for prolonged poor form.

His Sheffield Shield / Pura Cup averages for those years were:

1994/95: Average 24
1995/96: Average 39
1996/97: Average 36
1997/98: Average 41
1998/99: Average 36.

Hope that's laid to rest one of the biggest selectorial myths of modern times.

 

[NZTailender]

Damien Martyn > Mark Waugh.


Got more enjoyment out of seeing Martyn bat than Junior.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

No.

If you start calling people like Martyn 'legends', it doesn't leave you much scope to describe the many better players who have played the game.

His record compares pretty well with a number of "legends", especially when you consider that his average dropped around 5 runs from the 2005 Ashes series on. He's certainly one of the best Australian batsmen in the subcontinent in recent memory. Elsewhere he was a good player but not a particularly great one, similar to Mark Waugh really, as others have said.

Though there's a difference between the two in that Waugh was always a little overrated in tests, whereas Martyn was always somewhat underrated, as a lot of the reaction to his retirement on here shows.

 

[Dingo]

<delurk>

So Marto's hanging up the boots, huh? This isn't a great surprise; not because he's out of form, or because he's giving way to a superior player, but because of his character.

Excellent article in the Australian today describes Martyn's rise, fall and re-rise into the Australian team. Like most players, Martyn learned upon being dropped in 1994 that the world is full of fair-weather people only too willing to take advantage of raw rookies and their new found status. And like some players, being dropped didn't stoke the fire in the gut that drives the best back into the top tier; instead, Martyn, like Michael Slater, spent the next period of his career one or two innings away from losing his state spot. Salvation came for Damien, but it would be on his own terms. Easier to play Murali on a turning Colombo pitch than to get an interview with Martyn once he returned to the Australian XI in New Zealand in 2000.

An instructive case, this, then - will there be screening processes in the future to ensure that only the boisterous and outgoing are allowed to wear the Baggy Green? Surely the media is not so all-consuming that their intrusion into the lives of the players chases away those who are talented but shy? But silly me, this is not the first case of watching a player's career (and, indeed, life) altered by a handful of well-meaning scribes (Scott Muller, anyone?). The glasshouse that the players live in currently will only increase in temperature, and almost certainly a few panes will, if not shatter, become rather wobbly as the executives in charge continue to count their pennies while losing track of the dollars.

I suspect we won't see Martyn again, except possibly for a brief moment at some Ashes reunion in 20 years time; maybe, even, not then. Somehow ironic in that his final action, in trying to disappear quietly, did anything but.

<relurk>

 

[Slow Love™]

<delurk>

So Marto's hanging up the boots, huh? This isn't a great surprise; not because he's out of form, or because he's giving way to a superior player, but because of his character.

Excellent article in the Australian today describes Martyn's rise, fall and re-rise into the Australian team. Like most players, Martyn learned upon being dropped in 1994 that the world is full of fair-weather people only too willing to take advantage of raw rookies and their new found status. And like some players, being dropped didn't stoke the fire in the gut that drives the best back into the top tier; instead, Martyn, like Michael Slater, spent the next period of his career one or two innings away from losing his state spot. Salvation came for Damien, but it would be on his own terms. Easier to play Murali on a turning Colombo pitch than to get an interview with Martyn once he returned to the Australian XI in New Zealand in 2000.

An instructive case, this, then - will there be screening processes in the future to ensure that only the boisterous and outgoing are allowed to wear the Baggy Green? Surely the media is not so all-consuming that their intrusion into the lives of the players chases away those who are talented but shy? But silly me, this is not the first case of watching a player's career (and, indeed, life) altered by a handful of well-meaning scribes (Scott Muller, anyone?). The glasshouse that the players live in currently will only increase in temperature, and almost certainly a few panes will, if not shatter, become rather wobbly as the executives in charge continue to count their pennies while losing track of the dollars.

I suspect we won't see Martyn again, except possibly for a brief moment at some Ashes reunion in 20 years time; maybe, even, not then. Somehow ironic in that his final action, in trying to disappear quietly, did anything but.

<relurk>

LOL, somewhere along the way, that glass house metaphor went horribly wrong.

That aside, I found your post really confusing. Is what you are trying to say that the media intruded too deeply into Martyn's life, and that was behind his retirement? If so, what do you mean when you talk about "the executives in charge"?

 

[Slow Love™]

The biggest myth surrounding Marto's career was that he was "the scapegoat, and dumped for six years, after that poor shot against South Africa in 1993/94".

Facts are that he was only ever called into that Test series as a replacement for an injured Steve Waugh. Tugga was fit for the next Test and naturally came back into the team and made a huge century.

In the years between 1993/94 and his recall in 1999/2000, Martyn never did anything to warrant a recall to the Test side. He was not being punished for "that shot" in 1993/94, rather he was being punished for prolonged poor form.

His Sheffield Shield / Pura Cup averages for those years were:

1994/95: Average 24
1995/96: Average 39
1996/97: Average 36
1997/98: Average 41
1998/99: Average 36.

Hope that's laid to rest one of the biggest selectorial myths of modern times.

Good research. There wasn't really a place at the time, until Border retired, and by then, Bevan was staking a claim for a run in the test side.

It's funny about the six years "punishment" - often something just has to be repeated enough (even by one person) for it to pass into folklore.

 

[Dingo]

LOL, somewhere along the way, that glass house metaphor went horribly wrong.

It was meant to. If the glass house gets too hot, then the plants start to die. Eventually, people pay less attention to it, maintenance drops, thus leading to broken glass...

But true, I had written myself into a corner on that one...

That aside, I found your post really confusing. Is what you are trying to say that the media intruded too deeply into Martyn's life, and that was behind his retirement? If so, what do you mean when you talk about "the executives in charge"?

Martyn is a far more sensitive character than the Warnes and Pontings of the side. In my opinion, Martyn found it hard to reconcile between journalists wanting a interview when times were good and then watching those same journos sink the boot in when he was struggling. Some people love the attention that they are given when they are in the public eye; some don't. Problem is, both the public and the media believe they have a God-given right to access celebrities whenever they see fit...

"The executives in charge"? Well I would have said the ICC, but as we know they don't run world cricket in any meaningful way any more. Basically, the people who are in charge of scheduling matches, sponsor commitments, advertising, etc. People may say, "so what? That's what they get paid to do?", but I doubt those same people could handle the constant intrusion into their lives. So why should we expect sportsmen to do it?

 

[burr]

Whatever you think about Marto, you've got to give him credit for one thing: he has never subjected us to autobiographies before the age of 30, endless tour diaries, s*** cook books and more rubbish that wastes the precious forests of this earth. And Marto being Marto, I doubt he ever will. I loved that Marto hated the media, didn't try and appear friendly to all and sundry and make endless appearances at sportsman's nights. That wasn't him and I appreciated him for that. It only made him all the more different, enigmatic and special.

 

[Slow Love™]

Martyn is a far more sensitive character than the Warnes and Pontings of the side. In my opinion, Martyn found it hard to reconcile between journalists wanting a interview when times were good and then watching those same journos sink the boot in when he was struggling. Some people love the attention that they are given when they are in the public eye; some don't. Problem is, both the public and the media believe they have a God-given right to access celebrities whenever they see fit...

Maybe, though Warne and Ponting are also very prone to react sensitively (and aggressively) to commentary coming from the press, or critical remarks coming from ex players like Greg Richie and Thommo and the like. I did notice that Martyn seemed to take Dennis Lillee's comments about the age of the side rather personally. But people writing positive and negative stuff is to be expected, and it's level of intrusion is dependent on the individual, and I don't know how you expect that would be controlled. Having access or expecting it at all times is a different thing though but given Martyn's tendencies not to do interviews, isn't he controlling that to an extent? Regardless, I'm not sure how much of a victim or martyr he is in that regard.

"The executives in charge"? Well I would have said the ICC, but as we know they don't run world cricket in any meaningful way any more. Basically, the people who are in charge of scheduling matches, sponsor commitments, advertising, etc. People may say, "so what? That's what they get paid to do?", but I doubt those same people could handle the constant intrusion into their lives. So why should we expect sportsmen to do it?

If it was a situation more analogous to say, the papparazi, I'd probably agree, but I don't think cricketers are subject to as deep an intrusion as you're suggesting. Most advertising the players would be doing would be more in the vein of personal endorsements and the like (for which they receive buckets of money) rather than because the ACB or whomever says they must.

Personally, I think that Martyn's retirement was likely more a reaction to his (perceived or real) poor treatment from the selectors (and/or his own level of commitment or personal issues) than it was being brought to his knees by media intrusion into his life. But I don't know the man, maybe he felt he was copping an unfair bollocking. I don't see how that can be evaded though, unless you demand sports journalists and the like stop writing about issues like age and form.

 

[Jono]

Whatever you think about Marto, you've got to give him credit for one thing: he has never subjected us to autobiographies before the age of 30, endless tour diaries, s*** cook books and more rubbish that wastes the precious forests of this earth. And Marto being Marto, I doubt he ever will. I loved that Marto hated the media, didn't try and appear friendly to all and sundry and make endless appearances at sportsman's nights. That wasn't him and I appreciated him for that. It only made him all the more different, enigmatic and special.

Haha fair call.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Whatever you think about Marto, you've got to give him credit for one thing: he has never subjected us to autobiographies before the age of 30, endless tour diaries, s*** cook books and more rubbish that wastes the precious forests of this earth. And Marto being Marto, I doubt he ever will. I loved that Marto hated the media, didn't try and appear friendly to all and sundry and make endless appearances at sportsman's nights. That wasn't him and I appreciated him for that. It only made him all the more different, enigmatic and special.

Kinda ironic that he had such a distaste for the meedja & all the various ways that sportsmen now have to prositute their celebrity (as an aside, I always found it very sad that Phil Tufnell achieved far more fame in the UK for winning I'm a Celebrity... than he did for his cricket career) given he has probably the most media-friendly looks of any contemporary Oz cricketer. As good players as Hayden, Gilchrist or Ponting obviously are I doubt even their mother would call them good-looking.

 

[aussie]

A bit sad to see him go, but the bloke was brilliant to watch when i top form & was one of the key but players in Australia's domination over the past decade. His performances in SRI & IND in 2004 really shows how good he was..

 

[howardj]

His record compares pretty well with a number of "legends", especially when you consider that his average dropped around 5 runs from the 2005 Ashes series on. .

I don't think his record compares that well with other modern Aussie legends (i.e. Border; SWaugh; GChappell etc). He came back into the fold, full-time, in 2001. I think it's generally accepted that since around about that time, international pitches and pace attacks have been pretty benign. To average 46 is not that great. Still good, granted.

And rather than downplaying his record since 2005, I actually think it's pretty instructive that the first time that Australia played an absolute blue-chip pace battery since the early-mid 1990's (England's 2005 Ashes attack) guys like Martyn and Hayden were found not just short, but very short.

As I say, he's a very good player, but if people are calling players of his calibre 'legends', I think it strips the term of its potency. A term that should be the preserve of the creme de la creme. In the end though, it's all a matter of terminology and use of the language, I suppose.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I don't think his record compares that well with other modern Aussie legends (i.e. Border; SWaugh; GChappell etc). He came back into the fold, full-time, in 2001. I think it's generally accepted that since around about that time, international pitches and pace attacks have been pretty benign. To average 46 is not that great. Still good, granted.

And rather than downplaying his record since 2005, I actually think it's pretty instructive that the first time that Australia played an absolute blue-chip pace battery since the early-mid 1990's (England's 2005 Ashes attack) guys like Martyn and Hayden were found not just short, but very short.

As I say, he's a very good player, but if people are calling players of his calibre 'legends', I think it strips the term of its potency. A term that should be the preserve of the creme de la creme. In the end though, it's all a matter of terminology and use of the language, I suppose.

I was really referring more to people like Doug Walters, Norm O'Neill, Michael Slater etc. Guys I've heard called legends of the game but aren't really in that top eschelon of Australian players like Border, Waugh and Chappell.

Anyway, regarding his performance against the "blue chip pace battery", I think it's only relevant if the poor performance against said bowlers was actually due to being outbowled by them. In Hayden's case it's a fair argument, though I think the fact that he was already in poor form before the series and scored a good century in the last test does dilute that a bit. Even with Gilchrist I think it's relevant. Flintoff certainly had the best of him pretty comfortably in that series, and he was going quite well beforehand. Both those players got a start on a number of occasions and then chucked it away with a rash shot or were well beaten by good bowling, and you can certainly question their credentials against quality pace bowling for that reason

With Martyn, he really had a fair bit of bad luck in that series, with poor decisions and so on. Good bowling had something to do with his poor performance, but he got out plenty of times before he had a chance to assert himself, which can happen to any batsman, and bad luck cut him down a few other times. That's not to say I think he's a legendary player of quality pace bowling or anything, but I don't think that series necessarily indicates a lot, any more than the current Ashes series does. One of Martyn's problems was always that he would throw it away at times with a shot that looked terminally lazy, but he'd make heaps of runs with those same shots when he was going well. Often he'd look terribly out of touch and make big runs in the same series.

 

[Jono]

You simply can't call Damien Martyn a cricket legend. Whether you want to call him an Australian cricketing legend is up for debate, but even then I wouldn't even say that.

He was just a very very good player who at one point was one of the best 5-10 batsmen in the world, but was never able to sustain it for reasons more to do with his himself then quality of opposition IMO.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

He was just a very very good player who at one point was one of the best 5-10 batsmen in the world, but was never able to sustain it for reasons more to do with his himself then quality of opposition IMO

Yeah, I'd agree with that. It simply depends on how you define the terms, really. In the end I think his record is probably a fair reflection on the sort of player he was. Gifted but inconsistent, and ultimately a success but not a great.

 

[marc71178]

And rather than downplaying his record since 2005, I actually think it's pretty instructive that the first time that Australia played an absolute blue-chip pace battery since the early-mid 1990's (England's 2005 Ashes attack) guys like Martyn and Hayden were found not just short, but very short.

Difference being that Hayden had a chink in his batting that was worked on, Martyn had a succession of unlucky calls.

 

[howardj]

Martyn had a succession of unlucky calls.

Two

 

[howardj]

Just on retirement generally, it must leave an incredible void in a player's life. To go from competing ferociously at the top level, with your competitive juices bubbling away...to having no outlet at all for one of the biggest parts of your makeup - their competitive streak. I mean, what does Marto do for competition once he gets back from Hawaai? I think players should cherish playing, and stop complaining about the amount of cricket, the scrutiny and the pressure - because, when it's all over and they look back, they'll see it as the best time (and a very short time) of their life.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

You've got the biggest chip on your shoulder all of a sudden. Complaining about anything and everything.