It started like any other day for a cricket fan on a pilgrimage to the home of cricket - trepidation, anticipation but mostly excitement. Today we watch our heroes play but this time it feels so real as we have such a close connection - a debutant, a comeback, the Aussie selector on duty and a Tassie Captain - the Cricket Gods are smiling.
Our appointment with cricket destiny began with QF9, the majestic A380, flying out of Melbourne mid afternoon on Sunday. However, a structural issue meant we were able to enjoy Melbourne for an extra five hours. This simply allowed us to share our story with several other fellow travellers – we can never have enough committed fans.
Thirty hours later we were disembarking at Heathrow and it was clear that we were not here for the Ashes as the Customs officials were simply too friendly – Aussies were streaming through the gates seemingly unchecked! Our driver met us just beyond customs and it soon became clear that he was an avid Pakistan cricket fan – is there any other type. If he is a measure of their supporters there is a quiet confidence that this Test series, on their “new home soil”, will be extremely competitive.
We soon arrived at our lodging for the week, quickly settled, and then set out on acclimatising ourselves with London. The first obvious sign was the low cloud and high humidity just perfect for Hilfy if he was fit. The forecast suggested that the first few days might be similar – bring it on!
Our initial destination was the Royal Gardens Hotel, home for the Aussies this week. The hotel backs on to the Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, a spectacular green space in the heart of London. As we proceeded up Kensington High Street, I felt a bit like a groupie about to stake-out a hotel hoping for a glimpse of their favourite rockstar.
On the way there, George Campbell joined our entourage. George had been the Junior Development Officer and Coach of many of Tim’s formative cricket teams. I can confirm that George’s affiliation with our club has now led him back to University as a student believe it or not. We reminisced about much of the club history and I updated George about recent celebrations surrounding premiership victories, but today was not about that and it was time to head towards our final destination.
As we approached the foyer a dutiful mother, Sally, and the matriarch “Nan” were already waiting. Nan has seen every minute of Tim’s cricket since he started taking Nick apart in the backyard late in the last century – she was surely not going to miss this moment.
A call comes through to Sally, the team meeting had just wrapped up and the team bus was in transit. It was a long twenty minutes! But then they appeared. Leading the charge was the big fast bowler Hilfy followed by his team mates. Jamie Cox was with the group and they all seemed relaxed and ready. Finally Tim appeared. There was self confidence intertwined with innocence – a young player taking another great step in his career but also recognition that this was not just another game of cricket.
After a long chat it was time to depart. As we were leaving, it was great to see how comfortable Tim was with his new environment. Many elite athletes can feel the weight of expectation but what I see in Tim is that he realises that when he walks out onto Lords that we all walk with him, and if he were to falter we are all there to catch him. Tim enjoy every moment! |
