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“When you are at Trent Bridge for
three hours on a Friday night
watching the Outlaws play, it’s
about fun and entertainment on and
off the field. I’m so glad that we’re
embracing that.”
win, we built on it and momentum in any
sport is massive.
“We realised that we are a good team, we
got back to winning ways and we put on a
real charge.”
Read’s evolution into the established leader
of today began in the company of his
predecessor, Stephen Fleming, during the
summers of 2005 to 2007.
About to enter his ninth campaign at
the helm, Read reveals that he nearly
relinquished the job just a couple of years
in.
“Two years in I actually suggested to Mick
that maybe it wasn’t for me because I was
shattered. I was mentally shot,” he said.
“My keeping form wasn’t so good and if
captaincy was affecting that, it was going to
be an issue.
“Mick handled it perfectly. He wanted me
to continue but suggested that I step out of
captaining theT20s.
“From behind the stumps, it’s by far the
hardest format to captain. I was thinking
about who was going to bowl the next over
instead of watching the ball.That was no
good for anyone.
“It worked absolutely perfectly. Since then
I’ve never had any issues and for a number
of years now, it has felt very natural.
“It’s a massive learning curve and – on the
back of Stephen being such an imposing
character – I knew I didn’t have that same
stature, so I had to find ways of leading
that were authentic to me.
“At first, that was leading by example and
asking people to follow.
“As long as I was putting myself on the
line and doing everything I could to fight
and scrap to win – and making sure my
own game was in a good place – I can ask
for that from everyone else.
“Over time that style has developed and I
feel I’ve become a better captain over the
years.”
The issues that led to carving up the
captaincy were not the first timeTwenty20
cricket had threatened Read’s prosperity
in the game.
Since its advent in 2003, cricket across
all formats has changed.This wily old
dog has had to learn new tricks, making
Read’s two decades of longevity all the
more remarkable.
“From scoring rates to the skill of the
bowlers, to delivering in more high
pressure moments, to the areas in which
batsmen are scoring and shots that
20 years ago would have been seen as
outrageous, it’s changed the game out of
sight,” said Read.
“From my point of view, the adaptation
was with the bat, not the gloves.With
keeping, there are different situations you
find yourself in but ultimately it’s about
catching the ball.
“Coming in down the order, I had to
find ways of clearing the ropes, so I was
playing in ways I hadn’t considered
before.
“One of the great things is that it has
brought cricket to a new audience, and it
needs that.
“When you are atTrent Bridge for
three hours on a Friday night watching
CHRIS READ
BATTING IN 2015
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